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Computer Network Switches
Computer Network | Switches: In this tutorial, we will learn about the network switches, what they are, what are their working process?
By Mahima Rao Last updated : April 26, 2023
What are Network Switches?
Switches are intelligent devices. Switches are considered intelligent because switches have memory in which switches maintain hardware address tables. These have the address of all hosts stored, as well as the host which is connected to the switch through the port, is also stored. Hosts are used to connect each other under a switch LAN. You cannot connect 2 networks with the switch. The router is used to connect different networks.
The switch has the space to store your data where it checks to see the incoming packet for any device. The physical address of all network devices is saved near the switch, after checking them, the switch sends the information directly to that device and without broadcasting the information. This also increases the speed of packet transfer in the network and unnecessary traffic in the network also does not grow. It has a half / full duplex transmission mode. Half duplex means that at one time the device can receive or send data. While in full duplex, the device can also send data and receive at the same time. The switch can be used in place of the hub.
It is natural that the network will either work slowly or there will be any other problem at one stage. To avoid this and to increase the network capacity, the hub is replaced by the switch in the overloaded network. Generally, there is no need to replace other components of the network but the components.
Working of Network Switches
Whenever a host sends a frame to any other host, then the source host is stored with the port in the address table of the MAC address switch. A switch always stores the address of the source in the table. Unless a host does send some data, its MAC address and port number will not be stored in the table of the switch. Unless a host does send some data, its MAC address and port number will not be stored in the table of the switch. When you initialize the switch, the switch does not contain any information about any host and its address. In such a situation, when a host frame sends, its MAC address is stored in the table but due to no destination information, the switch sends the frame to all the hosts.
When you initialize the switch, the switch does not contain any information about any host and its address. In such a situation, when a host frame sends, its MAC address is stored in the table but due to no destination information, the switch sends the frame to all the hosts. As soon as the second host sends some data, its address also gets stored in the table. As soon as the second host sends some data, its address also gets stored in the table. Whenever a host sends the frames, the switch stores it if its address is not already present in the table. Thus a switch creates its table. When all the hosts' addresses and port numbers come in the switch, the switch delivers the frame to all hosts only, delivering the same host to the host for which the data has been sent.
Hubs work on half duplex communication. With Hubs, you can either send or receive only. But with switches, it is not so. With switches, you can also send and receive data together. Hubs represent a single collision domain, but every port in the switch is a separate collision domain. This does not make any difference to other hosts.