Switching Technology - D-Link DES-1005P Manual

Switching Technology

Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network capacity
available to users on a local area network. A switch increases capacity
and decreases network loading by dividing a local area network into
different segments, which don't compete with each other for network
transmission capacity.
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the individual
segments. The switch, without interfering with any other segments,
automatically forwards traffic that needs to go from one segment to
another. By doing this the total network capacity is multiplied, while
still maintaining the same network cabling and adapter cards.
Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement over the previous
generation of network bridges, which were characterized by higher
latencies. Routers have also been used to segment local area networks,
but the cost of a router, the setup and maintenance required make
routers relatively impractical. Today switches are an ideal solution to
most kinds of local area network congestion problems.
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