Hub vs Switch – which one is better? Which one should be used for
faster communication? Which one is more secure? Well, we answer all the aspects
of using a hub and a switch against each other in this article.
Hub was very popular before the arrival of a Switch. So, what
was something special inside a Switch which made Switch so popular? We will
take a look at all the differences and functional aspects between a Switch and
hub.
Let’s take a look:
Hub vs switch — Comparison and differences
Hub vs switch — Comparison and differences
Hub’s properties:
§
Works at the physical
layer of the OSI layer
§
Uses ‘Store and
forwarding’ when it receives a data packet
§
A virtual LAN cannot
be created using a hub
§
Usually comes with 4
to 12 ports
§
Only transmits
electrical signals or the bits (relate it with physical layer)
§
Does not use any
software
§
Does not have its own
memory for memorizing the devices connected over to the network
§
Cannot learn the MAC
addresses and neither can forward them
§
Supports Half-duplex
transmission mode
§
A hub has only one
broadcast domain
§
Cannot support
Spanning tree protocol
§
Packet collisions
occur commonly inside a hub
Switch’s properties:
§
Works at the Data
link layer or layer two of the OSI model
§
Uses ‘filter and
forwarding’ when it receives a data packet
§
A virtual LAN can be
created using a Switch and it can also work as a multi-port bridge
§
Usually comes with 24
to 48 ports
§
Transmits Frames
(layer 2 packets) and Layer 3 packets of the OSI model
§
Uses its software for
admin access and other configurations
§
Has its own memory
for memorizing the devices connected over to the network
§
Can learn the MAC
addresses and stores those addressed in a CAM (Content Addressable Memories)
§
Supports Half as well
as full duplex transmission mode
§
A hub has only one
broadcast domain
§
Can support Spanning
tree protocol
§
No packet collisions
occur commonly inside a hub
Working differences — Hub vs
switch
Before you proceed to
further reading, have a look at the basic concepts of the different networking devices and hardware types — hub,
switch, router, modem, bridge, repeater.
Let’s say a few computers are connected to a hub in one of
the scenarios and in the other scenario, they are connected to a switch.
In the Hub’s case, when all the computers send data packets,
those are copied as a signal at the different ports of the hub. That means, the
hub simply replicates the signal and the intended recipient gets the packets.
Since there is no concept of filtering the packets and forwarding those, there
will be a lot of collisions as well.
When the same data packet will arrive at one of the ports of
a Switch, the following generic steps will take place:
§
A data packet arrives
at one of the ports.
§
The Switch checks of
the address inside the data packet (also called as a frame of layer 2 on OSI
model)
§
The switch has a CAM
table and it will match the address of the frame with one of the addresses of
the CAM table.
§
If the address
matches, the switch known the particular port at which that address resides. So
the Switch will forward that packet to that particular port and this is also
called as ‘Filter and forwarding’ in computer networks terms
§
These things are all
possible because of a configuration file and memory inside a Switch which is
absent in a hub.
§
The network admin can
configure the switch according to his preference.
§
Because of the filter
and forwarding, there is no collision inside a switch.
