HET424 – IP Technologies

Switching Concepts
Objectives
• Key elements of Ethernet/ 802.3 networks
• Switching functions
• Methods of switching
• Switching security
• Further reading

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Key elements of Ethernet/ 802.3 networks
• Multiple devices share the same segment → chance of
collision, and retransmission.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch functions
• Each switch port creates a dedicated connection – an
individual collision domain
• Support both half-duplex and point-to-point full-duplex
connections
• Collision domains:

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch functions
• Learning
• Learn what device connected to which port
• Forwarding
• Switch frames to the port/ports where destination located
• Removing layer-2 loops
• Prevent frames continually circle around the network (STP will be
covered in Week 5)

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning
• Switches:
• use MAC addresses to direct network traffic to the appropriate port
• build a MAC address table by learning the MAC address(es) of each
device connected to each of its ports
• once the MAC address has been added to the table, use the table
entry to forward traffic
• if a destination address is not in the table, forward the frame out all
ports except the receiving port
• when the destination responds, the MAC address is added to the
table
• if the port is connected to another switch or a hub, multiple MAC
addresses will be recorded in the table.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• The switch receives a broadcast frame from PC 1 on
Port 1

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• The switch enters the source MAC address and the
switch port that received the frame into the address table

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• Because the destination address is a broadcast, the
switch floods the frame to all ports, except the port on
which it received the frame.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• Because the destination address is a broadcast, the
switch floods the frame to all ports, except the port on
which it received the frame.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• The destination device replies to the broadcast with a unicast frame
addressed to PC 1.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• The switch enters the source MAC address of PC 2 and the port
number of the switch port that received the frame into the address
table.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch learning – Example
• The switch can now forward frames between source and destination
devices because it has entries in the address table that identify the
associated ports.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch forwarding

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch forwarding
Store-and-Forward

• Switch receives frame

• Stores complete frame in a buffer
• Performs error check using FCS
• Fail
• Discards frame, reduces amount of bandwidth
consumed by corrupt data
• Pass
• Looks up destination MAC address in switching table
• Determines outgoing interface port
• Forwards frame
• High Latency
• High Integrity, Store-and-Forward is required if QoS is
important
HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts
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Switch forwarding
Cut-Through – Fast Forward

• Switch buffers just enough of the frame to read destination

MAC, this is the first 6 bytes following the preamble
• Looks up destination MAC address in switching table
• Determines outgoing interface port
• Forwards frame

• Low Latency, faster because:

• Does not perform error checking
• Does not buffer whole frame
• Low Integrity
• Corrupt frames consume bandwidth
• Destination NIC discards corrupt frames

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch Forwarding Methods
Cut-Through – Fragment Free
• Stores first 64 bytes of frame
• Most collisions occur in first 64 bytes
• Performs check on first 64 bytes to ensure a collision has not
occurred
• Compromise between High Latency and High Integrity

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Layer 2 Frame

Cut-Through Fragment Free

First 64 bytes

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Symmetric and Asymmetric Switching
Why is the port assigned to the Server given more Bandwidth ?

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Memory Buffering
The switch stores the frame for a brief time in a memory buffer

How would a busy destination (outgoing) port affect performance ?

Incoming Port
A frame is transmitted to outgoing port only when
all frames ahead of it successfully transmitted

Queues dynamically linked to destination

ports

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Layer 3 Switching
A Layer 3 Switch can also learn which IP addresses
are associated with its interface ports

Layer 3 Switches can provide basic routing functions in a LAN

and reduce the need for dedicated routers

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Switch security
• MAC address flooding, Spoofing attacks, CDP attacks …
• Port security
• Anyone can plug in a PC or laptop into one of these outlets.
• This is a potential entry point to the network by unauthorized users.
• Switches provide a feature called port security.
• It is possible to limit the number of addresses that can be learned on
an interface.
• The switch can be configured to take an action if this is exceeded.
Secure MAC addresses can be set statically.
• However, securing MAC addresses statically can be a complex task
and prone to error.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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Reading list
• CCNA Exploration: LAN switching and wireless – Chapter 2
• Lab C3 2-1_2.5.1 Basic switch configuration P63.

HET424/HET708 W1 –Switch Concepts

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