Short for port-switching hub, a special type of hub that forwards packets to the appropriate port based on the packet's address. Conventional hubs simply rebroadcast every packet to every port. Since switching hubs forward each packet only to the required port, they provide much better performance. Most switching hubs also support load balancing, so that ports are dynamically reassigned to different LAN segments based on traffic patterns.
Some newer switching hubs support both traditional Ethernet (10 Mbps) and Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) ports. This enables the administrator to establish a dedicated, Fast Ethernet channel for high-traffic devices such as servers.
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What's the Difference Between Routers, Switches and Hubs? Many people use the terms routers, switches and hubs interchangeably. However, the functions of the three devices are all quite different from one another, even if at times they are all integrated into a single device.
