
upgrade and takes advantage of the existing investment in hardware, software, and personnel training.
Switching Technology
Another key development pushing the limits of Ethernet technology is in the field 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
The switch acts as a
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 and the setup and maintenance required make routers relatively impractical. Today’s switches are an ideal solution to most kinds of local area network congestion problems.
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