LAN Switching First-Step

Product Description

Your first step into the world of LAN switching

• No LAN switching experience required
• Includes clear and easily understood explanations
• Makes learning easy

Your first step to LAN switching begins here!

• Learn local-area network (LAN) key concepts and terminology
• Identify key issues involved with designing and managing a switched LAN
• Answer the question: do I need a hub, a bridge, or a switch?

Welcome to the world of LAN switching!

Network switches work by connecting network paths together and making intelligent decisions about moving traffic in a network. By keeping track of changes in the network, switches reduce congestion and improve speed.

No LAN switching experience needed!

LAN Switching First-Step explains the basics of LAN switching in easy-to-grasp language that all of us can understand. This book takes you on a guided tour of the key concepts behind how bridges and switches work. Whether you are looking to take your first step into a career in networking or are interested in just gaining a conversational knowledge of the technology, this book is for you!

Praise For LAN Switching First-Step

LAN Switching First-Step
Reviewer Name: Steve Owen Scheiderer, Network Administrator
Reviewer Certifications: MCSE NT 4.0, CCNA

For the most part, LAN Switching First-Step by Matthew J. Castelli is a good review of the basic elements needed for success in setting up a switched LAN. This is increasingly important today due to the phasing out of hubs and the increased security threats facing today's LANS. In this light, I think Chapter 9, Switching Security, is the most useful chapter. I think Chapters 3 and 4 could have been combined for the sake of brevity and some discussions, like the Hierarchical Model on page 236, were redundant.

If there is an ongoing weakness it is the figures throughout the book. For example, in Figure 1-2 Train 2 and Train S do not connect at Times Square. It is hard to follow in 1-8 how the illustration relates to Half Duplex (and the discussion of half-duplex on pp. 40 and 92 is confusing). In 2-2 the combination of Frames & Bits was confusing (which also makes references on pp. 57, 61 and 67 confusing as well). The comparison in 3-15 between the LAN and railroad topology was hard to follow. The figures in Chapter 7 were not very helpful. Figure 8-8 would have been better with IP addresses represented. Figure 10-2 is supposed to represent "one host per port" (p. 221) but the graphic's Ethernet icon shows multiple systems on the segment. In one place in Figure 11-9 there is typo that says "user date" rather than "user data." Where is the router in Figure 12-8?

At times terms were introduced with definitions following later, like "frame" on page 8 and "full mesh and star topology" on page 57. Some topics were a bit advanced and would have been better found in an appendix, like the presentation of ITU (International Telecommunication Union) on page 37, and Long Reach Ethernet (LRE) [and] wave-division multiplexing (WDM) on page 47, and Layer 3 Switching on page 129.

With these things in mind, I think this book would serve better as a review for those with some switching experience rather than first-steppers.

Index

Download - 219 KB -- Index

Table of Contents

Introduction.

1. Networking Basics.

What Is a Network? Logical Networks. Data Transmission Modes. Types of Networks. Network Standards and Models. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

2. Network Models and Standards.

OSI Model. Moving Through the OSI Model. Hierarchical Design Model. Network Standards. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

3. Local-Area Networking Introduction.

Comparing LANs to WANs. OSI Model (As It Applies to LANs and the Interrelation Between Layers). Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

4. Traditional LAN Architecture.

Components of a LAN. LAN Topologies. Local-Area Networks (LANs). Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

5. Ethernet LANs.

Media Access Control (MAC) Addressing. Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detect (CSMA/CD). Ethernet LAN Equipment. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

6. How a Switch Works.

Frames Revisited. Transmission Methods. Frame Size. Layer 2 Switching Methods. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

7. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).

Root Bridge or Switch Port. Spanning Tree Protocol Configuration. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

8. Virtual LANs (VLANs).

VLAN Overview. VLAN Topology. VLAN Operation. VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP). Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

9. Switching Security.

Network Security Basic Rules. Port Security. Virtual LANs. VLAN-Based Network Attacks. Random Frame-Stress Attack. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

10. LAN Switched Network Design.

Local-Area Network (LAN) Segments. Switched Network Components. Flat Network Topology. Hierarchical Topology. Switched LAN Network Designs. Benefits of a Layer 2 Switch in a Network. Benefits of a Layer 3 Router in a Network. VLAN Design Considerations. General Network Design Principles. Switched LAN Network Design Principles. Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

11. Switch Network Management.

Network Management Model. Protocols. Switch Port Analyzer (SPAN). Chapter Summary. Chapter Review Questions.

12. Switching Case Studies.

Hub-Based Networks. Bridge-Based Networks. Small Switch-Based Networks. Medium and Large Switch-Based Networks. VLANs. Chapter Summary. Chapter ReviewQuestions.

Appendix: Answers to Chapter Review Questions.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6.

Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12.

Glossary.

Index.

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Download - 887 KB -- Chapter 6: How a Switch Works