Ethernet Switching Basics
MAC Address Table
Duplex Mode
An Ethernet switch interconnects network devices, such as workstations, printers, routers, and other Ethernet switches, so that they can communicate with each other by sending and receiving Ethernet frames.
Every hardware device on your network has a unique MAC address. This address is assigned to the device by the device’s manufacturer. For example, when you install a Network Interface Card (NIC) in a computer so that you can connect it to the network, the NIC already has a MAC address assigned to it by its manufacturer.
The MAC address table in the
A switch learns the MAC addresses of the end nodes by examining the source address of each packet received on a port. It adds the address and port on which the packet was received to the MAC table if the address had not already been entered in the table. The result is a table that contains all the MAC addresses of the devices that are connected to the switch’s ports, and the port number where each address was learned.
When the switch receives a packet, it also examines the destination address and, by referring to its MAC address table, determines the port on which the destination end node is connected. It then forwards the packet to the appropriate port and on to the end node. This increases network bandwidth by limiting each frame to the appropriate port when the intended end node is located, freeing the other switch ports for receiving and transmitting data.
If the switch receives a packet with a destination address that is not in the MAC address table, it floods the packet to all the ports on the switch. If the ports have been grouped into virtual LANs, the switch floods the packet only to those ports which belong to the same VLAN as the port on which the packet was received. This prevents packets from being forwarded into inappropriate LAN segments, decreasing network security. When the destination end node responds, the switch adds its MAC address and port number to the table.
If the switch receives a packet with a destination address that is on the same port on which the packet was received, it discards the packet without forwarding it on to any port. Since both the source end node and the destination end node for the packet are located on the same port on the switch, there is no reason for the switch to forward the packet.
Duplex mode refers to how an end node receives and transmits data. If an
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