How does a switch enhance network performance over a hub in a Fast Ethernet environment?

A switch enhances network performance over a hub in a Fast Ethernet environment by facilitating full-duplex transmissions and eliminating contention. Unlike hubs, which operate using a shared medium and only allow one device to transmit at a time, switches create a dedicated communication path between devices.

In a hub configuration, when one device sends data, it must wait for any ongoing transmissions to finish before it can transmit again. This can lead to collisions, especially when multiple devices attempt to communicate simultaneously, resulting in contention for the shared bandwidth. As a result, the overall network efficiency decreases, and performance suffers.

Switches, on the other hand, manage data packets more efficiently. They can operate in full-duplex mode, allowing devices to send and receive data simultaneously without interference. This eliminates potential collisions and contention issues, which significantly improves throughput and reduces latency.

The enhanced ability of switches to provide dedicated bandwidth to each connected device allows networks to scale better and handle larger amounts of data traffic more effectively. Therefore, the use of switches is crucial in modern networking to maintain high performance in environments that require fast and reliable data communication.