Basics of networking

A network switch is a device responsible for transferring data between hosts in computer networks. A host is any device connected to a computer network - a laptop, printer, television, etc.

The switch has the greatest impact on network performance. The throughput of the ports expressed in bits per second (100Mbit/s, 10 Gbit/s), i.e. how much data can be transferred to the switch in a maximum of one unit of time, is the most important factor determining the performance of a computer network. 

The switch handles multiple connections between hosts simultaneously, so it is important to pay attention to parameters such as the amount of memory, processor speed and throughput. (System Switching Capacity, System Throughput Capacity). 

Network cards are devices that allow a host to connect to a computer network. The basic parameter of a network card is the speed of sending and receiving data expressed in bits per second (100 Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s, etc.). When connecting a host to a switch, it is important to remember that the network performance will be that of the device with the lowest throughput - the example of a 100 Mbps switch + 1000 Mbps network card gives a maximum throughput of 100 Mbps.