@leyonhjelm @alex you dont have to worry about that if you pretend hubs dont exist

@valleyforge

It's not pretending. Hubs don't exist.

@alex

@leyonhjelm @valleyforge @alex Back in the day, I actually used a bridge. It had 2 AUI interfaces.

@alex @valleyforge switch seem no

@alex @valleyforge I have a switch on my cable modem that my home router and a mail server are plugged into.

@alex @valleyforge The answer to all of those is "sometimes" and "depends on the switch/what's connected to it". (except for the DHCP and IP range ones, that's not really a switch's job, but you could still technically do it with some switches)

@alex Switches don't ususally have IPs unless they're a "layer 3 switch" which is just a switch router combo. DHCP is done by routers not switches because you don't need to give out mac addresses. As far as switches care IP addresses don't exist. Usually they have shells for configuring and stuff

@valleyforge

> As far as switches care IP addresses don't exist

THEN HOW DOES IT DO NETWORKING AHHHH

@alex it networks between mac addresses

@alex @valleyforge ARP

@alex @valleyforge

Does a switch have its own IP address?

No

Does it have a computer in it you can shell into and flash firmware like a router?

My understanding is yes for managed switches, probably not for unmanaged switches.

Can it do DHCP?

No

Can you connect it directly to a modem without needing a router at all?

Yes, but you would need a public IP for each device connected to the switch. This is where IPv6 is needed.

Does it enforce an IP range on the devices connected to it?

If I understand this correctly, I think for managed switches yes, otherwise no.