View Full Version : Crash course in routers, switches and hubs
Dolby
03-06-2005, 08:46 AM
Hey ...
Just started a new position at Cisco for a few months, and was just wondering if someone could tell me simply and in laymans terms what these are?
I don't need to know it - just interested
tibby.dude
03-06-2005, 09:03 AM
I hope you don't work there in some technical capacity :).
Do a google or go to http://www17.tomshardware.com look under networking or pc howto or use the search link.
Hope that helps.. i hope you are not on the telephonic help desk ??? :eek:
DFantom
03-06-2005, 09:50 AM
A hub is about the most basic of the three. It basically is what you plug the network cables into to connect boxes together.
A switch is a more advanced version of a hub. The big difference is bandwidth. On a 100Mb hub and 10 people connect each person gets 10Mb (division of bandwidth). On a 100Mb switch and 10 people connect, each person gets 100Mb.
A router routes packets. *grin* easier way is it allows you to connect two (or more) networks together. Routers are the core of the internet (all the internet is just a lot of connected networks) and Cisco's big money maker.
Sorry if this sucks big, but yeah I'm no teacher ;)
Perdition
03-06-2005, 01:13 PM
I think that about covers the basics, not much you can add unless you want to get very technical.
Dolby
03-06-2005, 02:20 PM
No .. isn't technical at all!
I'm helping out the next few months as an account manager - dealing with selling, trade ins, recruiting resellers etc.
Thing is, there is a permanent position opening when I finish - and if I have just a litttle bit of extra knowledge, it'd help.
Thanks for the help
Router - http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/r/router.html
Switch - http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/s/switch.html
Hub - http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/h/hub.html
Karnaugh
03-06-2005, 02:36 PM
Mooooooo
If you're working for Cisco and don't know this you're in over your head :P
Yes, in laymans terms a router 'simply' routes packets from one destination network to another - like robots at a traffic circle.
In the bigger picture, the internet is made up of various autonomous systems, which are interconnected, and innerconnected with various routing protocols (routers need to know which other router to pass packets to to get the best path etc and share routing tables in some instances)
Cisco have all you need to know on their site :)
cisco_trouble
05-01-2006, 03:09 PM
Im new here, and generally..okay very interested in cisco networking, and i find questions about cisco e.g. who arre they, what they do, etc....why not visit the cisco website. www.cisco.com
swordfish1
05-01-2006, 03:13 PM
No .. isn't technical at all!
I'm helping out the next few months as an account manager - dealing with selling, trade ins, recruiting resellers etc.
Thing is, there is a permanent position opening when I finish - and if I have just a litttle bit of extra knowledge, it'd help.
Thanks for the help
So can you tell us why Linksys 8 port gigabit switch is sold here @ R1080 by the importer while the same in USA cost R400 on amazon.com???
cisco_trouble
05-01-2006, 03:20 PM
haha!
Dolby
05-01-2006, 04:30 PM
No not really because Linksys and Cisco are handled seperatly ;) We own them, but that's where it ends - they're like a seperate product to me.
Oh, and a small update, I'm now working at Cisco permanently. Another account manager resigned, and I got that opening. I deal with small-to-medium (SMB) resellers - so if anyone needs anything, just PM me and I'll try my best.
swordfish1
05-01-2006, 04:54 PM
No not really because Linksys and Cisco are handled seperatly ;) We own them, but that's where it ends - they're like a seperate product to me.
Oh, and a small update, I'm now working at Cisco permanently. Another account manager resigned, and I got that opening. I deal with small-to-medium (SMB) resellers - so if anyone needs anything, just PM me and I'll try my best.
so do you sell Linksys products, or it is a completely separate company?
bekdik
05-01-2006, 05:42 PM
Hey ...
Just started a new position at Cisco for a few months, and was just wondering if someone could tell me simply and in laymans terms what these are?
I don't need to know it - just interested
Surely Cisco would have something available to you?
Dolby
06-01-2006, 08:27 AM
They did - went to Amsterdam last month for two weeks for training. At the time of the post I didn't know those terminologies and wasn't required to either. I just wanted to know to help me secure something more stable within the company - which I did.