Using a wired network with devices of different speeds?

[Shmee150]

Say you have a gigabit wired network switch, with 5 computers with gigabit cards, but you connect another which is only 100mb, does the whole lot slow down to this speed? It's a question I've often wondered, but don't know!

Anybody able to confirm it either way?

ShMeE

[plesuvius]

As a switch the 100mb connection to the switch would be the only slower one. Others would remain gigabit and transfers between those would be full speed. Switches and hubs, theres a difference

This is assuming 100/1000 autosensing ports on the switch which is pretty standard. By the way, gigabit switch ports arent all that cheap, so you probably wouldn't actually want to do this if you could help it!

[Shmee150]

I'm planning to get one of these: http://www.netgear.co.uk/ethernet_ne...itch_gs605.php The 8-port version, which is something like £70, so quite pricey, but that's ok.

All the computers I have are already armed with gigabit ports, I just needed to get a switch.

But what does a switch do differently to a hub then? (I'm presuming that the Netgear thing will do exactly what I want it to do...)

ShMeE

[herulach]

HUbs send data to all ports, switches only to the ones it needs to. That looks to do what you want. Should be set, and gigabit is entirely worth it for file transfers by the way. Only one other guy here has it, but i can string a cable from my room to his, transfer the file and put it away before itd be done over the normal network.