yes, that's exactly how it works. what that means is if machine A is sending a huge file to machine B while machine C also wants to send a huge file to machine D, with a switch this can happen as fast as possible, with a hub the 2 separate transfers compete for bandwidth slowing everything down. unless you plan on having a large network or sharing alot of volumes or other resources there's no real need for a switch. on the other hand, i've got a switch because i got it cheap on ebay. as long as you don't get a "managed" switch/router there's really nothing or very little to configure and it doesn't matter if it's designed specifically for a mac or not, it's a fairly dumb box.
one thing you do want to consider, if you are going to have older machines that only have 10bt ports- older cards can't negotiate the speed with the hub/switch and may not work, so you may want a switch/hub with some dedicated 10bt ports. this is because the protocol for negotiating the speed didn't exist when the older cards were made, there simply was no 100BT or 1000BT to worry about. you can also use one switch/hub for all of your new devices, and use a smaller 10bt hub connected to the larger hub for all the 10bt stuff. you can also set a ports speed to 10bt with a newer machine plugged in (apple has some scripts for this) and then unplug the newer machine and plug an old machine into the now correctly configured port. the switch/hub should remember the settings even if there is a powerfailure depending on brand, but i "think" it's pretty standard for it to remember settings, at least with a switch. on the other hand, if you do plan a large network or to do alot of sharing a switch is a good idea, but it may be overkill. then again, you might get a deal on ebay. since i've got a very small network with only 2 fast machines i got a switch that has 2 10bt/100bt ports and sixteen 10bt only ports (for the several older, slow machines i have). it's alot bigger than i need but i got a bargain on it. hubs/switches with 1000bt ports will cost you allot more, but again if you'll be moving alot of data it's worth while, but probably not needed unless you're doing distributed processing of big physics problems or something else very data transfer intensive. jake williamson wrote: -------- > as i understand it a standard ethernet hub accepts a signal from a machines > ethernet port and broadcasts it to all machine regardless of if they want it > or not. > > the switch only sends out the info to the machine its requested from i > think? this should cut down on needless network traffic.... > > any advice? ------------ -- Ernest Hemingway once said "The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for", i agree with the second part (from the movie s7ven, and my own sentiments). Philip Stortz, Mad Scientist At Large, available to save worlds large or small, or at least to try, to fight the good fight. -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
