Introduction

Welcome to the wonderful world of switching. No other component better defines an organization s network than the switches that it uses. Without the switch, you don t have a network; you have a bunch of disconnected workstations working at a fraction of their potential. This chapter will tell you why you need a switch instead of a hub, and how to pick the right switches for your organization. Many readers right now probably think they already know this, but these same readers probably buy their networking equipment in one of two ways:

• They check out what s on special at the local computer superstore.

• They ask for as much money as they can get out of the CFO and buy whatever they can afford.

Both of these techniques will produce a network, but what do you tell the CFO when he or she asks, Why do you want $100,000.00 for a switch when I just saw an advertisement for a $20.00 switch? Let s flip it around and see how you answer this question: The IT director of my last company requested $100,000.00 for our network infrastructure and you can do the same thing for $20.00? I know how much I m saving, but what am I losing?

At the end of this chapter, you still won t know what switch to buy or how much it costs. It is not our intent to recommend a specific vendor or brand of switch over another. You will, however, know the proper questions to ask when...