An Ethernet hub, active hub, network hub, repeater hub, multiport repeater

or hub is a device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices together and

making them act as a single network segment. It has multiple input/output
(I/O) ports, in which a signal introduced at the input of an port appears at
the output of ever port e!cept the original incoming."#$ A hub works at the
phsical laer (laer #) of the O%I model."&$ 'epeater hubs also participate in
collision detection, forwarding a (am signal to all ports if it detects a collision.
In addition to standard )*)+ (,'-./,) ports, some hubs ma also come with a
01+ and/or Attachment 2nit Interface (A2I) connector to allow connection to
legac #30A%E& or #30A%E/ network segments.
4ubs are now largel obsolete, having been replaced b network switches
e!cept in ver old installations or speciali5ed applications.*hsical laer
function"edit$
A network hub is an unsophisticated device in comparison with a switch. As a
multiport repeater it works b repeating bits (smbols) received from one of
its ports to all other ports. It is aware of phsical laer packets, that is it can
detect their start (preamble), an idle line (interpacket gap) and sense a
collision which it also propagates b sending a (am signal. A hub cannot
further e!amine or manage an of the tra6c that comes through it7 an
packet entering an port is rebroadcast on all other ports."8$ A hub/repeater
has no memor to store an data in 9 a packet must be transmitted while it is
received or is lost when a collision occurs (the sender should detect this and
retr the transmission). :ue to this, hubs can onl run in half duple! mode.
+onse;uentl, due to a larger collision domain, packet collisions are more
fre;uent in networks connected using hubs than in networks connected using
more sophisticated devices."&$
+onnecting multiple hubs"edit$
<he need for hosts to be able to detect collisions limits the number of hubs
and the total si5e of a network built using hubs (a network built using
switches does not have these limitations). =or #3 >bit/s networks built using
repeater hubs, the /?.?8 rule must be followed7 up to / segments (. hubs)
are allowed between an two end stations."8$ =or #30A%E?< networks, up to
@ve segments and four repeaters are allowed between an two hosts.".$ =or
#33 >bit/s networks, the limit is reduced to 8 segments (& hubs) between an
two end stations, and even that is onl allowed if the hubs are of +lass II.
%ome hubs have manufacturer speci@c stack ports allowing them to be
combined in a wa that allows more hubs than simple chaining through
Ethernet cables, but even so, a large =ast Ethernet network is likel to re;uire
switches to avoid the chaining limits of hubs."&$
Additional functions"edit$
>ost hubs detect tpical problems, such as e!cessive collisions and (abbering
on individual ports, and partition the port, disconnecting it from the shared
medium. <hus, hub?based twisted?pair Ethernet is generall more robust than
coa!ial cable?based Ethernet (e.g. #30A%E&), where a misbehaving device
can adversel aAect the entire collision domain."8$ Even if not partitioned
automaticall, a hub simpli@es troubleshooting because hubs remove the
need to troubleshoot faults on a long cable with multiple tapsB status lights on
the hub can indicate the possible problem source or, as a last resort, devices
can be disconnected from a hub one at a time much more easil than from a
coa!ial cable.
<o pass data through the repeater in a usable fashion from one segment to
the ne!t, the framing and data rate must be the same on each segment. <his
means that a repeater cannot connect an )3&.8 segment (Ethernet) and an
)3&./ segment (<oken 'ing) or a #3 >bit/s segment to #33 >bit/s Ethernet.
=ast Ethernet classes"edit$
#33 >bit/s hubs and repeaters come in two diAerent speed grades7 +lass I
dela the signal for a ma!imum of #.3 bit times (enabling
translation/recoding between #330ase?<C, #330ase?=C and #330ase?<.) and
+lass II hubs dela the signal for a ma!imum of D& bit times (enabling
installation of two hubs in a single collision domain)."/$
:ual?speed hub"edit$
In the earl das of =ast Ethernet, Ethernet switches were relativel
e!pensive devices. 4ubs suAered from the problem that if there were an
#30A%E?< devices connected then the whole network needed to run at #3
>bit/s. <herefore a compromise between a hub and a switch was developed,
known as a dual?speed hub. <hese devices make use of an internal two?port
switch, bridging the #3 >bit/s and #33 >bit/s segments. <he device would
tpicall consist of more than two phsical ports. Ehen a network device
becomes active on an of the phsical ports, the device attaches it to either
the #3 >bit/s segment or the #33 >bit/s segment, as appropriate. <his
obviated the need for an all?or?nothing migration to =ast Ethernet networks.
<hese devices are considered hubs because the tra6c between devices
connected at the same speed is not switched.
Figabit Ethernet hubs"edit$
'epeater hubs have been de@ned for Figabit Ethernet but commercial
products have failed to appear due to the industrGs transition to switching.
"H$
2ses"edit$
4istoricall, the main reason for purchasing hubs rather than switches was
their price. <his motivator has largel been eliminated b reductions in the
price of switches, but hubs can still be useful in special circumstances7
=or inserting a protocol anal5er into a network connection, a hub is an
alternative to a network tap or port mirroring."I$
Ehen a switch is accessible for end users to make connections, for e!ample,
in a conference room, an ine!perienced or careless user (or saboteur) can
bring down the network b connecting two ports together, causing a
switching loop. <his can be prevented b using a hub, where a loop will break
other users on the hub, but not the rest of the network (more precisel, it will
break the current collision domain up to the ne!t switch/bridge port). <his
ha5ard can also be avoided b using switches that can detect and deal with
loops, for e!ample b implementing the spanning tree protocol."citation
needed$
A hub with a #30A%E& port can be used to connect devices that onl support
#30A%E& to a modern network.
A hub with an A2I port can be used to connect to a #30A%E/ network.