HUB

A hub, in the context of networking, is a hardware device that relays communication data. A hub sends data packets (frames) to all devices on a network, regardless of any MAC addresses contained in the data packet.This is a hardware device that is used to network multiple computers together. It is a central connection for all the computers in a network, which is usually Ethernet-based. Information sent to the hub can flow to any other computer on the network. If you need to connect more than two computers together, a hub will allow you to do so. If you only need to network two computers together, a simple crossover Ethernet cable will do the trick.Network Hubs: These are common connection points for network devices, which connect segments of a LAN (local area network) and may contain multiple ports – an interface for connecting network devices such as printers, storage devices, workstations, servers, etc. A data packet arriving at one hub’s port may be copied to other ports allowing all segments of the network to have access to the data packet.Passive Hubs: These only serve as paths or conduits for data passing from one device, or network segment, to another. Intelligent Hubs: Also known as manageable hubs, these hubs allow system administrators to monitor data passing though and to configure each port, meaning to determine which devices or network segments are plugged into the port. Some ports may even be left open with no connection. Switching Hubs: These hubs actually read the attributes of each unit of data. The data is then forwarded to the correct or intended port.