3Com WX3000 Configuring MAC Address Table Management, Entries in a MAC address table

Aging timer only takes effect on dynamic MAC address entries.

Entries in a MAC address table

Entries in a MAC address table fall into the following categories according to their characteristics and configuration methods:

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z

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Static MAC address entry: Also known as permanent MAC address entry. This type of MAC address entries are added/removed manually and can not age out by themselves. Using static MAC address entries can reduce broadcast packets remarkably and are suitable for networks where network devices seldom change.

Dynamic MAC address entry: Dynamic MAC address entries age out after the configured aging time. They are generated by the MAC address learning mechanism or configured manually. Blackhole MAC address entry: Blackhole MAC address entries are configured manually. The device discards the packets destined for or originated from the MAC addresses contained in blackhole MAC address entries.

Table 1-1 lists the different types of MAC address entries and their characteristics.

Table 1-1Characteristics of different types of MAC address entries

MAC address entry	Configuration		Aging time	Reserved or not at reboot (if
	method			the configuration is saved)
Static MAC address	Manually configured		Unavailable	Yes
entry
Dynamic MAC address	Manually configured or
	generated by MAC		Available	No
entry	address learning
	mechanism
Blackhole MAC	Manually configured	Unavailable		Yes
address entry

Configuring MAC Address Table Management

Configuration Task List

Complete the following tasks to configure MAC address table management:

Task	Remarks
Configuring a MAC Address Entry	Required
Setting the Aging Time of MAC Address Entries	Optional
Setting the Maximum Number of MAC Addresses a Port Can Learn	Optional
Disabling MAC Address learning for a VLAN	Optional

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