Easy to install, most switches are self learning. They determine the Ethernet addresses in use on each segment, building a table as packets are passed through the switch. Many switches today offer high-speed links, like Fast Ethernet or FDDI, that can be used to link the switches together or to give added bandwidth to important servers that get a lot of traffic. Dedicating ports on switches to individual nodes is another way to speed access for critical computers. Servers and power users can take advantage of a full segment for one node, so some networks connect high traffic nodes to a dedicated switch port.
Full duplex is another method to increase bandwidth to dedicated workstations or servers.
To use full duplex, both network interface cards used in the server or workstation, and the switch must support full duplex operation. Full duplex doubles the potential bandwidth on that link, providing 20 Mbps for Ethernet and 200 Mbps for Fast Ethernet. As more users are added to a shared network or as applications requiring more data are added, performance deteriorates. This is because all users on a shared network are competitors for the Ethernet bus. A moderately loaded Fast Ethernet shares 25 Mbps of real data in the same circumstances.