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Class I hubs must be used when connecting differing network media such as two wire-pair 100BASE-TX media with four wire-
pair 100BASE-T4 media within the same collision domain.
The hub receives line data from any port, translates it into a digital signal, retranslates the signal back into the appropriate line
data and repeats it to all other ports.
If a Class I hub is used in a collision domain, no other hubs may be used within that collision domain.
Class II Fast Ethernet Hubs
Class II hubs are used when all media within the collision domain is the same (all TX, for example).
The hub receives line data from any port and directly repeats it to all other ports.
A maximum of two Class II hubs can be used within one collision domain.
Stackable Class II Fast Ethernet Hubs
You can increase the port density within a collision domain by using stackable Class II hubs.
When hubs are stacked, they function as one hub. Consequently, you can have up to two stacks of Class II hubs within one
collision domain.
The stacked hubs receive line data from any port and directly repeat it to all other ports within the stack.
Dual-Speed Ethernet Hub Technology
Dual-Speed Ethernet hubs are an indispensable step in the migration of your existing 10Mbps Ethernet to 100Mbps Fast Ethernet.
This type of hub accommodates both 10Mbps Ethernet and 100Mbps Fast Ethernet on the same LAN.
A Dual-Speed Ethernet hub contains two separate repeaters within the same unit: one 10Mbps repeater and 100Mbps repeater.
The unit automatically detects the speed of the signal and routes it to the corresponding repeater. The repeater then sends the
signal to all other ports using that signal speed.
Dual-Speed Ethernet Hub with Built-in Bridge Module
A dual-speed Ethernet hub with bridging capabilities retains the structure of a regular dual-speed hub with the addition of an
embedded bridge module. This allows your 10Mbps devices and 100Mbps devices to seamlessly exchange data
Switching Technology
A switch creates a separate collision domain by dedicating a full 100Mbps line through each port. This allows you to use one
class I repeater hub or two class II repeater hubs to connect your end stations and servers within that domain. You can use
stackable hubs to increase the total number ports within each collision domain.
A switch uses store and forwarding technology to transfer data between collision domains at the MAC address level of the
Ethernet protocol. This means that data is transferred only to the data's destination collision domain. The data is not
transferred to other collision domains, which allows your total LAN capacity to be increased without the need to invest in new
media infrastructure.
By creating separate collision domains and communicating between them, a switch allows you to overcome the two-hub limit of
Fast Ethernet topology.
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