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Chapter 11
Troubleshooting Switched Ethernet
Table 11.2 contrasts the differences between switches and bridges.
Catalyst Troubleshooting Tools
T
he Catalyst system provides for significant diagnostic and adminis-
trative tools. These are included in the CLI (command line interface) and
CWSI (CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks). Troubleshooting switched
networks frequently includes correlating Layer 2 addressing to Layer 3, and
researching Physical layer problems. Although this section focuses primarily
on the tools and commands themselves, a review of standards and typical
problems will be presented later in the chapter.
Full/half duplex
Full duplex connections
available.
Half duplex only.
Support for mixed
media--Token Ring,
Ethernet, FDDI, and
so on
Depending on the
switch, translations
may occur between
frame types or physi-
cal media.
Supports single media.
T A B L E 1 1 . 2
Switches and Bridges
Specification
Switches
Bridges
Support for mixed
media
Usually
Depends on bridge config-
uration
Processing of
frames
Hardware (ASIC)
Software or generic hardware
Number of ports
From 12 to over 100
Usually under 16; sometimes
only two
Frame type transla-
tion
Usually
Depends on bridge configu-
ration.
T A B L E 1 1 . 1
Comparison of Switches and Hubs
(continued)
Type
Switch
Hub
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