D-Link DES-1026G User Manual - Switching Technology
100Mbits/sec. An important technology incorporated by 100BaseT is its
use of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
(CSMA/CD) protocol - which is the same protocol that 10BaseT uses -
because of its ability to work with several different types of cable,
including basic twisted-pair wiring. Both of these features play an
important role in network considerations, and they make 100BaseT an
attractive migration path for those networks based on 10BaseT. Since
the 100Mbps Fast Ethernet is compatible with all other 10Mbps
Ethernet environments, it provides a straightforward upgrade and takes
advantage of the existing investment in hardware, software, and
personnel training.
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 an 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 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
considerably reduces the likelihood of traffic congestion.
For Fast Ethernet networks, a switch is an effective way of eliminating the
problem of chaining hubs beyond the “two-repeater limit.” A switch can be