Lantronix LSW2F8 - Manual (Page 8)

2.2.2 Backbone Link
Traditionally, bridges and routers have been used to link individual
local area networks into an interconnected network. Routers and tradi-
tional bridges introduce relatively large delays when forwarding traffic
from one network to another, in addition to being difficult to manage.
Bridge architecture based on two-port bridges may require traffic to
pass through several bridges before reaching its destination. Ethernet
switches now perform these functions with especially small delays,
making them ideal for backbone link applications. Compared to
routers, LantronixÕs LSW Ethernet switches are easy to set up and
maintain. Several networks can be connected together with a single
Ethernet switch, and the forwarding delay is negligible. One or more of
the LSW switchÕs 100Mbps links can be used as a high-speed backbone
link to other switches serving as collapsed backbones.
Figure 2-2 Collapsed Backbone Application
7
FULL/COL
LINK/ACT
FULL/COL
LINK/ACT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
LSW2F16
Fileserver
(100Mbps)
Hub
Hub
Workgroup
(10Mbps shared)
Workgroup
(10Mbps shared)
To 100Mbps
Ethernet Backbone
LSW2F8_16 Guide 3/18/99 12:17 PM Page 7 (1,1)