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Introduction to Switching
A network switch allows simultaneous transmission of multiple packets via
non-crossbar switching. This means that it can partition a network more
efficiently than bridges or routers. Switches have, therefore, been
recognized as one of the most important building blocks for today’s
networking technology.
When performance bottlenecks are caused by congestion at the network
access point (such as the network card for a high-volume file server), the
device experiencing congestion (server, power user or hub) can be attached
directly to a switched port. And, by using full-duplex mode, the bandwidth
of the dedicated segment can be doubled to maximize throughput.
When networks are based on repeater (hub) technology, the distance
between end stations is limited by a maximum hop count. However, a
switch turns the hop count back to zero. So subdividing the network into
smaller and more manageable segments, and linking them to the larger
network by means of a switch, removes this limitation.
A switch can be easily configured in any Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or
Gigabit Ethernet, network to significantly boost bandwidth while using
conventional cabling and network cards.