Switch
(swich) (n.) (1) In networks, a device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs.
(2) A small lever or button. The switches on the back of printers and on expansion boards are called DIP switches. A switch that has just two positions is called a toggle switch.
(3) Another word for option or parameter — a symbol that you add to a command to modify the command’s behavior.
Read Also:
- switched Ethernet
An Ethernet LAN that uses switches to connect individual hosts or segments. In the case of individual hosts, the switch replaces the repeater and effectively gives the device full 10 Mbps bandwidth (or 100 Mbps for Fast Ethernet) to the rest of the network. This type of network is sometimes called a desktop switched Ethernet. […]
- switching hub
Short for port-switching hub, a special type of hub that forwards packets to the appropriate port based on the packet’s address. Conventional hubs simply rebroadcast every packet to every port. Since switching hubs forward each packet only to the required port, they provide much better performance. Most switching hubs also support load balancing, so that […]
- swivel chair interface
Swivel chair is a slang term for a common interface work-around that involves manually entering data into one system and then entering the same data into another system. The term is derived from the practice of the user turning from one system to another using a swivel chair. The swivel chair interface can be eliminated […]
- Symmetric Encryption
A type of encryption where the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. This differs from asymmetric (or public-key) encryption, which uses one key to encrypt a message and another to decrypt the message.
- Symmetric-Key Cryptography
An encryption system in which the sender and receiver of a message share a single, common key that is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. Contrast this with public-key cryptology, which utilizes two keys – a public key to encrypt messages and a private key to decrypt them. Symmetric-key systems are simpler and faster, […]