Reach for the stars. It's child's play with a "switch"!
It is no matter of chance that our organisation adopted the name of SWITCH. The word "switch" is a particularly versatile one – in precisely the same way as we are. Switches or points set the tracks for trains to use on high-speed railway networks. They thus very considerably enhance the performance of all the connected components.
A switch with a "brain"
Put succinctly, a "switch" is a distribution node in a local computer network (LAN) – and it is one that has a "brain". In a network like this, all the computers are connected to one another centrally through a switch. This switch is able to control the exchange of information between the computers in an intelligent manner. A switch knows precisely which computer is connected to which port. It reliably ensures that all the data gets through to the intended recipient.
A job well done
A LAN controlled by a single switch in this way is said to have a star-shaped configuration. Such a configuration makes it possible to increase the LAN's performance very considerably. The data traffic simply bypasses the inactive computers, very much reducing the overall load on the lines.
Consistent philosophy
This is a principle which SWITCH has also been putting into practice since its very inception. In building up and operating the Swiss education and research network, it is our aim to improve Switzerland's capacity and performance as a university location. In doing that we proceed logically and efficiently – and sometimes we reach for the stars to help us make this goal a reality!