+/- hub or switch

[SIRCOOKS]

what are some of the negatives and positives between a hub and a switch

[Soopafresh]

Hub= cheap, easy to run diagnosis and sniffing. Bad-More Collisions on Network

Switch= Low Collisions, higher end switches can be managed and monitored, and segmented into routed subnets. Bad-Cost


For a small 4-8 port ethernet hub/switch the cost should be almost the same.

[rallynavvie]

Hubs are generall cheaper but they do not organize the flow of data between computers like switches and routers do so you sometimes see packet loss. Most commonly you will notice lag more often in gaming with a hub than with a router/switch.

Switches/routers are a little more expensive on average but they "direct traffic" for your network so they are a bit more efficient. IIRC there are no gigabit copper hubs, only switches.

[SIRCOOKS]

i ask this because my hub just cut out oin me and i dont know why, ivebeen trying to reconfigure but it just wont happen, so i bought a switch, but im not gonna open it until i try to get the hub back up...any more pros and cons

[ViRaL1]

For a small workgroup (8 computers or less), the cost difference between a hub and a switch are minimal. I'd recommend a switch.

[studtrooper]

Ahh, something I can finally use from Networking class

First things first, realize that hubs are essentially antiquated technology. While switches used to cost big bucks, 8-port 10/100 switches can easily be found for under $20. Why are switches better than a hub?

Well... as rally was pointing out, ethernet is a collision domain network. With a hub, every time a packet is sent out from a PC, EVERYONE on the network receives it, but only the target of the packet will use it. Not only does that waste bandwidth and cause packet-loss due to mass collision potential, it is extremely inefficient, especially for latency-sensitive gaming.

With a switch, it keeps a table in its memory of what every MAC address that is hooked up to it. When it receives word that a packet is about to be sent, it will direct that packet to the target... and no one else will get it. No wasted bandwidth, no nonsense. Plus, switches come in Gigabit flavor now (around 125MBps transfer possible, not like your HDD could sustain that rate anyway ... this is compared to what a normal 10/100 switch can do, which is around 11MBps).

As everyone was saying, go for the switch! www.newegg.com has some nice prices...

[ViRaL1]

Another option, most routers these days actually have a switch built in (usually 4 ports). I LOVE my GbE switch (although for some reason it doesn't like the PRO 1000/MT NIC built into my main desktop. But it comes in handy whenever I'm transferring large files or lots of files from one server to another. Gigabit NICs can be found retail for $30 and even cheaper online. However, if your network usage isn't high, 10/100 will be more than adequate.

[SIRCOOKS]

now im having trouble because one comp cant logon to the other, but the other can log onto the one which cant log onto it, any ideas

[stiltman]

I always suggest modifying the LMHost file on p2p networks

[SIRCOOKS]

what the hell is that, where do i find it, and what must i do with it...holla back

[SIRCOOKS]

also, is there some type of reset button i can hiy, to reset my network, right now im still tied to the old two computer names, and i think a reset would do me good...holla back asap

[stiltman]

system32/drivers/etc
open LMHosts.sam with notepad
Remove everything except your computers IPs and names along with #PRE
save it as "LMHosts"

right click my computer select properties
select network identification
change your computer name to what you want

update lmhosts file if you edit it before you change comps names

[SIRCOOKS]

but what would doing that help me to do,....holla back asap, i allready have my switch hooked up,