What are Switches?
A switch is a piece of hardware that allows two or more computers to talk to each other. There are different types of switches managed, unmanaged and smart managed switches. Switches are a useful piece of hardware as they enable you to form a network. They have application possibilities in home offices, small business or medium scaleenterprises.
A Little History on Switches
Originally, to form a network, most enterprises used hubs. Hubs allowed for inexpensive network creation. The way they worked is that when a signal was sent from a computer to the hub, the hub would relay it to all the computers in the network. This put tremendous pressure on the network usage and necessitated the need for something more intelligent. A switch ensures that the signal is relayed only to the desired destination computer. In this way, the network usage is substantially lowered. In the last few years, the price of switches dropped considerably making them viable alternatives to hubs.
Unmanaged Switches
These are the most simple and easy to use switches. They are plug and play devices, which means you just plug them in and they will work. No configuration is possible nor is it required since it is intended for home use when you want to connect two to three computers.Managed Switches
Large networks that have multiple computers require managed switches. These have configuration capabilities allowing you to define how the switch should work. They also have additional features like facilitating the creation of VLANs, defining the port speeds and a number of other benefits. Another feature of managed switches is that they allow you to configure which data should be given priority. This means that if a large amount of data is competing for space on the network, the priority data will be sent first. To access and configure the switch settings, the administrator should have a browser or a command line interface.Smart Managed Switches
The third category, which is gaining popularity, is the smart managed switch. They work just like the unmanaged switch, which means you can install them quite easily. However they do provide some configuration features permitting you to adjust their competencies as per your business requirements. These are slowly replacing other options in small to medium scale businesses and provide excellent network solutions.If you are interested in buying Cisco switches, Cisco routers, telephone systems, telephonesfrom Mitel, firewalls such as Cisco Firewalls, Cisco Telephones, switches, Sonicwall and other Sonicwallproducts, the best place to start is on the internet.