Hub

In computing a hub is a device where several devices are connected together, a place of convergence where data arrives from one or more directions and is forwarded out in one or more other directions. This may be many computers on a network, or many devices to one computer. A passive hub serves simply as a conduit for the data, enabling it to go from one device (or segment) to another. So-called intelligent hubs include additional features that enable an administrator to monitor the traffic passing through the hub and to configure each port in the hub. Intelligent hubs are also called manageable hubs. A third type of hub, called a switching hub, actually reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the correct port.