A network switch receives incoming data packets and redirects them to their destination on a local area network (LAN) instead of broadcasting to all devices like a hub. There are two main types of switches - unmanaged switches which cannot be configured and are used for simple networks, and managed switches which provide advanced features like quality of service, remote management, and virtual LANs for larger networks. Layer 2 switches use MAC addresses to segment traffic while layer 3 switches can route between VLANs using IP addresses. Smart switches have some management capabilities but lack advanced features of full managed switches.
2. Purpose of switch:-
In view of networking, it is a high speed device that
receives incoming data packets and redirects them to
their destination on a local area network(LAN).
It does not broadcast the packet to all computers as a
hub does which means bandwidth is not shared and
makes the network much more efficient.
Types of switches:-
Unmanaged
Managed
3. Unmanaged
• It can not be configured
• less network capacity than managed switches
• Inexpensive
• Switches are typically used in small networks or
to add temporary workgroups to larger networks.
• plug and play devices without the need of a
complex setup.
• don’t support IGMP and treat multicast traffic in
the same fashion as broadcast traffic
• mostly used to connect edge devices on network
4.
5. Managed
• Provide QoS (Quality of Service).
• Support Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP).
• Can be accessed via serial console, Telnet, and
Secure Shell.
• Provide additional protocols like RSTP (Rapid
Spanning Tree Protocol) allowing alternate cabling
paths and preventing loop situations which usually
are the reason for network malfunctions.
• offer powerful features like VLANs, LACP, as well as
all advanced filter and multicast algorithms needed
today.
6. Contd…
• Response time is in milliseconds.
• especially suitable for organisations that need to
manage and troubleshoot their network remotely
and securely.
• used on any network or segment of a network
where the traffic has to be monitored and
controlled.
• enable complete control of data, bandwidth and
traffic control.
• switches come equipped with SFP slots, which
allow the network to be expanded with
flexibility.
7. Layer 2 Switch
• Layer 2 works with the Data-Link Layer
• using devices’ MAC addresses on a LAN to
segment a network
• break up one large collision domain into multiple
smaller ones.
• Switches have more ports than bridges, can
inspect incoming traffic and make forwarding
decisions accordingly
• Each port on a switch is a separate collision
domain.
8.
9. Layer 3 Switch
• Layer 3 switches were conceived as a technology to
improve network routing performance on large local area
networks (LANs) like corporate intranets.
• Layer 3 switch will typically not possess the WAN ports
and wide area network features a traditional router will
always have.
• These switches are most commonly used to support
routing between virtual LANs (VLANs).
• Benefits of Layer 3 switches for VLANs include:
Reduction in the amount of broadcast traffic
Simplified security management
Improved fault isolation
10. Contd..
• Layer 3 switches use MAC Address when managing
traffic within a LAN.
• Expand on this by utilizing IP address information
to make routing decisions when managing traffic
between LANs.
• Layer 3 switches are faster and cheaper.
• Usually do not support WAN connections and only Ethernet
for LANs
11.
12.
13. Smart switch
• have some management facilities and support VLANS.
• lacking stuff compared to a conventional managed switch.
• usually lack a serial console port.
• if you screw up the configuration too badly or just forget
the password your only option is a reset to factory defaults.
• Some of them have no ability to configure the VLAN for the
management interface.
• Some of them can only be configured by a web interface.
• Some of them can only be configured with a vendor-
provided client application.
• They are unlikely to support features for automatically
pushing configuration to multiple switches in a network.
Notas del editor
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is a communications protocol used by hosts and adjacent routers on IPv4 networks to establish multicast group memberships.
LACP, a subcomponent of IEEE 802.3ad, provides additional functionality for link aggregation groups (LAGs). Use the link aggregation feature to aggregate one or more Ethernet interfaces to form a logical point-to-point link, known as a LAG, virtual link, or bundle. The MAC client can treat this virtual link like a single link.
The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable optical module transceiver used for both telecommunication and data communications applications.
