[SOLVED] Does a switch (not hub) suffer from bandwidth sharing?

[im_stumped]

Howdy - I've installed a switch at the end of a LAN cable on my home network. If it matters, it's this specific unit:

5-Port 10/100/1000Mbps Desktop Switch

www.tp-link.com

The purpose of the switch is to share that end of the LAN cable between a PC and a network drive so I don't have to run another cable all the way from the router.

a) if one of the PC wants to access the network drive, does a switch know how to just have them talk to each other directly through the switch? Or does communication go all the way back to the router then back to the other device?

b) If I use the PC to copy files from this network drive to another network drive (not on the same switch), will the transfer speed suffer from bandwidth sharing?

Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

Any competent switch will not impact throughput. Each port runs at gigabit speed.

2 devices on the same switch only go through that switch. 2 devices with a router in the middle must go up to the router and back down. But still not an impact. The 4 ports on the back of the router is just another switch.

 

[im_stumped]

Super clear and helpful answer. Thank you.