Editing Network switch (section)

== Types ==
[[File:24-port 3Com switch.JPG|thumb|A [[19-inch rack|rack-mounted]] 24-port [[3Com]] switch]]

=== Form factors ===
[[File:ZyXEL desktop Ethernet switch.jpg|thumb|A ZyXEL ES-105A 5-port desktop Ethernet switch. The metal casing of the switch has been opened, revealing internal electronic components.]]

Switches are available in many form factors, including stand-alone, desktop units which are typically intended to be used in a home or office environment outside a [[wiring closet]]; rack-mounted switches for use in an [[equipment rack]] or an [[enclosure (electrical)|enclosure]]; [[DIN rail]] mounted for use in [[Industrial Ethernet|industrial environments]]; and small installation switches, mounted into a cable duct, floor box or communications tower, as found, for example, in [[fiber to the office]] infrastructures.

Rack-mounted switches may be stand-alone units, [[stackable switch]]es or large chassis units with swappable line cards.

=== Configuration options ===
*'''{{va|Unmanaged switch}}es''' have no configuration interface or options. They are [[plug and play]]. They are typically the least expensive switches, and therefore often used in a [[small office/home office]] environment. Unmanaged switches can be desktop or rack mounted.<ref name="Cisco">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.cisco.com/smallbusiness/understanding-the-different-types-of-ethernet-switches/ |title=Understanding the different types of Ethernet Switches |access-date=2021-04-29}}</ref>
*'''Managed switches''' have one or more methods to modify the operation of the switch. Common management methods include: a [[command-line interface]] (CLI) accessed via [[serial console]], [[telnet]] or [[Secure Shell]], an embedded [[Simple Network Management Protocol]] (SNMP) agent allowing management from a remote console or management station, or a web interface for management from a [[web browser]]. Two sub-classes of managed switches are smart and enterprise-managed switches.<ref name="Cisco"/>
*'''Smart switches''' (aka intelligent switches) are managed switches with a limited set of management features. Likewise, ''web-managed'' switches are switches that fall into a market niche between unmanaged and managed. For a price much lower than a fully managed switch they provide a web interface (and usually no CLI access) and allow configuration of basic settings, such as VLANs, port-bandwidth and duplex.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hp.com/rnd/products/switches/ProCurve_Switch_1800_Series/specs.htm |title=Tech specs for a sample HP "web-managed" switch |access-date=2007-05-25 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213185114/http://www.hp.com/rnd/products/switches/ProCurve_Switch_1800_Series/specs.htm |archive-date=December 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Cisco"/>
*'''Enterprise managed switches''' (aka managed switches) have a full set of management features, including CLI, SNMP agent, and web interface. They may have additional features to manipulate configurations, such as the ability to display, modify, backup and restore configurations. Compared with smart switches, enterprise switches have more features that can be customized or optimized and are generally more expensive than smart switches. Enterprise switches are typically found in networks with a larger number of switches and connections, where centralized management is a significant savings in administrative time and effort. A [[stackable switch]] is a type of enterprise-managed switch.

==== Typical management features ====
[[File:19-inch rackmount Ethernet switches and patch panels.jpg|thumb|A couple of managed [[D-Link]] Gigabit Ethernet rackmount switches, connected to the Ethernet ports on a few [[patch panel]]s using [[Category 6 cable|Category&nbsp;6]] [[patch cable]]s (all installed in a standard 19-inch rack)]]

* Centralized configuration management and configuration distribution
* Enable and disable ports
* Link bandwidth and [[duplex (telecommunications)|duplex]] settings
* [[Quality of service]] configuration and monitoring
* [[MAC filtering]] and other [[access control list]] features
* Configuration of [[Spanning Tree Protocol]] (STP) and [[Shortest Path Bridging]] (SPB) features
* [[Simple Network Management Protocol]] (SNMP) monitoring of device and link health
* [[Port mirroring]] for monitoring traffic and troubleshooting
* [[Link aggregation]] configuration to set up multiple ports for the same connection to achieve higher data transfer rates and reliability
* VLAN configuration and port assignments including [[IEEE 802.1Q]] tagging
* NTP ([[Network Time Protocol]]) synchronization
* [[Network access control]] features such as [[IEEE 802.1X]] 
* LLDP ([[Link Layer Discovery Protocol]])
* [[IGMP snooping]] for control of multicast traffic<!--[[User:Kvng/RTH]]-->