Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) Operation
When a switch receives a broadcast frame, the switch floods the frame out all switch ports other than the port on which the frame was received. More ...
Build Your Own Fiber Optic Network Like a Professional Network Engineer
The basic philosophy of modern LAN wiring is the concept of structured cabling. The entire networking system is broken up into chunks that allow workstation wires to be concentrated. More ...
Ethernet Network
In 1973 Xerox invented Ethernet to solve the problem of transferring data between computers. In the early 1980s Xerox turned over control of the Standard to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE subcommittee 802.3 sets the standard for Ethernet. More ...
Fiber Media Converter - What's the Use and How to Choose It
Fiber media converters are used to convert electrical signal to light signal and vice versa. They are basically used as network extenders to extend the distance from several hundreds of feet to several thousands meters. More ...
Introduction to ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) Networks
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) is a network technology to provide broadband services for the transmission of voice, video, and data at speeds up to 1Gbps. More ...
Hubs, Switches and Routers - What's the Difference?
The terms "hub", "switch", and "router" are often used interchangeably and - in fact, the devices are quite different. Hubs are used to simply interconnect individual computers. Switches do the same more efficiently. However, routers interconnect different networks (as opposed to individual machines). More ...
Voice Over IP Protocols and Components
Voice over IP (VoIP) is a technology that digitizes speech into packets and transmits those packets across a data network. This allows voice, data, and video to share the same medium. More ...
How In-Row Cooling Increases Data Center Efficiency
Increased data center densities enable operators to meet the demands of cloud and hyper-scale environments. As more power is consumed per rack, however, heat becomes a big problem. Most modern data centers have adopted some sort of aisle-containment solution to minimize the mixing of hot and cold air. More ...
Bluetooth Basics
Bluetooth wireless technology is a specification for a wireless connection that provides links between mobile computers, mobile phones, other portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. More ...
Ethernet Bridges
Unlike a hub, which blindly forwards received bits, a bridge makes intelligent forwarding decisions based on the destination MAC address in a frame. More ...
Network Hubs
A hub lives at Layer 1 of the OSI model, so it does not make forwarding decisions. Instead, a hub receives bits on one port and then retransmits those bits out all other ports. Because of this a hub is sometimes called a repeater. More ...
Fiber Distributed Data Interface
The Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) uses pulses of light and fiber optic cable to send signals with a 100 Mbps throughput over dual counter-rotating rings. More ...
Computer Network Routers, Hubs, and Switches
The most common components on a computer network, not counting cables, are "routers", "hubs", and "switches". Many of these modules can be appear similar and there can be significant overlap in roles. This article explains the difference between these important network components. More ...
