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Chapter 2: Network Planning
Introduction to Switching
A network switch allows simultaneous transmission of multiple packets via
non-crossbar switching. This means that it can partition a network more efficiently
than bridges or routers. The switch has, therefore, been recognized as one of the
most important building blocks for today's networking technology.
When performance bottlenecks are caused by congestion at the network access
point (such as the network card for a high-volume file server), the device
experiencing congestion (server, power user, or hub) can be attached directly to a
switched port. And, by using full-duplex mode, the bandwidth of the dedicated
segment can be doubled to maximize throughput.
When networks are based on repeater (hub) technology, the distance between end
stations is limited by a maximum hop count. However, a switch turns the hop count
back to zero. So subdividing the network into smaller and more manageable
segments, and linking them to the larger network by means of a switch, removes this
limitation.
A switch can be easily configured in any Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet
network to significantly boost bandwidth while using conventional cabling and
network cards.
2-1
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