What does it do?
I'll be explaining the differences between hubs, bridges, and routers in this post.
In a nutshell, a hub is just a box that takes data from one device and sends it out to all of its ports on the hub. The system isn't smart in any way and isn't being used much anymore but can be used as a means of communicating between systems.
The hub hardware can be described as a repeater with multiple ports. In other words, if you have 3 computers and a printer connected to a hub and one of the computers sends a print job to the printer over a hub connection, the data is simply thrown out to all ports on the hub. The print job would be sent to all the ports connected to the hub, which included the other 2 computers, but the packets would be dropped since they were not for those computers just the printer. This can cause causes a bogging down of the network with higher traffic and even flu on crashes.
Brides are pretty simple, as the name implies, a bridge connects two hubs, acting as a middleman between them. As a result, things can be more manageable because groups of PCs can talk to each other. Being that the bridge only has two ports and will learn which hub is on each side and contain the data within each hub to themselves unless sent over the bridge to one of the other sides' hub PCs. In short, the Bridge expands on the hub by connecting a second hub and stops packets or data from bleeding into the other hub when necessary. Nevertheless, introducing more traffic to these networks can still pose the same problems as hubs and is a waste full as data within each hub is still being sent to all ports including the bridge’s port.
Since most routers are capable of acting.as switches.
In short, a switch is a combination of the Hubs and Bridges functions plus more on a per port basis. Switches are capable of learning which ports go to which devices, and they can also be interconnected with other switches. They are what can keep communication between devices on the network without sending that data anywhere else.
Now on to routers!
A router guides and directs network data by sending packets containing various kinds of data, There are some L3 switches that can have some of these features, but a router for the most part is just the means of connecting networks together and allows for data to be sent from a device over the switch, through the router to another network. Simply put communication between networks is facilitated by routers. For example, going on the internet is an easy example of how a router works. Data can even be sent between networks connected to one another.
Moreover, routers offer a wide array of options since they sit at the boundary of the network, giving them greater control over data distribution and allowing them to control which routing protocols are allowed to pass through and out of the router. Think of it like a traffic cop telling someone where to go and what they can and cannot do.
Resources
Practical Networking. (2020, December 16). Hub, bridge, Switch, router - network devices - networking fundamentals - lesson 1B. YouTube. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-NR3Q3BeI
Cisco. (2021, January 22). What is a router? - definition and uses. Cisco. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/resource-center/networking/what-is-a-router.html
The hub hardware can be described as a repeater with multiple ports. In other words, if you have 3 computers and a printer connected to a hub and one of the computers sends a print job to the printer over a hub connection, the data is simply thrown out to all ports on the hub. The print job would be sent to all the ports connected to the hub, which included the other 2 computers, but the packets would be dropped since they were not for those computers just the printer. This can cause causes a bogging down of the network with higher traffic and even flu on crashes.
Brides are pretty simple, as the name implies, a bridge connects two hubs, acting as a middleman between them. As a result, things can be more manageable because groups of PCs can talk to each other. Being that the bridge only has two ports and will learn which hub is on each side and contain the data within each hub to themselves unless sent over the bridge to one of the other sides' hub PCs. In short, the Bridge expands on the hub by connecting a second hub and stops packets or data from bleeding into the other hub when necessary. Nevertheless, introducing more traffic to these networks can still pose the same problems as hubs and is a waste full as data within each hub is still being sent to all ports including the bridge’s port.
Since most routers are capable of acting.as switches.
In short, a switch is a combination of the Hubs and Bridges functions plus more on a per port basis. Switches are capable of learning which ports go to which devices, and they can also be interconnected with other switches. They are what can keep communication between devices on the network without sending that data anywhere else.
Now on to routers!
A router guides and directs network data by sending packets containing various kinds of data, There are some L3 switches that can have some of these features, but a router for the most part is just the means of connecting networks together and allows for data to be sent from a device over the switch, through the router to another network. Simply put communication between networks is facilitated by routers. For example, going on the internet is an easy example of how a router works. Data can even be sent between networks connected to one another.
Moreover, routers offer a wide array of options since they sit at the boundary of the network, giving them greater control over data distribution and allowing them to control which routing protocols are allowed to pass through and out of the router. Think of it like a traffic cop telling someone where to go and what they can and cannot do.
Resources
Practical Networking. (2020, December 16). Hub, bridge, Switch, router - network devices - networking fundamentals - lesson 1B. YouTube. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-NR3Q3BeI
Cisco. (2021, January 22). What is a router? - definition and uses. Cisco. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/resource-center/networking/what-is-a-router.html
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