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Intelligent switching for your VoIP network.

Article Excerpt
If you look at the list of hot topics for networking this year, two are bound to emerge near the top. The first is Voice over IP (VoIP) and following not too far behind is intelligent switching. These topics go hand in hand and for good reason. If you are considering the move to VoIP, two of the items you must consider are the type of switch you will use and the security measures that you will implement to protect voice and data traffic. This means you will need an intelligent switch.

Intelligent or Unintelligent Switching: That is the Question

For practical purposes, we will classify switches into two major categories, unintelligent and intelligent. An unintelligent switch in its purest form is any switch that lacks management capability. Intelligent switches, on the other hand, typically offer a host of management capabilities including manual port configuration for items like speed and duplexing, VLAN membership, and Class of Service (CoS). The classification for intelligent switches has also been expanded to include a new breed of network devices called switch-routers. Leading manufacturers have identified the need for a small, integrated device that can function as an "all-in-one" access solution for the branch office. These manufacturers have integrated Wide Area and Local Area Network (WAN and LAN) functionality into a single product for converged access. These products offer increased intelligence and are feature-rich...

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