Switches, Hubs, Brigdes and Routers


Switches and Hubs:-

Switches are used more as compared to Hubs, but switches take more time to process frames than hubs because hubs work on bits.  Hubs can’t filter frames.  Switches don’t forward broadcasts, switches increases the number of collision domains in the network. Using switches can increase the amount of bandwidth available to hosts, where as hub’s can’t be able to do the same. Switches can have their ports be configured with VLAN’s, using switches is costly with regarding to bandwidth availability, switches forward broadcasts and increases the number of collision domains in the network. Switches that are configured with VLAN’s will reduce the size of the collision domains in the network, but making them smaller than that of one big, flat network.
Switches are capable of VLAN configurations, but hubs are not.
Hubs are generally the least costly method possible to connect multiple devices together in network.
Switches forward broadcasts and multicast by default, to all ports within the same VLAN domain. Only router block all broadcast traffic by default.
Switches and hubs can be equally efficient in processing frames, in theory. In practice, switches are generally more efficient as they usually have more CPU and memory allocated to them. And are generally much more expensive than a simple hub

Switches and Bridges:-

When comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between bridges and switches, Switches are far better. A switch is multi port bridge, bridges and switches learn MAC address by examining the source MAC address of each frame received. Both bridges and switches build the bridge table by listening to incoming frames and examining the source MAC address in the frame. Switches are multiport bridges that allow you to create multiple broadcast domains. Each broadcast domain is like a distinct virtual bridge within a switch.
Switches are generally faster than bridges. Bridges also do not necessarily have fewer ports then switches.
Both bridges and switches will forward broadcast and multicast traffic, assuming that the traffic remains in the same VLAN.
The use of VLAN in a switch can decrease the size of the collision domains, by creating additional, smaller collision domains.

Virtues of Router:-

The main function of router is to connect different, separated network together. In doing so, switching packets from one network to another is a primary function, along with providing for communication between networks. As an additional feature, routers are capable of providing filtering on a network address and application port level. Routers are indeed be used to segment a network separate a collision domain, since routers do not forward LAN broadcasts and multicast to other interfaces. However routers alone cannot prevent all collisions from occurring on any given LAN segment. Routers actually segment LAN’s into smaller broadcast domains. Routers do not forward broadcast and multicast traffic out the additional interfaces by default. Unless bridging or IP helper is configured on the router, LAN broadcasts are blocked at the router level.

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