Network Component's and terms.

Hubs  An Ethernet hub, active hub, network hub, repeater hub, multiport repeater or hub is a device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment. It has multiple input/output (I/O) ports, in which a signal introduced at the input of any port appears at the output of every port except the original incoming

Bridges  Bridging is a forwarding technique used in packet-switched computer networks. Unlike routing, bridging makes no assumptions about where in a network a particular address is located. Instead, it depends on flooding and examination of source addresses in received packet headers to locate unknown devices.

Switches  A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments or network devices. The term commonly refers to a multi- port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model.

On-Line  The terms " online " and " offline " (also stylized as " on-line " and " off- line ") have specific meanings in regard to computer technology and telecommunications. In general, "online" indicates a state of connectivity.

Off-line  Offline is the condition of being capable of but currently not connected to a network of computers or other devices. The term is frequently used to describe someone who has the ability to be connected to the Internet but who is not currently connected to it.