On  2 Dec 98 at 9:07, Thomas, Melissa wrote:

> can someone inform me of websites, books or articles that explains
> brouters (bridging and routing functions, input and output types).
> also, ethernet switches.

  I've found that studying materials for the MCSE "Networking
Essentials" and "TCP/IP" exams have been a great help, although
brouters are not generally covered in depth.

  http://whatis.com/brouter.htm
gives a decent high-level definition with links to related terms --
and to specific 3Com products, which might help answer specific
questions.

  You can think of an ethernet switch as an intelligent hub.  On the
one hand, a switched network is harder to "sniff" because each node
sees only its own traffic.  On the other hand, a switch can allow
full-duplex operation and may greatly reduce collisions[*], improving
network utilization and response.

  [*] In general, this effect is more pronounced in peer-to-peer
and/or "burst" networks.  If a lot of nodes are spending a lot of
their time trying to talk to one server, the line between that server
and the switch will be trying to carry as much load as if there were
just a hub.
  FOr this reason, some switches provide 8/16 10 Mbps ports and 1/2
100 Mbps ports, so you can have increased server bandwidth.  Whether
this is appropriate depends on an understanding of your network load
and traffic patterns.

David G

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