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I'm getting ready to purchase one of these:<br />
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<a href="http://www.blackbox.com/Store/Detail.aspx/10-100-Copper-Tap/TS230A%c4%82R2" rel="ugc">http://www.blackbox.com/Store/Detail.aspx/10-100-Copper-Tap/TS230A%c4%82R2</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.cdwg.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=1220310&enkwrd=ALLPROD%3a(barracuda+tap)" rel="ugc">http://www.cdwg.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=1220310&enkwrd=ALLPROD%3a(barracuda+tap)</a><br />
<br />
There is a huge price difference but they look like the same thing....can someone esle take a look at this &amp;&nbsp;let me kow what you think the best one is?I'm leaning towards the Baracuda but am affraid I've missed something &amp;&nbsp;will need the one from Blackbox.......please help me decide.
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I'm getting ready to purchase one of these:

http://www.blackbox.com/Store/Detail.aspx/10-100-Copper-Tap/TS230A%c4%82R2

http://www.cdwg.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=1220310&enkwrd=ALLPROD%3a(barracuda+tap)

There is a huge price difference but they look like the same thing....can someone esle take a look at this & let me kow what you think the best one is?I'm leaning towards the Baracuda but am affraid I've missed something & will need the one from Blackbox.......please help me decide.

Ethernet Tap

A switch is a device that filters and forwards packets of data between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer or the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs. A hub is a connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports; when a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.

Switches / Hubs

A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. The most familiar type of routers are home and small office cable or DSL routers that simply pass data, such as web pages, email, IM, and videos between computers and the Internet. More sophisticated routers, such as enterprise routers, connect large business or ISP networks up to the powerful core routers that forward data at high speed along the optical fiber lines of the Internet backbone. Though routers are typically dedicated hardware devices, use of software-based routers has grown increasingly common.

Routers

Network Operations includes asset management, help-desk supervision, security and user policies, infrastructure administration and anything else that affects the operation of your network. Discussions will include those of best practices in platforms, configurations, performance, security and accounting.