Fully switched network

Fully switched network

An Ethernet network is usually composed of routers, hubs, and workstations. These workstations share the Ethernet connection with each other. In a fully switched network all of the hubs that would usually reside on an Ethernet network are replaced with one or more switches. These switches allow for a dedicated connection to each workstation. A switch allows for many conversations to occur simultaneously. Before switches existed data could only be transmitted in one direction at a time, this was called half-duplex. By using a switch the network is able to maintain full-duplex Ethernet. This means that data can now be transmitted in both directions at the same time. A good analogy for this would be traveling on a highway with traffic flowing in both directions.

The core function of a switch is to allow each workstation to communicate only with the switch instead of with each other. This in turn means that data can be sent from workstation to switch and from switch to workstation simultaneously. The above describes a fully switched network.

The core purpose of a switch is to decongest network flow to the workstations so that the connections can transmit more effectively; receiving transmissions that were only specific to their network address. With the network decongested and transmitting data in both directions simultaneously this can in fact double network speed and capacity when two workstations are trading information. For example if your network speed is 5 Mbit/s, than each workstation is able to simultaneously transfer data at 5 Mbit/s.

Fully switched networks employ either twisted-pair or fiber-optic cabling, both of which use separate conductors for sending and receiving data. In this type of environment, Ethernet nodes can forego the collision detection process and transmit at will, since they are the only potential devices that can access the medium. Simply stated a fully switched network is a collision-free environment.

ee also

*Network performance

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fully connected network — A fully connected network is a mesh network in which each of the nodes is connected to each other. A fully connected network doesn t need to use switching nor broadcasting. However, its major disadvantage is that the number of connections grows… …   Wikipedia

  • Packet switched network — A Packet Switched Network, or PSN, refers to the packet switched networks that existed before the Internet. The history of such networks can be divided into three eras:early networks before the introduction of X.25 and OSI,the X.25 era when many… …   Wikipedia

  • Network switch — A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments. The term commonly refers to a multi port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Switches… …   Wikipedia

  • Network performance — refers to the service quality of a telecommunications product as seen by the customer. It should not be seen merely as an attempt to get more through the network. The following list gives examples of Network Performance measures for a circuit… …   Wikipedia

  • Network topology — Diagram of different network topologies. Network topology is the layout pattern of interconnections of the various elements (links, nodes, etc.) of a computer[1][2] …   Wikipedia

  • Network tap — A network tap is a hardware device which provides a way to access the data flowing across a computer network. In many cases, it is desirable for a third party to monitor the traffic between two points in the network. If the network between points …   Wikipedia

  • Switched communication network — In computer networking and telecommunications, switched communication network is a communication network which uses switching for connection of two non adjacent nodes.Switched Communication Networks are divided into circuit switched networks,… …   Wikipedia

  • Computer network — Computer networks redirects here. For the periodical, see Computer Networks (journal). Datacom redirects here. For other uses, see Datacom (disambiguation). Internet map. The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that… …   Wikipedia

  • telecommunications network — Introduction       electronic system of links and switches, and the controls that govern their operation, that allows for data transfer and exchange among multiple users.  When several users of telecommunications media wish to communicate with… …   Universalium

  • Broadcast communication network — In computer networking and telecommunications, broadcast communication network is a communication network which uses broadcasting for communication between its nodes.ee also* Switched communication network * Fully connected network …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”