Could somebody explain to me in words of one syllable the difference between a switch, a hub, and a router?
Ta ever so.
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Could somebody explain to me in words of one syllable the difference between a switch, a hub, and a router?
Ta ever so.
I'll take a stab at two: A hub is just used to network a group of computers together. A router is used to connect two different networks together - essentially it is a member of both networks, and forwards data from one network to the other when appropriate. A common example might be a router that's in your network and also (one of) your ISP's network(s)....
Could somebody explain to me in words of one syllable the difference between a switch, a hub, and a router?
No. I mean, router has two, right there. But if you'll allow a couple more, here goes:
They are, in order of increasing complexity hub -> switch -> router.
A hub doesn't do much. It's like a splitter. Whatever comes in one pipe, goes out all the other. A switch is a little more complex. It knows enough to only send stuff down my wire that's supposed to get to me. It makes it more like I'm getting the full pipe -- I am, but not all the time. With a hub, everyone's data is in the pipe all the time. With the switch, sometimes it's all mine, sometimes I have no access at all.
A router is a switch that sits at the junction of two networks. So traffic in network A stays on the A side, unless it's specifically intended for network B, or vice versa. The device connected to my cable modem is a router, for those reasons.
Or those used to be the definitions. In today's world of convergence, I think hub is becoming an umbrella term, perhaps because so few of the bare bones hubs are used, compared to five or ten years ago.
Connecting all your computers to a hub is like giving them all one party line. Giving them a switch is like giving them each their own line.
Thanks!
A router is what lets your computers find other computers on the Internet.
Anybody can hook me up to a torrent of the latesst JLU episode? Somehow it was missed by the TiVos, probably because of roommate interference. t sigh
JLU?
Justice League: Unlimited.