Forward/Return on Switches?

[TheCynth]

Hi, I'm helping a few guys network a buddy's business to help him save a few bucks. I know switches act as a repeater, but do they regenerate the forward and return paths? Furthermore, to accomplish this would I have to cross-over from port 1 to port 1 or will the uplink to port 1 regenerate my signal both ways. Would appreciate any info. And can anyone give me a simple solution for JUST a repeater? Hard to find, unless I'm blind.
Thanks

 

[rwullems]

A switch does not behave itself as a repeater. In basic a hub acts as a multiport repeater and a switch more like a multiport bridge.

For the the rest i find your explanation very confusing. What do you mean with a forward and return path?
A switch devides your network in smaller point to point links at MAC level. The complete end to end communication is done by IP (using UDP or TCP at the transport layer). IP has (normally) nothing to do with switching unless you use a layer 3 switch.

And what do you mean with a repeater solution? Just using a hub instead of switches will do that, but it is better to use a switch for your performance.
Robert

Robert A.H. Wullems
Sniffer University Instructor
SCM / CNX / MCP
Citee Education
the Netherlands

 

[TheCynth]

Hmm...ok, thanks for answering, but what I was getting at is that a switch regenerates your signal, right. It lets you go an additional 100 meters with your CAT5, so I was going to run a line about 80 meters from one side of a building to another(router/switch to switch), then let it regenerate the signal and shoot it about another 100 meters to another switch feeding a few PC's. Well the data has to come back and forth, I was wondering if the linking switch to switch using the uplink port will regerate my signal going back and forth(forward from router to PC's, return back to router from PC's on the far end). Or will it only regenerate the signal using a cross-over going from switch to switch? Or what is a fairly inexpensive repeater that you would recommend?

Thanks

 

[rwullems]

Yupr question: Well the data has to come back and forth, I was wondering if the linking switch to switch using the uplink port will regerate my signal going back and forth(forward from router to PC's, return back to router from PC's on the far end).

Answer: Yes it would, but if you don't put any users or whatever on a switch and only uses 2 ports (one for incomming signal and another for outgoing) for the extension of your topologie, you would be cheaper of using a repeater. Robert A.H. Wullems
Sniffer University Instructor
SCM / CNX / MCP
Citee Education
the Netherlands

 

[TheCynth]

Ok, thank you very much