When an Ethernet packet is transmitted to the hub by one station, it is repeated, or copied, over onto all of the other ports of the hub. Managed Hubs Intelligent hubs have been defined as manageable hubs, meaning that each of the ports on the hub can be configured, monitored, enabled, or disabled by a network operator from a hub management console. Hub management can also include gathering information on a variety of network parameters, such as the numbers of packets that pass through the hub and each of its ports, what types of packets they are, whether the packets contain errors, and how many collisions have occurred. Each hub vendor has some type of management package it sells with its products. These applications vary in how much information they can gather, what commands can be issued, and how the information is presented to the network operator.
Some products are combinations of the best configurations.
Standalone hubs are usually the least expensive type of hub and are often not managed. Network A illustrates four 100BASE-TX hubs connected together by a single cable. This cable could be a coaxial or an optical fiber cable. Network B illustrates two 100BASE-TX hubs cascaded. Stackable Hubs Stackable hubs look and act like standalone hubs except that several of them can be stacked or connected together, usually by short lengths of cable.