Chapter 6: Network

Components
Lesson 1: Repeaters and Hubs
Lesson 2: Bridges
Lesson 3: Switches
Lesson 4: Routers
Lesson 5: Gateways
Lesson 1: Repeaters and Hubs
Repeaters and hubs are Physical Layer devices. Like a
piece of wire, they transmit bits, but do not evaluate
them. However, unlike a wire, these devices are not
electrically passive; they add power to signal as they
actively retransmit it. Even though these devices are
simple, they are important tools for organizing a physical
network layout.

Keypoint: Repeaters operate on bits and extend the

length of a physical medium. Hubs provide a central point
of connectivity for networking devices.
Repeaters
A repeater is the simplest type of internetworking device. Repeaters receive
a signal (bits) on a LAN segment and regenerate the bit pattern to boost the
signal and extend the physical length of the segment.

Because a repeater operates at the Physical Layer of the OSI model, as

illustrated on the Repeater and OSI Diagram, the job of a repeater is to
repeat bits. If a “1” bit is received on the input port of a repeater, a “1” bit
is regenerated at the output of the repeater. Similarly, if a “0” bit is
received on the input port of a repeater, a “o” bit is regenerated at the
output of the repeater.

Thus, a repeater is considered a “nondiscriminating” device, because all

incoming signals are passed on to each connected segment. These devices are
also transparent to the sending and receiving (end) devices. Because a
repeater reproduces exactly what it receives, bit by bit, it also reproduces
errors. However, it is very fast and causes very little delay.
Repeater and OSI Model
A repeater connects one
segment of a LAN to another,
possibly connecting different
types of media, as shown on the
Repeater and Physical Media
Diagram. For example, an
Ethernet repeater can connect
Thinnet cables to twisted pair
cables or Thicknet cables.
However, a repeater cannot be
used to connect two different
LAN protocols, such as Ethernet
and Token Ring.
As internetworking devices for Ethernet LANs, repeaters are feasible
only for relatively small LANs (less than 100 nodes) confined to a
small geographic area, such as one or two floors of an office building.

A repeater should not be used to connect heavily used LANs, because

all data passes through a repeater.

Therefore, if you connect multiple LAN segments using a repeater,

you may experience performance problems, because repeaters do not
filter out any data passing through them.

Repeaters are not normally used to add more devices to a network,

only to extend the distance a workstation or group of workstations
can be located from other parts of a network. To increase the
number of devices connected to a network, we use a device called a
“hub”.
Hubs
A hubs, sometimes called a “wiring
concentrator,” logically functions as a
shared bus or multiport repeater. All
devices connected to a hub receive
frames transmitted by any other device
on that hub.

The most common type of hub is an

Ethernet 10BaseT hub used to connect
computers attached to an Ethernet
network. The simplest type of Ethernet
hub is a stand-alone hub purchased for
small organizations, as illustrated on the
Ethernet Star Diagram. Eight and 12-port
stand-alone hubs are common.

A separate cable connects the network

interface card (NIC) of each individual
node (clients, servers, or peripherals) to
one port of the hub.
Token Ring MAUs
The Token Ring Hub/MAU Diagram
presents a special type of hub used
in Token Ring networks, the
multistation access unit (MAU). Each
MAU connects to an adjacent MAU
through special ports.

The ring-out (RO) port of one MAU

connects to the ring-in (RI) port of
the next MAU to form large rings. In
most cases, network management of
a MAU is limited to simply checking
the state of front-panel light
emitting diodes (LED).
Token Ring Repeaters
Token Ring repeaters, sometimes
called “lobe repeaters,” may be
used in pairs to extend the main ring
path to MAUs in distant locations, or
used alone to extend the cable
length to a single workstation.

Fiber optic Token Ring repeaters

are used primarily to interconnect
remote MAUs, and convert the
twisted pair RI and RO port
connections to fiber optic
connections. The Token Ring
Repeaters Diagram illustrates this
type of repeater.
Ethernet Collision Domains
A collision domain is a portion of a network where all
nodes receive every frame transmitted by all other nodes,
and compete for access to shared medium.

For example, in a small, one-hub 10-megabits-per-second

(Mbps) Ethernet network, every node in the network
receives every frame transmitted by any other node.

Thus, all nodes attached to the hub share the same 10-
Mbps bandwidth. The Ethernet Collision Domain Diagram
illustrates this principle.
In this diagram, Node A wants to
send information to Node G. A frame
is sent from Node A to the hub.

The hub, which is essential a

multiport repeater, repeats the
frame out every port. Each node
attached to the hub receives the
frame.

However, only the node that has a

NIC address (in this case, Node G)
that matches the frame address will
process the frame and pass its
contents to the next higher layer.
Hub-to-hub Connectivity
After an Ethernet hub fills to capacity,
additional computers cannot be connected to
the hub. As s network grows and more nodes
are needed, hubs can be added to provide
more physical ports to connect additional
devices. The Ethernet Hub-to-Hub Diagram
illustrates this principle.
In this diagram, Node H is removed
from the first hub and a connection
is made to another hub. Many hubs
provide the ability to use one of the
hub ports for either device
connectivity or hub connectivity.

A switch is normally mounted under

this port for switching between
computer connectivity and hub
connectivity. The switch is put in
one position for attaching a
computer, and the opposite position
when attaching to another hub.