commutateurs

Commutateurs, also known as switches, are fundamental networking devices that connect multiple devices on a computer network. They operate at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and use MAC addresses to forward data packets. When a device sends a packet, the commutateur reads the destination MAC address and sends the packet only to the port connected to that specific device. This intelligent forwarding is a key difference from hubs, which simply broadcast all incoming data to every connected device.

Commutateurs learn the MAC addresses of devices connected to each of their ports and store this information in a MAC address table. This allows them to create direct connections between sending and receiving devices, significantly reducing network congestion and improving performance. Most modern commutateurs are managed or unmanaged. Unmanaged commutateurs are plug-and-play devices with fixed configurations, suitable for small home or office networks. Managed commutateurs offer advanced features and configuration options, allowing network administrators to monitor, control, and prioritize network traffic, making them ideal for larger and more complex environments. They support features like VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks), Quality of Service (QoS), and port mirroring.