A ToR switch (Top-of-Rack switch) is a network switch installed at the top or upper section of a server rack. It connects all servers within the rack using short copper or optical cables and aggregates their traffic before sending it upstream to aggregation or core switches. Picture your data center's network as a sprawling highway system, where servers and devices are. Top of rack (ToR) is one common architecture of switch-to-server connections. While the name TOR implies that the switch is deployed at the top of the server cabinet, in reality, as shown in Figure 2-1, the switch can also. Top-of-Rack Switching (ToR) is a type of network infrastructure that uses network switches to connect servers and other devices in the same rack. This type of switching allows for faster data transfer between devices and improved performance.
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