network switch vs hub

[Gallaeglagh]

Can someone explain -

Is a network switch work similiar to a token ring network where each node has equal acess to the network but creating additional network traffic, but a hub is more like whoever grabs the bandwidth gets the most?

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[john5211]

Do you mean an ethernet switch? If so, a switch is essentially a bridged hub (a hub with a bunch of bridges in it). Of course, that begs the question of what a bridge is, and for that matter, how a hub works.

When you hook up some computers using an ethernet hub, they all hear all of the traffic and "compete for the bandwidth," like you said. When you install a bridge into the network, it senses which computers (adapters) are on which side of the bridge, and acts sort of like a traffic cop in that it only lets traffic (packets) through the bridge if the packets need to get to an adapter on the other side. A switch is a hub with bridges installed at each node. This, along with a couple of other innovations, allows the ethernet of today to be substantially faster than would otherwise be the case. A good introduction to ethernet hardware (including but not limited to hubs, switches, and bridges) is at:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/ethernet.htm

John