Network Switch 101

[mrface]

You can easily compare a router and a switch. Switches have ports that are treated equally and do not have a DHCP server built into them. Routers have one port that is designated a WAN port, meant to connect to the Internet, and shares that connection to its LAN ports (and wireless clients) thanks to its built-in DHCP server.

Yeah thats not right at all.... Swicthes typically run provide layer 2 and sometimes layer 3. Routers provide layer 2 to layer 5; and if they have web content filters layer 6. DHCP and WAN connectivity have nothing to do with it. Its the functions on the OSI model they provide that determine if it is a switch or a router. Routers have IP tables or routing tables; switches do not.

A router can serve as a switch; a switch cannot serve as a router.

 

[EdJulio]

The article is all over the place. It will just confuse a basic consumer. Layer 3 switches need not to be mentioned as they are for organizations. Networking "hub" need not also to be mentioned as you cannot purchase a "new" one anymore and the article doesn't explain well why it causes collisions. I also don't know why it has to mention enterprise equipment and racks.

One thing it also fails to mention are home Wi-Fi routers. They are all in one devices that almost have four extra LAN ports for connecting a LAN cable. These ports are made possible as they have an integrated "switch" device. If that is sufficient then a consumer might not need a switch.

In some larger homes, you might want to add a switch connected to a Wi-Fi router to increase the number of available of ports. First reason, a homeowner might need LAN ports immediately in wall outlets. Second, for installing and filling the home with Wi-Fi access points. Third reason is for other IP devices such as security cameras, IP phones, and others. So, one major feature excluded in the article is PoE. An advanced home network might need to deploy a PoE switch if it has security cameras and Wi-Fi access points at the same time to avoid the need of using power adapters for each networking device. PoE discussion can be expanded as it has two power level standards which can be an issue with Wi-Fi ac standard access points.

You are pretty critical of a "Switch 101" summary on a web site. You want to read about home wifi routers and PoE in a "Switch 101" article that does a good job of bringing the definition of the basic functionality of a switch to people. Maybe you're looking for the wrong information in an article that clearly isn't called "here's how you connect and configure your entire home network 101".

This article sticks to the subject of switches and brings it down to a pretty understandable level for most people. It really is well organized and summarizes things at a general level.

I would think PoE and the like could be addressed in a 102 article that describes what else a switch is capable of and also get into topics on managed switches and their value.

Agreed. This is a 101, zodiacfml. It's basic information that we at TH want to build off of. You'll get your 102s and 103s down the line. The networking category will grow. Stay tuned...

 

[cypeq]

This is weird article it's clearly written for beginner and home user but it's quite confusing and shallowly explains topics that need full explanation to be any useful.

For in home use if you need more devices connected just consider 8 port router that will do all for you. There are plenty of devices that don't need cable connections for proper function thus apply wifi whenever available (printers).
if you still need more than that's not a home eviroment or you run mansion... well you most likely can contact IT proffesional to do this for you.

 

[ubercake]

This is weird article it's clearly written for beginner and home user but it's quite confusing and shallowly explains topics that need full explanation to be any useful.

For in home use if you need more devices connected just consider 8 port router that will do all for you. There are plenty of devices that don't need cable connections for proper function thus apply wifi whenever available (printers).
if you still need more than that's not a home eviroment or you run mansion... well you most likely can contact IT proffesional to do this for you.

I have switches in a few rooms in my house and I, by no means, own a mansion. Everything is networked these days. I like the important devices to still be wired.

 

[Thexder]

The article is all over the place. It will just confuse a basic consumer. Layer 3 switches need not to be mentioned as they are for organizations. Networking "hub" need not also to be mentioned as you cannot purchase a "new" one anymore and the article doesn't explain well why it causes collisions. I also don't know why it has to mention enterprise equipment and racks.

One thing it also fails to mention are home Wi-Fi routers. They are all in one devices that almost have four extra LAN ports for connecting a LAN cable. These ports are made possible as they have an integrated "switch" device. If that is sufficient then a consumer might not need a switch.

In some larger homes, you might want to add a switch connected to a Wi-Fi router to increase the number of available of ports. First reason, a homeowner might need LAN ports immediately in wall outlets. Second, for installing and filling the home with Wi-Fi access points. Third reason is for other IP devices such as security cameras, IP phones, and others. So, one major feature excluded in the article is PoE. An advanced home network might need to deploy a PoE switch if it has security cameras and Wi-Fi access points at the same time to avoid the need of using power adapters for each networking device. PoE discussion can be expanded as it has two power level standards which can be an issue with Wi-Fi ac standard access points.

Agreed, there is a lot of things mentioned here that consumers do not need to know anything about and while I think PoE can be ignored for most consumers it is probably still worth mentioning as it is available at consumer level and can be used there. I also agree that it was a significant mistake to not include information about the consumer routers that have built in switches. I regularly run into people who think those 4 ports on the router are somehow different than the ports on a separate consumer grade switch.

The article is all over the place. It will just confuse a basic consumer. Layer 3 switches need not to be mentioned as they are for organizations. Networking "hub" need not also to be mentioned as you cannot purchase a "new" one anymore and the article doesn't explain well why it causes collisions. I also don't know why it has to mention enterprise equipment and racks.

One thing it also fails to mention are home Wi-Fi routers. They are all in one devices that almost have four extra LAN ports for connecting a LAN cable. These ports are made possible as they have an integrated "switch" device. If that is sufficient then a consumer might not need a switch.

In some larger homes, you might want to add a switch connected to a Wi-Fi router to increase the number of available of ports. First reason, a homeowner might need LAN ports immediately in wall outlets. Second, for installing and filling the home with Wi-Fi access points. Third reason is for other IP devices such as security cameras, IP phones, and others. So, one major feature excluded in the article is PoE. An advanced home network might need to deploy a PoE switch if it has security cameras and Wi-Fi access points at the same time to avoid the need of using power adapters for each networking device. PoE discussion can be expanded as it has two power level standards which can be an issue with Wi-Fi ac standard access points.

I completely agree. There is a lot of information here that has no relation to consumers and just adds confusion. It is said several times in the article that it is for consumers so it should have stayed with consumer grade equipment.

I do not necessarily think PoE is required for this but it would be worth mentioning as it is moving more and more into consumer space.

I feel that is really is a mistake to not talk about the switches integrated into the consumer routers. I run into people all the time that think those 4 ports on a router are somehow different from a separate consumer grade switch.

 

[freeskier93]

Seems like if you're going to mention duplexing you should also mention backplane since some manufacturers might only advertise one or the other.

 

[palladin9479]

I'll cut the author some slack, they were probably tasked with making this and just wrote what they could, after some google-foo research. I think they were just trying to explain the difference between cheap home switches, mid level small business switches and the expensive enterprise switches. When your seeing prices like $40 USD for the home switch, $400 USD for the smart switch and $5000 for the enterprise switch, people can get kinda curious and might even think buying one of the big ones for their home is somehow "better".

For those mentioning SOHO routers with those switch ports, please understand that those devices are the melding of three different network devices. They have a router chip with three different interfaces. They have a switch chip that has one of it's interfaces physically wired into one of the routers interfaces. And they have a wifi chip which similarly has it's interface wired into one of the router chips interfaces. The switch chip then has it's remaining interfaces wired to those physical ports. Lately the venders have been putting all three chips into a single one and doing the cross wiring in silicon, makes it cheaper.

Those these devices are what's known as a "network gateway" with it's wifi bridged to the switching interface for a single broadcast domain. We call them "routers" but they do very little actual routing, there is no network table aggregation, route convergence or anything else besides "forward all non-local packets to this IP address".

 

[EdJulio]

Top Picture - the blue shroud on the cable terminator is upside down.

The small hood on the shroud is supposed to cover the spring clip to prevent snagging and damage. Whoever made that cable is ignorant or incompetent or both. To use that picture as an exemplar at the beginning of the article sets the stage for the rest of the article. It rambled and digressed unnecessarly for a '101' style; it would have benefitted from being more structured as well as shorter and to the point. The first two sentences of the conclusion would have sat better in the introduction.

I have been an avid consumer of all things 'Toms' since the site's inception. Sadly, I have seen better descriptions of a switch from 15 year-olds in their IT class, this is not at the usual 'Toms' standard. Eric Bliss, I can see you have an articulate writing style, but this piece hints a lack of planned structure and appears rushed. Please get better.

Q

Top Picture - the blue shroud on the cable terminator is upside down.

The small hood on the shroud is supposed to cover the spring clip to prevent snagging and damage. Whoever made that cable is ignorant or incompetent or both. To use that picture as an exemplar at the beginning of the article sets the stage for the rest of the article. It rambled and digressed unnecessarly for a '101' style; it would have benefitted from being more structured as well as shorter and to the point. The first two sentences of the conclusion would have sat better in the introduction.

I have been an avid consumer of all things 'Toms' since the site's inception. Sadly, I have seen better descriptions of a switch from 15 year-olds in their IT class, this is not at the usual 'Toms' standard. Eric Bliss, I can see you have an articulate writing style, but this piece hints a lack of planned structure and appears rushed. Please get better.

Q

LOL. I missed that! I knew there was something wrong in that image.

Thanks for catching that! Image replaced.

 

[nowayandnohow]

Kind of feels like we are talking about old tech here that is quickly getting redundant. You can buy a 8 port gigabit switch for $40 today, so all other 'lesser' technologies are basically useless. Who would buy a 10/100 Mbit hub today?

 

[ubercake]

Kind of feels like we are talking about old tech here that is quickly getting redundant. You can buy a 8 port gigabit switch for $40 today, so all other 'lesser' technologies are basically useless. Who would buy a 10/100 Mbit hub today?

They're still for sale at various retailers (believe it or not), so if you don't know much about switches and you read a Network Switch 101 article (which many readers here tend to be network "EXPERTS"), it may help you out to know this information so you don't pick up a switch that is slower than what you need.

 

[InvalidError]

Who would buy a 10/100 Mbit hub today?

They're still for sale at various retailers (believe it or not)

Sold as new? Are you sure they aren't just mislabeled switches? I do not think any of the significant networking equipment manufacturers/vendors have produced hubs in the last 10+ years - there is not much point in making hubs when the ethernet buffer chip costs the same as a monolithic unmanaged switch IC. The hub chips might even be more expensive than 5-6 ports monolithic switches these days due to niche status.

 

[ubercake]

Who would buy a 10/100 Mbit hub today?

They're still for sale at various retailers (believe it or not)

Sold as new? Are you sure they aren't just mislabeled switches? I do not think any of the significant networking equipment manufacturers/vendors have produced hubs in the last 10+ years - there is not much point in making hubs when the ethernet buffer chip costs the same as a monolithic unmanaged switch IC. The hub chips might even be more expensive than 5-6 ports monolithic switches these days due to niche status.

This is true. You do have to look pretty hard and they're pretty expensive in fact because they are "rare" and most likely left over from a long time ago:

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-DS104-4-Port-Uplink-Button/dp/B00000J4LQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

It's good to know the difference.