Switching Technology

8-Port 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Switch User Guide

amount of time.

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 cost-effective way of increasing the total network capacity available to users on a local area network. A switch increases capacity and decreases network loading by making it possible for a local area network to be divided into different segments which don't compete with each other for network transmission capacity, giving a decreased load on each.

The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the individual segments. Traffic that needs to go from one segment to another is automatically forwarded by the switch, without interfering with any other segments. This allows the total network capacity to be 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 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.

6	AirLink101