What Is Switching?

Switches are pretty cool. They can do many things, but they could be more brightly. They're like a little kid trying to convince you that they're a grown-up: they might know enough about their favorite subject to convince you they know what they are talking about. So, switches use layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model for data. A switch that uses more than one layer is a multi-layer switch. Switching is managing a signal or data element toward a particular hardware destination. Switching is applied in different formats and can function differently within a more significant network infrastructure. Switching sounds like it's all about hardware, but it has nothing to do with what stuff you're using. It's all about where your signal or data element is going. For example, if you have an old phone line and want to make sure that only one person can use it at a time, switching to direct all of your calls through one phone so that no one else can talk at the same time. Switching is also used when people want to go on vacation without their internet connection getting clogged up by people trying to use the same wifi network while they're gone! One person can use the internet while another person uses their device because the traffic has been divided between multiple machines, so no one's slowing down anyone else's connection. Switches are the gatekeepers of your network. They decide what gets in and stays out and make decisions on the fly. They're only sometimes cautious about it, too. Some switches operate on a single layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model for data. These are called single-layer switches. Other switches use multiple layers of the OSI model for data. These are called multi-layer switches! Multi-layer switches can use different types of logic to make their decisions. They can be programmed with algorithms or rules or controlled by humans watching them and making decisions based on what they see happening in real-time.