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Chapter 2
Network Planning
An Ethernet or Fast Ethernet 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 maximum
distance between end stations is limited. For Ethernet, there may be up
to four hubs between any pair of stations; for Fast Ethernet, the
maximum is two. This is known as the 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 or Fast Ethernet
network to significantly boost bandwidth while using conventional
cabling and network cards.
Note
When connected to a shared collision domain (such as a hub with
multiple workstations), each switched port may operate only in
half-duplex mode, and back pressure flow control should be
disabled.
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