[rescue] OT: Networking Topology Question

[Ken Hansen]

Hello all,

I have a question that I think was answered awhile ago, but I am not sure.

If I have a network set up where I have, say a dozen clients and one "build" server that holds all the source code (but the builds are done locally on the dozen clients), and each machine is on it's own port off of one Cisco switch (no traffic leaves the switch over the WAN port), is there any advantage to having a switch over a hub?

Thoughts:

They are all really still in the same "collision domain", aren't they?

Perofmance might be worse because every time a client prepares to send traffic, they will see an "open" line, and send the first packet, which will be held at the switch to be passed on to the server - if they were all on a hub, they would at least see the line as busy and not bother with the first packet.

Given the above scenario, the only real way to improve performance would be to have multiple paths into the server, and divide client access over those multiple paths to the same server (say two smaller switches, each with a different direct path to the server)?

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Ken