Jargons

[Shinosuke]

Switch
Bridge
PBX
Hub
Router
VOIP
Ethernet
VPN
WAN
LAN

Etc.

I know I know - google! But can a google master, or just someone who knows provide these in simple, lame lame n00bish term stating clearly the differences and similarity if any? ;p
Bring Technical Jargon back to life!! :D

[luck777jojo]

too lazy to do em all at once so lets start with the easy ones:

LAN: Local Area Network - a network of computers usually connected by wires or limited (short range) wireless which does not involve many computer, for example a company's office building would have a LAN connecting all the computers inside of it together
It is usually quite fast since regular ethernet cables which allow pretty high speed communication can be used rather than copper cables such as are used for cable TV, telephone etc.

WAN: Wide Area Network - similar to LAN but mostly used to connect larger places together, like for example a university campus or several city blocks could use a WAN, it can also be slower than a LAN because of the larger distances
The term is quite often used interchangeably with LAN nowadays

Ethernet: A local network connecting only several computers and not connected to the internet, the computers in this network can be connected to the internet but the Ethernet can keep working if those connections die

VOIP: Voice Over IP - a protocol which allows people using a computer to talk to other people as if they were talking on the phone. This method; however, does not use telephone wires but instead digitizes the users' voices and sends it over the internet.

will do the other ones later

[luck777jojo]

Bridge: a device which allows a connection between two separate networks, for example I am using a "wireless bridge" to connect my computers upstairs that are all connected through a wired network to my computers downstairs which use a different wired network instead of having to wire them all together by drilling holes in my floor.

Switch: a device which allows multiple computers to be connected in a local network. The switch will take care of sending data between computers connected in this network by using their unique addresses.

Router: a device which provides the needed protocols to connect a small network to the internet. The network is connected to the router ad the router is the one which accesses the internet. Most routers now are also built with switches so as to allow them to be used to provide the local network too.

[Shinosuke]

So the connection should go like this: (---- indicates connection, sorry if it's kindda confusing)
Clients ---- Switch ---- Clients = LAN
LAN ---- Bridge ---- WAN
W&LAN --> Bridge --> Firewall --> Router --> Internet?

[luck777jojo]

a bridge isn't required to connect to the internet, the switch can be connected straight to the router.

[Shinosuke]

Yes, I understood that part.. I was trying to illustrate that we can connect the WAN/LAN together. :x

How bout a file server? Is it jst a normal PC but with different OS/applications? Is it physically different at all? (ie. hardware)

[luck777jojo]

yeah a file server is pretty much a regular computer with special software, hardware-wise it's pretty much the same, it CAN have more hard drives and a slower CPU because it doesn't run very intensive tasks but those are optional.

[Shinosuke]

How do a switch/bridge/hub differ?
Do we since they can all connect to the router directly, do we need any of these in between the LAN and router?

[Shinosuke]

PABX? Exchange (I'm assuming this is Microsoft)?

[luck777jojo]

How do a switch/bridge/hub differ?
Do we since they can all connect to the router directly, do we need any of these in between the LAN and router?
a switch can be used to connect more computer in a lan than you have wired ports in a router, kinda like a daisy-chain

a bridge can connect multiple parts of a lan together, many possible uses

a hub and a switch are basically the same thing


PABX I remember hearing about it but I don't remember enough ATM to give any information that I can vouch would be correct so I wo't give any info on it at all for now.

[Shinosuke]

a switch can be used to connect more computer in a lan than you have wired ports in a router, kinda like a daisy-chain

a bridge can connect multiple parts of a lan together, many possible uses

a hub and a switch are basically the same thing


PABX I remember hearing about it but I don't remember enough ATM to give any information that I can vouch would be correct so I wo't give any info on it at all for now.

a hub and a switch are basically the same?
how bout the talk of different 'layers'? eg. layer 1, layer 2?

[luck777jojo]

well I didn't know you wanted to get into tcp layers and stuff, I assumed then it wouldn't be "lame lame n00bish term stating clearly the differences and similarity if any" :P

[Shinosuke]

but i am lame and a n00b! :P
I just want to learn more ;)
Kindly enlighten me, and it will do MPC some use too.
People will be more educated, and visitors from google will drop by too from search the tcp layer stuff. hehehe.

*sucks up*
you're so kewl <3

[luck777jojo]

okay if you insist....

Both a hub and a switch operate in the 2 lower layers of the TCP/IP layer model. That is they both operate on the Data Link Layer and the Physical Layer. The difference is in HOW they use those layers, a hub mostly operates in the lower Physical Layer while a switch would take more time and actually effectively use the Data Link Layer.
The main difference between the two is that a HUB routes traffic to all the nodes that it is connected to while a SWITCH will actually figure out which node specific information is destined for and will send it just to that node.

In that respect a HUB can cause a lot more network traffic most of which is redundant, while a SWITCH is more complex to implement since it has to figure out addressing but due to that will produce less traffic.
However, they both do the same work and in the end are mostly interchangeable especially now that most "hubs" are actually just switches.

[Shinosuke]

core switch, access switch, multiplex switch? O_O
firewall> transparent mode??

hehe, thanks luck <3