Troy.A Johnson wrote:

> I think you can get cheaper equipment, but mind you,
> you will be getting cheaper equipment. ;-) Netgear has
> some switches for around $1000 and NICs for $300, 
> last time I checked. 
> 
> http://www.netgear.com/
> 
> You do want a switch, and you don't want a hub.
> Someone mention the party line and modern switched
> phone network analogy again, I don't remember the 
> words.


Well what I've been told is there ARE no gigabit hubs.

Apparently there's issues with collision detection at that speed. The 
actual details haven't been explained to me.

Mind you, hubs are still in the IEEE spec. Since its in the 802.3 spec 
that an Ethernet is defined as a shared segment, it was easier to just 
write in a mode for GigE that no one actually implements, than it was to 
put together a new IEEE working group.

At least, this is what I've been told.