collapsed backbone
The collapsed backbone is a shrunken (collapsed) backbone that has shrunk to the size of a router 's backplane. The collapsed backbone uses enterprise-wide hubs or switches to connect department-wide LANs to a high-speed central router. The internal buses collapsed into the router's backplane serve as the backbone network for all connected LANs. This is why the collapsed backbone is also called a "router backbone" or "backbone-in-a- box".
With the collapsed backbone, all building distributors of a site are connected in a central site distributor and all floor distributors of a building are connected in a building distributor directly via a separate cable. A direct multicore cable is laid from the respective distribution center to the relevant subdistribution board as a pure point-to-point connection.
The collapsed backbone has the following general advantages: It improves overall performance and facilitates the transition between local area networks( LAN) and wide area networks(WAN). There is only one central distribution room, one central distributor, and thus fewer active network components. In addition, a centralized backbone structure simplifies network management and maintenance; this increases security and reliability and safeguards investments.
Modular technology makes the company better equipped for new developments. For example, for ATM technology(e.g., for interconnecting hubs or routers). The difference between a collapsed backbone and a distributed backbone with distributed bridges or time-division multiplexing can be summed up simply: Distributed bridges or TDMs break the network into individual, separate LAN segments and mediate between them; a collapsed backbone ultimately results in a relatively unified overall network.