Network Switches

A Network Switch in it's simplest form is multi port bridge, a device which is able to determine the source and destination address of packets, and forwards packets appropriately. This technology replaced hubs which forward data to every port this congesting the network with unwanted packets.

Switches today vary from the above to very sophisticated devices, at their best offering routing and high level traffic management in hardware ASIC's offering wire speed performance up to 10GB.

• Manufacturer: Choose ALL or specific brands from the list of Manufacturers
• Rack Mountable: Whether the switch can be mounted into a 19” Comms Cabinet
• Managed: Layer 2 for basic configuration and functionality, MultiLayer for more advanced features including routing, or No for switch functionality without any control or monitoring (unmanaged)
• Stackable: The ability for the unit to be stacked with others to form one logical switch using dedicated high speed stack ports or modules (we have not included what manufacturers call ‘enhanced stacking’, which is not true stacking)
• Copper 100TX Ports (max): The maximum number of 100Mb RJ45 ports available*
• Fibre 100FX Ports (max): The maximum number of 100Mb Fibre ports available*
• Fibre GB Ports (max): The maximum number of Gigabit RJ45 ports available*
• Copper GB Ports (max): The maximum number of Gigabit Fibre ports available*

*Note: this may assume module options are used but must be used as a guide only as limitations may apply; always check with Universal that the selected switch supports your port requirements