Switches and switching concepts

While the “first” switch was primarily designed as a build-it-yourself kit for hobbyists and computer enthusiasts, the first “actual” switch emerged from the development of Ethernet in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, switches and switching have evolved both in terms of capabilities and features.

In modern network infrastructures, network architects will come across switches (of various types) throughout the enterprise network, WAN Edge, and data center environments. Switches, and switching fabric, play a vital role in network infrastructure by facilitating connectivity and efficient communication between devices within the LAN, enterprise network, cloud environments, or even across the data center interconnection (DCI).

Switching concepts

Let’s go over a few switching concepts that are necessary for a network architect to know and have a full understanding of.

Spanning Tree Protocol

Spanning...