Switching Technology

Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of Ethernet technology is the development of switching technology. A switch bridge 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 dividing a local area network into different segments, which don’t compete with each other for network transmission capacity.

The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the individual segments. The switch, without interfering with any other segments, automatically forwards traffic that needs to go from one segment to another. By doing this the total network capacity is multiplied, while still maintaining the same network cabling and adapter cards.

For Fast Ethernet networks, a switch is an effective way of eliminating problems of chaining hubs beyond the “two- repeater limit.” A switch can be used to split parts of the network into different collision domains, making it possible to expand your Fast Ethernet network beyond the 205-meter network diameter limit for 100BASE-TX networks. Switches supporting both traditional 10Mbps Ethernet and 100Mbps Fast Ethernet are also ideal for bridging between the existing 10Mbps networks and the new 100Mbps networks.