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SwitchingA network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, officially MAC bridge[1]) is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a computer network by using packet switching to receive, process, and forward data to the destination device. Unlike less advanced network hubs, a network switch forwards data only to the devices that need to receive it, rather than broadcasting the same data out of each of its ports.[2]
A network switch is a multiport network bridge that uses hardware addresses to process and forward data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Some switches can also process data at the network layer (layer 3) by additionally incorporating routing functionality that most commonly uses IP addresses to perform packet forwarding; such switches are commonly known as layer-3 switches or multilayer switches.[3]
Switches for Ethernet are the most common form and the first Ethernet switch was introduced by Kalpana in 1990.[4] Switches also exist for other types of networks including Fibre Channel, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, and InfiniBand.