Is a router a switch or a hub?
Peter,
Your question does not parse. Please recast and resend.
Daniel
Is a router a switch or a hub?
Peter,
I'm sorry, your question does parse. I just misread it.
A router is neither a switch nor a hub, but they can exist in the same
box (think Cisco Catalyst).
I sure hope my memory is correct here, but if my memory serves me, the
following is all correct. A router is a device that sits between two
networks and works at OSI layer 3. In a way, a router can be thought
of as a "layer 3 switch." A switch, on the other hand, works at OSI
layer 2. A hub works at OSI layer 1.
Daniel
On Monday, June 27, 2005, at 08:52 AM, chris wrote:
Is a router a switch or a hub?
Technically, neither... but the average router MAY contain either a
switch or a hub.
To simplify for the layman...
A hub connects multiple similar devices together. They all share the
minimum bandwidth (the entire network is dumbed down to the slowest
device).
A switch connects multiple similar devices together, but each device
has
its own bandwidth, so slower devices will not cause faster devices to
be
dumbed down. In addition, the switch enables non shared bandwidth, so
any
given pair of devices can operate at their own unique minimum speed
(again, a given connection is only as fast as the slowest device, but
now
the connections are done only between the two devices talking at that
moment. So a 100 Mbs computer talking to another 100 Mbs computer will
see the full 100 Mbs. The same 100 Mbs computer then talks to a 10 Mbs
printer, and they see only 10 Mbs of bandwidth while talking, meanwhile
other 100 Mbs items may be talking together at the full 100 Mbs).
A router connects two different networks together using a set of rules
that allow traffic to flow betwen the networks. A router need only have
one interface, but can have multiple interfaces, and is often combined
with a hub or switch.
A bridge connects two different networks, much the way a router does,
except it works blindly. It just takes the info from one side and
passes
it to the other. A bridge is usually used when connecting two
physically
different types of networks (wired and wireless for instance), but can
also be used to connect two similar networks.
A Modem works like a bridge, except it reencodes the data to a
radically
different style of transport, and decodes the incoming traffic in the
same way (ie: digital to analog).
Obviously there are much MUCH more accurate and exact definitions
available for the above, but they are good layman ways of thinking of
the
different devices you are likely to encounter.
Also, in today's world, you often see combination devices that may
contain multiples of the above in one box. For instance, your average
SoHo class "Wireless Router" is usually a router, switch, and bridge
all
in one box. Some DSL providers are now giving away Wireless DSL Modems.
Those contain a router, a switch, a bridge, and a modem all in one box.
-chris
The beauty of a switch is that each port gets its own bandwidth and
its own port rate. That is the benefit of the switch over the hub,
which is a shared resource (all ports share the same bandwidth).
Exactly. The big advantage of a switch is when you have more than one
data path, 2 or more clients accessing two or more servers. If most
traffic is to/from a server then a switch doesn't help much. This is
because a switch allows multiple simultaneous data paths but only
between separate ports. If one port is in common to all (or most) of
the transfers it becomes the bottle neck.
--
Clark Martin
Wow! This network newbie thanks the three of you for helping me know
how to ask a better question. I still don't grok networking, but
you've helped a lot. What I wanted to know is:
If I add another PM 1000 Mbs to my current 1000 Mbs PM and 100 Mbs iMac
to my Asante FR3004FLC "router", with the PMs be able to talk to each
other at 1000 Mbs with all machines running?
FWI: The Asante has 4 ports, a modem connection (now used), a WAN
connection (if we ever get broadband out here), and a parallel printer
port. I talk to the modem via a browser.
As an aside, how would describe the Asante? Switch? Router? Hub?
Bridge?
Thanks again!
- Peter Schaff
PM: 1GHz DP/1 GB/80GBx2/10.2.8
iMac: 600MHz/768MB/40GB/10.2.8
PB: 3400C/9.1
Brother HL-1870N laser, Epson 785EPX, Epson 2450 scanner
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