i have a few questions about hubs, routers, and switches

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wayne

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a few questions about routers, hubs, and switches

1) is a router considered a hub?

2) is a hub anything that spilts connectors, like a splitter?...if not, then what is it?

3) does usb hubs share internet through the usb link on a cable modem?

4) does routers lose internet speed/bandwith with more computers on the network?

5) whats the difference between internet speed and bandwith?

6) can a switch share internet?

7) whats the difference between routers, hubs and switches?
 
a few questions about routers, hubs, and switches

1) is a router considered a hub?
-emphatic NO

2) is a hub anything that spilts connectors, like a splitter?...if not, then what is it?
-no, its a shared bus basically.

3) does usb hubs share internet through the usb link on a cable modem?
-usb hub can not process TCP/IP, so no.

4) does routers lose internet speed/bandwith with more computers on the network?
-no, (unless they all run kazaa or download alot, but otherwise, not by themselves, no)

5) whats the difference between internet speed and bandwith?
- they are one in the same.

6) can a switch share internet?
-no, unless you pay an assload for the connection.

7) whats the difference between routers, hubs and switches?
-hub = stupid retransmitter
-switch = more advanced form of hub, only forwards packets to computer its to, so people cant snoop
-router = advanced switch, keeps better track of who gets what.
-home router = switch with a wan port glued on
 
In the future, check the FAQ (its the second thread from the top). You would have found answers to some of your questions much quicker than waiting for a reply.
 
Originally posted by omega-x
-router = advanced switch, keeps better track of who gets what.
-home router = switch with a wan port glued on
Click to expand...
No, actually hubs and switches connect devices that can handle their own DHCP needs...either there's a DHCP server in the network, or the machines are using static IP's. A router handles DHCP and DNS issues. In normal use, the router requests an IP from a DHCP server, and in turn hands out local addresses to machines plugged into it.
 
Originally posted by O[H]-Zone
No, actually hubs and switches connect devices that can handle their own DHCP needs...either there's a DHCP server in the network, or the machines are using static IP's. A router handles DHCP and DNS issues. In normal use, the router requests an IP from a DHCP server, and in turn hands out local addresses to machines plugged into it.
Click to expand...

You just described a $50 "router" from Best Buy. All of those are NAT gateways.

Still, it is a specific example of something that a router can do. It is not, at the base of it all, what they were designed to do. Routers, simply, connect multiple networks together and route packets between those networks. They are layer 3 (and sometimes, higher) devices.
 
6) can a switch share internet?
-no, unless you pay an assload for the connection.
Click to expand...
what kinda connection are u talking about?

-router = advanced switch, keeps better track of who gets what.
-home router = switch with a wan port glued on
Click to expand...
so home routers more expensive but better?


can i network computers with a switch? with internet? without internet?..... if i wanted to link together more switches, can i just plug a crossover cable together and boom, i m done?

can i increase the ports on a router by connecting a switch to it thru a crossover cable?

can i crimp my own crossover cable with regular cat5e or so?
 
ok, just one question i have left, that isnt answered in the FAQs....

can a switch share internet connection?
 
No, not on its own.
It would need to be connected to a router or you would need a connection where you get more than one IP address and a modem capable of handing out the extra IPs.
 
This is the way I break it down.

A hub takes anthing that comes in one port and repeats it all out all other ports, including the one it came in on. So all ports share the same 10 or 100 mbit bandwidth because every packet is sent to everybody. It is a dumb repeater since it has little internal logic.

A switch looks at the recipient's MAC address and only sends the packet where needs to go, so it is dedicated 100 or 1000 mbit bandwidth since it isn't shared traffic. It is a "smart" hub since it does look at the frame and makes a decision. It is only aware of the computers which are connected directly to it.

A router is like a switch, but it looks at IP addresses rather than MAC addresses. It is aware of not only the devices connected directly to it, but also of the devices connected to those devices (usually) and sometimes even futher out. It makes decisions on how to best "route" a packet based on any number of factors including line speeds or line costs.

They work on 3 different levels of the OSI model, physical (hub), data link (switch), and network (router).

A "home router" is generally a swiched bundeled with a special router which uses NAT (network address translation), which isn't as smart as a true router, but is much better and safer for the average home user because is sort of functions as a firewall by keeping all of the shit traffic on the public IP address to itself and giving private IP addresses to the computers on the LAN.
 
so if i hooked a netgear 5 port switch to a 4port belkin router with an extra uplink... that means i can have 3 computers hooked to the router and 4th port on the router to the switch with the last 4 on the switch hooked up to 4 other computers?

meaning, i can hook 7 computers?.... with that kinda setup, would ALL the computers get internet, even the ones that are connected directly to the switch, not directly to the router?

with this kinda setup, would i be able to host a lanparty with like 4 computers or so?
 
yes, yes and yes, assuming you use the uplink ports.

Your router will hand out IP addresses to all 7 computers and they should all have no problem getting to the internet and each other.
 
Unless you have all that EQ already, the simplest way to get internet connection on multiple PCs over 4 or 8 would probably be to invest in a single 10/100 port with 10/100 WAN (uplink?) port and perhaps a 16 port 10/100 switch. One cable from the broadband connection to the wan port, one cable from the 10/100 to the switch, then 15 ports for hosts.

If you don't need that many users a 10/100 8 Port broadband router/switch would be fine. Keeping it as simple as possible will save you time and trouble if (when) a problem occurs, there's less troubleshooting to do.

Just my opinion.
 
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