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Introduction
v LANs do not normally operate in isolation. They are connected to one

another or to the Internet. To connect LANs, or segments of LANs,

Chapter Five
we use connecting devices.

v Connecting devices can operate in different layers of the Internet

LAN Device and Technologies model.

Repeater, Hub, Bridge and Switch

Data Communication and Computer Networks

Repeater cont. ..
A repeater receives a signal, regenerates it, and passes it on.
A repeater does not actually connect two LANs;
It can regenerate signals at the bit level to allow them to
it connects two segments of the same LAN. The
travel a longer distance on the media.

It operates at Physical Layer of OSI

segments connected are still part of one single

also used for extending the transmission. LAN. A repeater is used to lengthen Ethernet
A repeater is not a de vice that c an c onnect tw o LAN s o f network distance limitation by creating network
different protocols. segments
A repeater forwards every frame; it has no
filtering capability.

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Repeater in action
Limitations and Features

Cannot link unlike segments

Cannot join segments with different access methods (e.g.

CSMA/CD and token passing)

Do not isolate and filter packets

Can connect different types of media

The most economic way of expanding networks

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Hub Types
Hub 1. Passive hubs do not amplify the electrical signal of incoming
packets before broadcasting them out to the network. It is just
Hubs are used to connect
multiple nodes to a single a connector. It connects the wires coming from different
physical device, which
connects to the network. branches. In a star-topology Ethernet LAN, a passive hub is
Hubs are actually multiport just a point where the signals coming from different stations
repeaters.
collide; the hub is the collision point. This type of a hub is
Using a hub changes the
part of the media; its location in the Internet model is below
network topology from a
linear bus, to a star. the physical layer.

With hubs, data arriving 2. Active hubs, a type of hub that can perform amplification, as
over the cables to a hub does a repeater. Some people use the terms concentrator when
port is electrically re ferr ing to a passive hub and mu ltip or t re p ea te r w hen
repeated on all the othe r
referring to an active hub (hub+repeater).
ports connected to the same
network segment.
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Bridge
cont. ..
Bridges are used to logically separate network segments within
3. Intelligent hubs add extra features to an the same network.

active hub that are of particular importance They operate at the OSI physical and data link layer and are
independent of higher-layer protocols.
to businesses. An intelligent hub typically As a data link layer device, the bridge can check the physical
(MAC) addresses (source and destination) contained in the frame.
i s st ac ka b le ( bu i l t i n s u c h a w a y t h a t The function of the bridge is to make
intelligent decisions about whether or
multiple units can be placed one on top of not to pass signals on to the next
segment of a network.
the other to conserve space). It also
When a bridge receives a frame on the
typically includes remote management network, the destination MAC address is
looked up in the bridge table to
capabilities via SNMP and virtual LAN (VLAN) determine whether to filter, flood, or
support. copy the frame onto another segment
Broadcast Packets are forwarded to all
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Switch Switch Platforms

Switches are Multiport Bridges that provide a unique network
segment on each port, thereby separating collision domains. Possible switch form
factor:
Today, network designers are replacing hubs in their wiring
 Fixed
closets with switches to increase their network performance and
 Modular
bandwidth while protecting their existing wiring investments.
 Stackable
Like bridges, switches learn certain information about the data
 Non-stackable
packets that are received from various computers on the network.
Switches use this information to build forwarding tables to
determine the destination of data being sent by one computer to
another computer on the network.

Hosts have direct connection to switch

Full Duplex: No collisions

Switches can be cascaded to expand the network

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Switch Types
Two Types of Cut-through switch
1. Cut-through switch

Cut-through switch is a packet switch wherein the switch starts « Fast-forward switching:
forwarding that frame (or packet) before the whole frame has Lowest level of latency immediately forwards a packet after
been received, normally as soon as the destination address is reading the destination address, typical cut-through method of
p roce ss ed. A c ut - t hr ou g h sw i t ch ca n a ch i ev e t h e l o w e st switching
forwarding delays, but it propagates errors from one LAN to
« Fragment-free switching:
another, because errors can only be detected at the end of each
Switch stores the first 64 bytes of the frame before forwarding,
frame. In other words, this technique reduces latency through
most network errors and collisions occur during the first 64
the switch, but decreases reliability.
bytes
2. Store and Forward Switch

A switching device that stores a complete incoming data packet

before it is sent out. Such switches are used when incoming and
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outgoing speeds differ

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switches

GATEWAY
 is an internetworking system capable of
joining together two networks that use
different base protocol.
A network gateway can be implemented completely
in software, hardware, or as a combination of
both.
are also known as protocol converters that can
perfom at any OSI layer.
 it’s basic function is to make a route of the
trafic from the computer to the internet and
from the internet to the computer.
 are also a key mechanism of any telephony
communication.
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LAN Technology Options Standard Ethernet

Ethernet 10 Base 5 (Thicknet) (Bus Topology)

10 Base 2 (Thinnet) (Bus Topology)
Fast Ethernet
10 Base T (UTP) (Star/Tree Topology)
Gigabit Ethernet 10 Base FL (Fiber) (Star/Tree Topology)

10 Gig Ethernet

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Ethernet Fast Ethernet

Physical Media :- 100 Mbps bandwidth

10 Base5 - Thick Co-axial Cable with Bus Topology
10 Base2 - Thin Co-axial Cable with Bus Topology Uses packet format as in Ethernet.
10 BaseT - UTP Cat 3/5 with Tree Topology
10 BaseFL - Multimode/Singlemode Fiber with Tree 100BaseTX (UTP) and 100BaseFX (Fiber) standards
Topology
Maximum Segment Length Physical media :-
10 Base5 - 500 m with at most 4 repeaters (Use Bridge 100 BaseTX - UTP Cat 5e
to extend
the network) 100 BaseFX - Multimode / Singlemode Fiber
10 Base2 - 185 m with at most 4 repeaters (Use Bridge
to extend Full Duplex/Half Duplex operations.
the network)
10 BaseT - 100 m with at most 4 hubs (Use Switch to
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network)
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Giga Ethernet 10 Giga Ethernet

1 Gbps bandwidth. 10 Gbps bandwidth.

1000BaseT (UTP), 1000BaseSX (Multimode Fiber) and 1000BaseLX
Uses same CSMA/CD media access protocol as in Ethernet.
(Multimode/Singlemode Fiber) standards.
Maximum Segment Length
Maximum Segment Length
10GBase-T - Not available
1000 Base T - 100m (Cat 5e/6)
1000 Base SX - 275 m (Multimode Fiber) 10GBase-LR - 10 Km (Singlemode Fiber)

1000 Base LX - 512 m (Multimode Fiber) 10GBase-ER - 40 Km (Singlemode Fiber)

1000 Base LX - 20 Km (Singlemode Fiber)

1000 Base LH - 80 Km (Singlemode Fiber)

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