D-Link DES-3326S manual Functions of a Layer 3 Switch

DES-3326S Layer 3 Fast Ethernet Switch User’s Guide

and improve the utilization of the network’s installed bandwidth.

The Functions of a Layer 3 Switch

Traditional routers, once the core components of large networks, became an obstacle to the migration toward next- generation networks. Attempts to make software-based routers forward packets more quickly were inadequate.

A layer 3 switch does everything to a packet that a traditional router does:

•Determines forwarding path based on Layer 3 information

•Validates the integrity of the Layer 3 header via checksum

•Verifies packet expiration and updates accordingly

•Processes and responds to any optional information

•Updates forwarding statistics in the Management Information Base

A Layer 3 switch can be placed anywhere within a network core or backbone, easily and cost-effectively replacing the traditional collapsed backbone router. The DES-3326S Layer 3 switch communicates with a WAN router using a standard Ethernet/Fast Ethernet port. Multiple DES-3326S switches can be linked via the optional, 2-port Gigabit Ethernet module.

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