Ethernet Managed Switches

When an Ethernet Switch receives an Ethernet frame, it reads the destination MAC address and forwards the frame out of the port to which the destination device is attached. The Ethernet Switch builds up a table of known MAC Addresses and the ports into which they transmit. It does this by reading the Source MAC address of inbound frames. If the switch doesn’t find the intended destination MAC address in its table then it will flood a copy of the data frame out of every port except the incoming port to ensure that the intended recipient will receive the data. These MAC Address Tables are dynamically written, so that if a MAC Address is not seen by the switch for a period of time it will be removed from the table and will have to be re-learned next time that device transmits.

Ethernet Switches provide basic first line connectivity for the end user and for providers alike and can be managed or unmanaged. Ethernet Managed Switches often have a dedicated network management port, but some allow management from any network port, provided the switch has had the correct configuration. Ethernet Managed Switches often rely on SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to relay information about the switch to a management server console. This information can be relevant to a change in configuration, a faulty hardware component or the use of a certain protocol. The Ethernet Managed Switch will use a MIB (Management Information Base) to determine which criteria requires a report to be sent to the management server. These reports or alarms as they are often know as are more commonly called TRAPS. Managed Switches allow Ethernet hardware to be monitored from anywhere in the network provided there is a network connection .

Ehernet switches can run at either 10, 100, 1000Mbps and in most cases they can auto-sense the speed of the transmitting device and synchronise accordingly. There are switches that now communicate at 10Gbps and beyond. In addition to providing basic network connectivity, switches can be sophisticated devices that have the ability to configure security parameters, VLANs and Quality of Service parameters. There are managed and unmanaged Ethernet Switches that provide power to devices attached to network ports such as IP phones and Wireless Access Points. This Technology has the generic name PoE (Power over Ethernet). PoE network attached devices do not need a separate power supply, making them easier to deploy.

Here at www.ipexpress.co.uk , we have a range of Ethernet Managed Switches and unmanaged switched to suit most budgets, and at very competitive prices too. We only sell Ethernet Switches from manufacturers such as Cisco, Belkin, D-Link, Netgear, HP and V7, who we believe provide the best quality, reliability and value for money. Check them out and see if we have the model to suit you?