NetComm NP3024 - Manual (Page 5)

YML711 Rev1 NetComm 16 or 24 port Gigabit Switch
www.netcomm.com.au 5
Switching Technology
Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of standard Ethernet technology is the development
of switching technology. A switch bridges Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the Ethernet
protocol transmitting among connected Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN segments.
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network capacity available to users on a local
area network. A switch increases capacity and decreases network loading by dividing a local area
network into different segments, which don’t compete with each other for network transmission
capacity.
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the individual segments. The switch,
without interfering with any other segments, automatically forwards traffic that needs to go from one
segment to another. By doing this the total network capacity is multiplied, while still maintaining the
same network cabling and adapter cards.
Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement over the previous generation of network
bridges, which were characterized by higher latencies. Routers have also been used to segment local
area networks, but the cost of a router, the setup and maintenance required make routers relatively
impractical. Today switches are an ideal solution to most kinds of local area network congestion
problems.