LAN Devices

LAN Devices are hardware components that provide the interfaces among the multitude of servers, workstations, and media types that are used in a local area network.

Repeater OSI layer 1 networking device which is used to alleviate signal loss or signal attenuation. Signal loss or signal attenuation is a physical property where signal strength degrades on all kinds of media. o Implement a repeater at points on your network media where the data signal starts to degrade.

Hub OSI layer 1 hardware device to which LAN devices can be connected in a local area network. Hubs are commonly used in Ethernet and Token Ring networks as centralized connectivity devices. o Stand-alone hubs Include uplink port that allows connectivity to another hub or to a switch or router.

Rack-mounted hubs Can be physically connected and stacked on top of each other in a rack system. Stackable hubs

Enterprise hubs Provide functionality that goes beyond a small to medium-sized LAN Chassis design with separate modules

Network managed hubs Provide statistics gathering functionality combined with a software interface that is installed on an administrative workstation.

Bridge LAN device that connects two or more LAN segments while simultaneously filtering network data transmissions between those segments.

Switch Layer 2 LAN device which can be directly connected to individual PCs and servers or to hubs, bridges, other switches, and routers unlike bridges, which were typically connected to hubs or other bridges. Use special hardware components that can read multiple ports simultaneously and establish multiple and simultaneous forwarding paths. Switch Technologies o Store and Forward Switches Designed to do error-checking on each frame after the entire frame has been received into the switch.

Cut Through Switches Faster than Store and Forward, does not do error checking Reads only the address information for each frame as frames enter the switch.

Error-Free Cut Through Switches Combination of fast throughput of a Cut Through Switch with the error checking functionality of a Store and Forward switch.

Intelligent versus Unmanaged Switches Intelligent switch: tracks performance information and makes adjustments to your LAN or switches Unmanaged switch: provide your LAN with all benefits that switching can provide.

Higher Layer Switches

Why not just interconnect all the worlds LANs via Layer 2 switching? o o o Consider the impact of broadcast traffics on a large-scale networks performance. Consider the reliability and scalability of a layer 2 switched network infrastructure. Consider the scalability of their MAC address table sizes.

Router Layer 3 device that allows packets to flow between two networks, connects two or more networks, separates broadcast domains, and directs data packets to their destinations based on IP addresses and across the best possible routine. Reasons for implementing routers: o Routers establish a path over which computers on one network can communicate with computers on another network. To improve the security of a LAN. Routers also provide scalability for growing networks by reducing the performance penalty associated with broadcast traffic. Routers can also be implemented at the edge or border of a LAN to connect the LAN to distant networks.

o o

Gateway Hardware or software or a combination of both that provides protocol translation or connectivity between disparate systems. Some of the other types of gateways: o E-mail gateways Provide necessary e-mail service translations between LAN network e-mail systems

Internet gateways Provide internal networks that dont use TCP/IP

SAA gateways Provide translation services between LAN and Systems Application Architecture (SAA) networks from IBM.