What is the significant difference between a hub and a Layer 2 LAN switch?
- A hub extends a collision domain, and a switch divides collision domains.
- A hub divides collision domains, and a switch divides broadcast domains.
- Each port of a hub is a collision domain, and each port of a switch is a broadcast domain.
- A hub forwards frames, and a switch forwards only packets.
Answers Explanation & Hints: Hubs operate only at the physical layer, forwarding bits as wire signals out all ports, and extend the collision domain of a network. Switches forward frames at the data link layer and each switch port is a separate collision domain which creates more, but smaller, collision domains. Switches do not manage broadcast domains because broadcast frames are always forwarded out all active ports.