Networking Components Eric Sestak LTEC 4550

Network Hub Hubs are old devices which are rarely ever seen anymore these days. Before switches were commonplace they were the primary tool used to connect workstations together to a network. There are three kinds of hubs. Active, Passive, and Hybrid. Active were most common. Passive are generally seen in wiring panels and punch down blocks. Hybrid accommodate several different connections. Hubs were mostly the affordable and easy solution to provide connectivity. Much like how switches are used today. They can be purchased used for a few dollars.

Network Switch Switches are the current backbone of the modern network. Switches provide connectivity to all network devices and are primarily responsible for the speed at which data transmits at. Unlike hubs, each port on a switch is a dedicated port that provides full speed. So there is no dividing of the bandwidth to accommodate needs. These devices are used both on the backend server side and also client side to help provide scalability. The cost varies depending on needs, between $20 and $2,000.

Network Router If the switch is the backbone of the network, then the router is the brains. Routers are used to route between and connect to different networks. You can use them to divide larger networks into smaller networks or bring smaller networks into larger networks. Often times routers are also used as firewalls to do some kind of packet filtering. Routers, depending on the configuration, are often the first device on the network to accept the handoff from the ISP. For a higher end Cisco router you can expect to pay ~$2,000.

Network Router If the switch is the backbone of the network, then the router is the brains. Routers are used to route between and connect to different networks. You can use them to divide larger networks into smaller networks or bring smaller networks into larger networks. Often times routers are also used as firewalls to do some kind of packet filtering. Routers, depending on the configuration, are often the first device on the network to accept the handoff from the ISP. For a higher end Cisco router you can expect to pay ~$2,000.

Network Bridge Physical network bridge devices are practically never used these days. If an organization needs to bridge two networks together, they will simply use the router to handle it. Bridges were used before routers were readily available. Bridges were essentially very simple routers. They learned about the networks connected to them, they performed packet transferring and utilized STP. Most network routers have the capability of running in a ‘bridged’ mode if you need it. Bridge devices are not for sale anymore.

Network Gateway Physical network gateway devices are practically never used these days. Just like bridges, gateways were used in a time before routers. Network Gateways are now going to be your layer 3 switches and your routers. The gateway is simply the IP address the device needs to get to in order to figure out how to navigate outside of its local network segment. This is usually the IP of the router, since the router has a huge amount of information. Network gateway devices are not for sale anymore. You would need to purchase a switch or router.

Network Firewall Network firewalls are one of the most important pieces of a network. The firewall is responsible for allowing the good data to go in and out, and everything else to be blocked. Proper firewall configuration is vitally important because a bad firewall configuration can seriously jeopardize the entire network. Firewalls are the sentry guard between the internet and your network. Most configurations will have explicit static rules configured for necessary ports, and then a ‘Deny IP any any’ rule denying access to anything else. A good entry level firewall starts at $500.

Network Wireless AP A Wireless AP is essentially a network switch with a wireless antenna attached. Wireless AP’s also do security and encryption to help prevent unauthorized access from getting into your network. Depending on how many devices are connected to the access points, network congestion can happen and hinder the performance. Most wireless access points can be purchased for less than $100.