Fig.3-5 Collision Domain
Extended Distance Limitations:
The diameter of a half-duplex LAN segment is determined by its maximum propagation delay time. For example, in 10M LAN, the most distance of a LAN segment using yellow cable is 2500 meters and 185 meters when using coaxial cable. The switch with its per port per collision domain can extend the distance like a bridge does. And what’s more, when operating in full-duplex mode, the distance can reach farther than half duplex because it is not limited by the maximum propagation delay time (512 bits time). If fiber media is applied, the distance can be up to tens of kilometers.
Traffic Aggregation:
Traffic aggregation is to aggregate the bandwidth of more than one port and treat it as a single port in the LAN. This single port possesses the features of a normal port but loading balance. This is a great feature for the port needing more bandwidth but cannot afford paying much cost for high bandwidth port.
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