Understanding switch port configurations
Managed switches allow a network professional to configure many components of the device, such as enabling and disabling each interface, adjusting the support bandwidth on a port, and even configuring the speed and duplex settings on each interface. These are just a few of the many changes network professionals can apply to any port on a switch. Unlike unmanaged switches, network professionals can’t log into the device or make any modifications to how the switch operates. An unmanaged switch simply operates like a basic switch and forward frames to its destination – that’s about it.
A managed switch provides the additional capabilities and features that are needed by network professionals within the industry to ensure messages are delivered efficiently and quickly to their destinations. In this section, you will explore the importance of various switch port/interface configurations and their effects on a network.
