Definition of Switch

Definition of LAN switch

Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring networks are often referred to as traditional LANs, which are shared-media, shared-bandwidth shared LANs. In order to improve the bandwidth, routers are often used for network segmentation, a network is divided into multiple network segments, each network segment has different subnet address, different broadcast domain, in order to reduce the network conflict, improve network bandwidth. Micro-segment has not been able to adapt to the LAN expansion and new network applications to high bandwidth requirements, some people say "traditional LAN has come to an end."

In recent years, the raised switched LAN technology can solve a series of problems, such as low network efficiency, insufficient network bandwidth and not easy to expand network, which are brought by shared LAN. It fundamentally changes the structure of the shared LAN and solves the problem of bandwidth bottleneck. At present, switched Ethernet, switch token ring, switching FDDI and ATM, and other switched LANs, where switching Ethernet is the most widely used. Switched LAN has become the mainstream of current LAN technology.

Switches provide bridging capabilities and the ability to increase bandwidth on existing networks.

Switches that are used on L a n are similar to bridges because they all operate on the M A c layer of the Data Link layer (layer 2nd), which examines the device address of all incoming network traffic. Similar to the bridge, the switch maintains a table of information about the address and uses that information to decide how to filter and forward L A N traffic.

Unlike the network bridge, the switch uses the switching technology to increase the sum of input and output of the data and the bandwidth of the installation media. General switch forwarding delay is very small, can be economically divided into small conflict network domain, for each workstation to provide higher bandwidth.