Collapsed backbone, Gigabit uplinks – Allied Telesis AT-GS908 User Manual
Page 21

AT-GS908 Gigabit Ethernet Switch Installation Guide
11
Collapsed
Backbone
In the topology illustrated in Figure 4, an AT-GS908 connects Fast
Ethernet switches that have Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. This type of
topology is often referred to as a collapsed backbone topology. The
switch functions as the focal point of the network and transfers an
Ethernet frame between the Fast Ethernet switches only when the
destination end-node for the frame is on a different switch than the end-
node that originated the frame. This reduces the amount of unnecessary
data traffic in each workgroup, freeing up bandwidth and improving
network performance.
Figure 4 Collapsed Backbone - Hub Topology
AT-GS908
10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Switch
10
100
ACT
FDX/COL
PWR
1000
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2
3
4
1
6
7
8
5
Fast Ethernet
Switches with
AT-GS908 Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Legend
10 Mbps
100 Mbps
1000 Mbps
5
4
3
2
1
6
7
8
5
4
3
2
1
6
7
8
5
4
3
2
1
6
7
8
Gigabit Uplinks