3
Switching Technology
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network
capacity available to users on a LAN. If an Ethernet network begins
to display symptoms of congestion, low throughput, slow response
times, and high rates of collision, installing a switch to a network
can preserve much or all of the existing network's cabling and
workstation interface card infrastructure, while still greatly
enhancing the throughput for users. A switch is a viable solution
even if demanding applications, such as multimedia production and
video conferencing, are on the horizon. The most promising
techniques, as well as the best return on investment, could well
consist of installing the right mixture of Ethernet switches.
A switch increases capacity and decreases network loading by
dividing a local area network into different LAN segments.
Dividing a LAN into multiple segments is one of the most common
ways of increasing available bandwidth. If segmented correctly,
most network traffic will remain within a single segment, enjoying
the full-line speed bandwidth of that segment.
Switches provide full-line speed and dedicated bandwidth for all
connections. This is in contrast to hubs, which use the traditional
shared networking topology, where the connected nodes contend
for the same network bandwidth. When two switching nodes are
communicating, they are connected with a dedicated channel
between them, so there is no contention for network bandwidth with
other nodes. As a result, the switch reduces considerably, the
likelihood of traffic congestion.
