At 7:34 PM +0000 2/25/03, Bob Sinclair wrote: >Charles, > >Regarding the meaning of the term "switch", let me quote a few lines from >my favorite Net Goddess, Radia Perlman. She wrote the DEC STP protocol and >has been very active in protocol development since day one. In her book, >Interconnections, she says the following: > >"One cynical (and ungrammatical) definition I use for switch is 'a marketing >term that means fast'" p. 127 > >She goes on to suggest that the term switch should be used for "a box that >moves data."
Seriously, the preferred IETF approach is to deal separately with control (e.g., routing protocol) and forwarding planes. Control planes populate RIBs optimized for updating by routing protocols, and create FIBs optimized for doing fast destination lookup on forwarding elements. > >She further suggests that we get into the habit of specifying as follows: > >Layer 1 switch = hub >Layer 2 switch = bridge >Layer 3 switch = router > >Strongly recommend her book. The lady has a lot of style. > I don't remember if she's still doing a protocol design seminar as she used to do at Interop, but she's a delightful speaker, once you get used to the idea of somebody being a stereotyped New York Jewish Mother nagging packets. Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=63794&t=63728 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
