1.11 Using Intelligent Switches

Although LANs are considered by many to represent the most rapidly evolving area of communications technology, intelligent switches can be considered to represent the fastest growing segment of LAN technology. In just a few years since the first edition of this book was published, intelligent switches have evolved from a curiosity into a multibillion dollar market. Accompanying this growth is the incorporation of a large number of features and operational considerations that make their effective use a challenge. How do you use switches effectively? What features can cause switches to become bottlenecks instead of improving network performance? How are switches best used in a network? These are important questions that must be answered to effectively use this networking device.

Chapter 11 focuses attention on the effective use of intelligent switches and answers those questions and more. We first review their basic operational characteristics, to include different methods used to perform switching and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each method. Next, we review the operational characteristics of different switch features to obtain an appreciation for their use in different network environments. In doing so we examine the use of switches in several network configurations to obtain an appreciation for how this important network device can be effectively used.