Switching Technology; Vlan (Virtual Local Area Network); Features - TRENDnet TEG-160WS User Manual

Switching Technology

Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of Ethernet technology
is the development of switching technology. A switch bridges
Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol
transmitting among connected Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN
segments.
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network
capacity available to users on a local area network.
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.
solution to most kinds of local area network congestion problems.
A switch
Today switches are an ideal
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VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)

A VLAN is a group of end-stations that are not constrained by their
physical location and can communicate as if a common broadcast
domain, a LAN. The primary utility of using VLAN is to reduce
latency and need for routers, using faster switching instead. Other
VLAN utility includes:
Security, Security is increased with the reduction of opportunity in
eavesdropping on a broadcast network because data will be switched
to only those confidential users within the VLAN.
Cost Reduction, VLANs can be used to create multiple broadcast
domains, thus eliminating the need of expensive routers.

Features

16 x 1000BASE-T Auto-negotiation Gigabit Ethernet ports
2 x Mini-GBIC (Auto-Sense) slots for optional mini-GBIC
transceiver to extend distance, share with 2 1000BASE-T ports
All 1000BASE-T ports support auto MDI/MDIX, so there is no
need to use cross-over cables or an up-link port
Half duplex transfer mode for connection speed 10Mbps and
100Mbps
Full duplex transfer mode for connection speed of 10Mbps,
100Mbps and 1000Mbps
Store-and-Forward switching scheme capability to support rate
adaptation and ensure data integrity
Up to 8K unicast addresses entities per device, self-learning, and
table aging
512 Kbytes packet buffer
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