Atlantis Land A02-F8-2C/M2 Manual Do Utilizador

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environments, it provides a straightforward upgrade and takes 
advantage of the existing investment in hardware, software, and 
personnel training. 
Switching Technology 
Another key development pushing the limits of Ethernet technology is 
in the field of switching technology. A switch bridges Ethernet 
packets at the MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol transmitting 
among connected Ethernet or fast Ethernet LAN segments. 
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network 
capacity available to users on a local area network. A switch increases 
capacity and decreases network loading by making it possible for a 
local area network to be divided into different segments which don’t 
compete with each other for network transmission capacity, giving a 
decreased load on each. 
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the 
individual segments. Traffic that needs to go from one segment to 
another is automatically forwarded by the switch, without interfering 
with any other segments. This allows the total network capacity to be 
multiplied, while still maintaining the same network cabling and 
adapter cards. 
Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement over the 
previous generation of network bridges, which were characterized by 
higher latencies.  Routers have also been used to segment local area 
networks, but the cost of a router and the setup and maintenance 
required make routers relatively impractical. Today’s switches are an 
ideal solution to most kinds of local area network congestion 
problems.