Network Topologies
Gigabit Ethernet
to the Desktop
Gigabit Ethernet
Backbone
AT-GS950/8, AT-GS950/16, AT-GS950/24 and AT-GS950/48 Switches Installation Guide
This section illustrates two network topologies: Gigabit Ethernet to the
desktop and Gigabit Ethernet backbone.
The topology shown in Figure 3 is commonly referred to as Gigabit
Ethernet to the desktop. This topology provides the best in performance
and reliability because each end node is connected directly to the AT-
GS950/16 Switch with a dedicated network link
.
Legend
100 Mbps
1000 Mbps
Figure 3. Gigabit Ethernet to the Desktop Topology
In the topology illustrated in Figure 4 on page 24, the AT-GS950/16 is
connected to other managed and unmanaged Ethernet switches to form a
Gigabit Ethernet backbone topology. The AT-GS950/16 Switch functions
as the focal point of the network by transferring Ethernet frames between
the switches. This topology reduces the amount of unnecessary traffic in
each workgroup, because the AT-GS950/16 Switch transfers frames only
when the source and destination end nodes are located on different
switches. This frees up bandwidth and improves network performance.
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