Well, routers built the Internet, but it was network switches that scaled it. So, before we start, let’s get our terms correct. The transmission of data over Ethernet is defined at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer), and where we have a data frame. This data frame encapsulates a data packet, and which operates at Layer 3 (Network Layer). At Layer 5, we have the transport layer, and which defines a data segment.
With routers, we have a bottleneck for network packets, and where packets move from interface to interface. For switches, we can have multiple data frame transmissions at a time, and where we multiply up the bandwidth. Thus if we have a 10Gbps switch, and keep our communications at Layer 2, we can have multiple 10Gbps connections at a time, and which achieves an overall bandwidth which is much higher than 10Gbps.
One of the greatest switches of all time is the Cisco Catalyst 2900 series switch:
As they say, “No one was ever sacked for buying IBM”, then the same could be said about the mighty 2900 series switch. It fitted into 19-inch racks and was often the core element of a data infrastructure. In fact, it was so important, that it was often doubled up to provide redundancy against…
