switch performance question

[MrMatt2532]

i have two switches, exactly the same except one is 5 port and one is 8, if i hook them up with an uplink cable, how will the performance differ from inner hub use, and hub to hub use, in file transfer, and in gaming? and i mean for example: ping difference of a game with 8 people on the 8 port switch versus a game with 4 on the 8 port switch and 4 on the 5 port switch

[C.M. Weaver]

Part of the perfomance you get from this setup is going to depend a little on how your network is setup and what types of protocols and OS's you are running as well as having them all configured properly.

Now, this is kind of a worst case scenario if you have a mixed network like this, but something to consider. AppleTalk and IPX are VERY chatty and can bring a network to it's knees if not configured properly. You will also find that TCP/IP can be chatty, but not near as much as AppleTalk and IPX.

The unfortunate thing is that switches propogate broadcasts to other switches and the only thing that is going to curb this is to segment your network with a router.

I doubt you will see any noticable difference in speed to machines residing on different segments of your LAN.

[BlackSword]

You shouldn't see any noticeable difference in gaming.

As far as there being a difference it would depend on the amount of data being transferred on the network and the quality of the switches.

P.S. if you have switches then don't refer to them as hubs,,, hubs and switches are not the same. A switch should be more efficient,,, Notice I said "should", only because an Expensive Hub will more than likely out perform a cheap switch.

[MrMatt2532]

ok, cool, i have a question though, how do i check which protocol i'm using in windows xp, i could do it in 9x but not sure how in xp, thanks