to switch

Definition of to switch in English English dictionary: drum; A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; point; A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line; To change (something) to the specified state using a switch
Switch the light on.; A change; One who is willing to take either a sadistic or a masochistic role; A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire; To whip or hit with a switch; To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged; A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression; Switches are found at the gateway (a network point that acts as an entrance to another network) levels of a network where one network connects with another and at the sub network level where data is being forwarded close to its destination or origin A switch may also include the function of the router, a device or program that can determine the route and specifically what adjacent network point the data should be sent to A switch is a simpler and faster mechanism than a router, which requires knowledge about the network and how to determine the route A switch is not always required in a network Many local area networks (LANs) are organized as rings or buses in which all destinations inspect each message and read only those intended for that destination (Added: 10/5/99); Much like routers, switches split large networks into small segments, decreasing the number of users sharing the same network resources and bandwidth This helps prevent data collisions and reduces network congestion, increasing network performance; {v} to lash; {n} a flexible small twig; sw; To strike with a switch or small flexible rod; to whip; To exchange; change over, change around, or switch over; A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior; A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow; reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action); This refers to a hub that directs network packets to the port they are intended for, without broadcasting them to all connections Switching is an alternative to moving to faster architectures; A device used to open or close an electric circuit or to divert electric current from one part of a circuit to another; An input device used to control assistive devices and computers There are a variety of types of switches including pressure switches, pneumatic switches, and voice activated switches These switches can control adapted toys, environmental control devices, communication devices, and a wide range of computers; A device (like a DMS-250 or a PBX) that responds to originator signals and dynamically connects the caller to the desired communication destination; a mechanical or electronic device that opens or closes circuits, completes or breaks an electrical path or selects paths or circuits Switches with more than two ports are able to route traffic; A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electric circuit; Switch is a term used for any of the following: (a) An electromechanical device that can be controlled to interconnect two circuits (b) A switching center that is used to interconnect two circuits (c) A switching center that is used to transfer a connection from one circuit to another; A separate mass or trees of hair, or of some substance (at jute) made to resemble hair, worn on the head by women; A thin rod used as a whip; {i} exchange; transfer; slender flexible rod; hairpiece; whipping; device which opens or breaks an electric current; device that opens or closes circuits or selects paths (Computers); device which diverts trains from one track to another (Railroads); a device in an electric circuit that opens and closes the circuit; a mechanical or solid state device that opens or closes circuits, changes operating parameters, or selects paths or circuits on a space or time division basis; a basketball maneuver; two defensive players shift assignments so that each guards the player usually guarded by the other a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit railroad track having two movable rails and necessary connections; used to turn a train from one track to another or to store rolling stock hairpiece consisting of a tress of false hair; used by women to give shape to a coiffure make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we switched"; railroad track having two movable rails and necessary connections; used to turn a train from one track to another or to store rolling stock; control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit; A device that improves network performance by segmenting the network and reducing competition for bandwidth When a switch port receives data packets, it forwards those packets only to the appropriate port for the intended recipient This further reduces competition for bandwidth between the clients, servers or workgroups connected to each switch port; as, to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another; an event in which one thing is substituted for another; "the replacement of lost blood by a transfusion of donor blood"; An input/output device with several ports Like a track-switching point in a railyard, the switch allows a user to choose where data is to be sent-to the fax machine instead of the printer, or to the network instead of the fax; A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling partys telephone line with any called partys line; flog with or as if with a flexible rod; make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we switched"; A component in some parallel systems that ties nodes together The switch makes point-to-point connections between various input and output ports While the switch itself is not scalable to arbitrary sizes (as the hardware supporting a mesh-connected or hypercube architecture), architectures using switches can be scalable, since the switches can be cascaded An example is the Vulcan switch in the IBM SP2; Device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments; To shift to another circuit; a network traffic monitoring device that controls the flow of traffic between multiple network nodes; the act of changing one thing or position for another; "his switch on abortion cost him the election" a basketball maneuver; two defensive players shift assignments so that each guards the player usually guarded by the other a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit railroad track having two movable rails and necessary connections; used to turn a train from one track to another or to store rolling stock hairpiece consisting of a tress of false hair; used by women to give shape to a coiffure make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we switched" lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; "switch to a different brand of beer"; "She switched psychiatrists"; "The car changed lanes" flog with or as if with a flexible rod; A mechanical device for shifting an electric current to another circuit; To hit with a switch (rod); cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation; "switch on the light"; "throw the lever"; To change places, tasks, etc; a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment; hairpiece consisting of a tress of false hair; used by women to give shape to a coiffure; A device that opens or closes circuits to select paths for data or voice to travel through; To walk with a jerk; A movable part of a rail; or of opposite rails, for transferring cars from one track to another; A device which logically connects to network stations through a network fabric See also Switched Ethernet; A device for connecting, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit; A device, such as a PBX, that responds to originator signals and connects the caller to the desired communications destination; Similar to a hub, in that it provides a central connection between two or more computers on a network, but with some intelligence (A switch operates on Layer 2 (or above) of the OSI 7 layer model and a hub operates at Layer 1 ) Whereas for a hub any message received at the hub is broadcast to all the attached computers, with a switch it is sent only to the destination computer and is not visible to other attached devices This does not prevent "broadcast" messages from being sent to all attached devices cf hub and router; a basketball maneuver; two defensive players shift assignments so that each guards the player usually guarded by the other; If you switch your attention from one thing to another or if your attention switches, you stop paying attention to the first thing and start paying attention to the second. My mother's interest had switched to my health As the era wore on, she switched her attention to films; To swing or whisk; as, to switch a cane; A device that opens or closes circuits and selects paths or circuits to transmit incoming data; A switch is a small control for an electrical device which you use to turn the device on or off. Leona put some detergent into the dishwasher, shut the door and pressed the switch. a light switch; the act of changing one thing or position for another; "his switch on abortion cost him the election"; To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc; A mechanical or electric device that is used to deliberately interrupt, or alter the path of the current through the circuit