The VH-8G-L3 can be thought of as eight Gigabit Ethernet Layer 2 switching domains with a wire-speed router between each domain. It can be deployed in a network between a traditional router and the intranetwork. The traditional router and its associated WAN interface would then handle routing between the intranetwork and the WAN (the Internet, for example) while the Layer 3 switch would handle routing within the LAN (between the Fast Ethernet Layer 2 domains).
The VH-8G-L3 can also replace key traditional routers for data centers and server farms, routing between these locations and the rest of the network, and providing 8 ports of Layer 2 switching performance combined with wire-speed routing.
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
• Applies security controls
| A Layer 3 switch can be placed anywhere within a network |
7 | core or backbone, easily and cost-effectively replacing the |
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