AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
L3 photostyler4/2/2023 ![]() Just like any product, a layer 3 switch also comes with its own share of downsides. Now that you know why your organization needs a layer 3 switch, let’s also look at the potential problems that come with it. Lower network latency as a packet doesn’t have to make extra hops to go through a router.Support flow accounting and high-speed scalability. ![]() Simplify troubleshooting as, fixing problems in L2 layer is tedious and time-consuming.Separate routing tables, and as a result, segregate traffic better.Ease the configuration process for VLANs, as a separate router isn’t required between each VLAN.Benefits of a layer 3 switchįrom the above discussion, the purpose/benefits of a layer 3 switch are to: CiscoĪlso, a layer 3 switch’s router will not have WAN ports and other WAN features you’ll typically see in a traditional router. If you were to take a peek into a layer 3 switch’s hardware, you’ll see a mix of traditional switches and routers, except that the routers’ software logic is replaced with integrated circuit hardware to improve performance. This is why the main difference between layer 3 switches and routers lies in the hardware. Researchers felt this was too complicated, so they came up with the idea of a layer 3 switches that acted as routers with fast forwarding done through the underlying hardware. Though technically feasible, it was not the ideal option because layer 2 switches operate only on the Ethernet MAC frame while layer 3 handles multiple routing protocols. To overcome this downside, researchers thought about implementing a router within a switch. One option was to use a router instead of a switch, but then routers are slower than switches, so this could lead to slower performance. So, it became necessary to augment layer 2’s functionality. But these switches would hang when traffic increased. Layer 2 switches work well when there is low to medium traffic in VLANs. To understand the purpose, let’s step back a bit in time to see how these switches evolved. Originally, layer 3 switches were conceived to improve routing performance on large networks, especially corporate intranets. So, how does this layer 3 switch fit into this model? Also, the name “layer 3 switch” causes confusion because switches typically operate from layer 2. There is a ton of confusion about the use of a layer 3 switch because in a traditional setup, routers operate at layer 3 of the OSI model while switches operate at layer 2. Performs on two OSI layers - layer 2 and layer 3.Switching algorithm is simple and is the same for most routed protocols.Acts as a switch to connect devices within the same subnet.Comes with 24 Ethernet ports, but no WAN interface.Often referred to as a multilayer switch, a layer 3 switch adds a ton of flexibility to a network. This is how a layer 3 switch acts as both a switch and a router. It can support routing protocols, inspect incoming packets, and can even make routing decisions based on the source and destination addresses. It acts as a switch to connect devices that are on the same subnet or virtual LAN at lightning speeds and has IP routing intelligence built into it to double up as a router. Simply put, a layer 3 switch combines the functionality of a switch and a router. But do you need this in your network? Let’s see. In today’s complex enterprise networks comprising many subnets and virtual LANs, a layer 3 switch plays an important role in many systems.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |