In the introduction to Chapter 2, Understanding Local Area Networks, I mentioned how most network engineers cut their teeth supporting an organization's internal infrastructure. This will ultimately mean gaining exposure to switches in some form or another. While it isn't likely that you'll be fully configuring switches at the entry-level, it is important that you understand how they function. The abundance of multi-user environments that are used both at home and at work makes it important for traffic to be forwarded quickly and efficiently.
This chapter introduces the concept of switching and provides an explanation of how switching decisions are made. We will discuss the different types of switch, their use cases, and the key attributes of these essential devices.
The following topics will be covered...