Ch.

4
Switching
Concepts
CCNA 3 VERSION 3.0
INFORMATION ABOUT NETWORKING

Overview

Routers
Switches, Bridges
Hub, Repeaters

Ethernet networks used to be built using repeaters.

When the performance of these networks began to suffer because
too many devices shared the same segment, network engineers
added bridges to create multiple collision domains.
As networks grew in size and complexity, the bridge evolved into
the modern switch, allowing microsegmentation of the network.
Todays networks typically are built using switches and routers,
often with the routing and switching function in the same device.

Ethernet/802.3 LAN
development

Distance limitations

Ethernet is fundamentally a shared technology where all users on a given

LAN segment compete for the same available bandwidth.

This situation is analogous to a number of cars all trying to access a onelane road at the same time.

Because the road has only one lane, only one car can access it at a time.

The introduction of hubs into a network resulted in more users competing

for the same bandwidth.

Collisions are a by-product of Ethernet networks.

Bridges

A bridge is a Layer 2 device used to divide, or segment, a network.

A bridge is capable of collecting and selectively passing data

frames between two network segments.

Bridges do this by learning the MAC address of all devices on each

connected segment. Using this information, the bridge builds a
bridging table and forwards or blocks traffic based on that table.

This results in smaller collision domains and greater network

efficiency.

Bridges do NOT restrict broadcast traffic.

Switches

Switches create a virtual circuit between two connected devices,

establishing a dedicated communication path between two
devices.

Switches on the network provide microsegmentation.

This allows maximum utilization of the available bandwidth.

A switch is also able to facilitate multiple, simultaneous virtual

circuit connections.

Broadcast frames to all connected devices on the network.

Router

A router is a Layer 3 device.

Used to route traffic between two or more Layer 3 networks.
Routers make decisions based on groups of network addresses,
or classes, as opposed to individual Layer 2 MAC addresses.
Routers use routing tables to record the Layer 3 addresses of
the networks that are directly connected to the local interfaces
and network paths learned from neighboring routers.
Routers are not compelled to forward broadcasts.

Factors that impact

network performance

Elements of
Ethernet/802.3 networks

Broadcast data frame delivery of Ethernet/802.3

The carrier sense multiple access/collision detect (CSMA/CD)
method allows only one station to transmit at a time.
Multimedia applications with higher bandwidth demand such as
video and the Internet, coupled with the broadcast nature of
Ethernet, can create network congestion.
Normal latency as the frames travel across the layers
Extending the distances and increasing latency of the
Ethernet/802.3 LANs by using Layer 1 repeaters.

Half-Duplex

Originally Ethernet was a half-duplex technology.

Using half-duplex, a host could either transmit or receive at one time, but
not both.

If the network is already in use, the transmission is delayed.

When a collision occurs, the host that first detects the collision will send
out a jam signal to the other hosts.

Upon receiving the jam signal, each host will stop sending data, then wait
for a random period of time before attempting to retransmit.

The back-off algorithm generates this random delay.

As more hosts are added to the network and begin transmitting, collisions
are more likely to occur.

Duplex Transmissions

Simplex Transmission: One way and one way only.

Half-duplex Transmission: Either way, but only one way at a time.

One way street

Two way street, but only one way at a time (land slide).

Full-duplex Transmission: Both ways at the same time.

Two way street

Network Congestion

Today's networks are experiencing an increase in the

transmission of many forms of media:
Large graphics files
Images
Full-motion video
Multimedia applications

Network Latency

Latency, or delay, is the time a frame or a packet takes to travel

from the source station to the final destination.
It is important to quantify the total latency of the path between
the source and the destination for LANs and WANs.
Latency has at least three sources:
First, there is the time it takes the source NIC to place voltage
pulses on the wire and the time it takes the receiving NIC to
interpret these pulses. This is sometimes called NIC delay.
Second, there is the actual propagation delay as the signal
takes time to travel along the cable.
Third, latency is added according to which networking devices,
whether they are Layer 1, Layer 2, or Layer 3, are added to the
path between the two communicating computers.

Ethernet 10 BASE-T
transmission time

Transmission time equals the number of bits being sent times the bit
time for a given technology.
Another way to think about transmission time is the time it takes a
frame to be transmitted.
Small frames take a shorter amount of time. Large frames take a
longer amount of time.
Each 10 Mbps Ethernet bit has a 100 ns transmission window.
Therefore, 1 byte takes a minimum of 800 ns to transmit.
A 64-byte frame, the smallest 10BASE-T frame allowing CSMA/CD
to function properly, takes 51,200 ns ( 51.2 microseconds).
Transmission of an entire 1000-byte frame from the source station
requires 800 microseconds.

The benefits of using

repeaters

The distance that a LAN can cover is limited due to attenuation.

Attenuation means that the signal weakens as it travels through
the network.
The resistance in the cable or medium through which the signal
travels causes the loss of signal strength.
An Ethernet repeater is a physical layer device on the network that
boosts or regenerates the signal on an Ethernet LAN.

Full-duplex transmitting

Full-duplex Ethernet allows the transmission of a packet and the

reception of a different packet at the same time.
To transmit and receive simultaneously, a dedicated switch port is
required for each node.
The full-duplex Ethernet switch takes advantage of the two pairs of
wires in the cable by creating a direct connection between the
transmit (TX) at one end of the circuit and the receive (RX) at the
other end.
Ethernet usually can only use 50%-60% of the available 10 Mbps of
bandwidth because of collisions and latency.
Full-duplex Ethernet offers 100% of the bandwidth in both
directions.
This produces a potential 20 Mbps throughput, which results from
10 Mbps TX and 10 Mbps RX.

Duplex Transmissions

Simplex Transmission: One way and one way only.

Half-duplex Transmission: Either way, but only one way at a time.

One way street

Two way street, but only one way at a time (land slide).

Full-duplex Transmission: Both ways at the same time.

Two way street

LAN segmentation

Not the best diagram, lets look at some examples

Sending and receiving Ethernet

frames on a bus
1111

2222

3333

nnnn

Abbreviated
MAC
Addresses

3333 1111

When an Ethernet frame is sent out on the bus all devices

on the bus receive it.

What do they do with it?

Sending and receiving Ethernet

frames on a bus Hey,
1111

Nop
thats me!
e
2222 3333

Nop
nnnn
e

Abbreviated
MAC
Addresses

3333 1111

Each NIC card compares its own MAC address with the
Destination MAC Address.

If it matches, it copies in the rest of the frame.

If it does NOT match, it ignores the rest of the frame.

Unless you are running a Sniffer program

Sending and receiving Ethernet

frames on a bus
1111

2222

3333

nnnn

Abbreviated
MAC
Addresses

So, what happens when multiple computers try to transmit at

the same time?

Sending and receiving Ethernet

frames on a bus
1111

2222

3333

nnnn

Collision!

Abbreviated
MAC
Addresses

Access
Methods
Non-Deterministic: Contention methods (Ethernet, IEEE

Two common types of access methods for LANs include

802.3)

Only one signal can be on a network segment at one time.

Collisions are a normal occurrence on an Ethernet/802.3 LAN

Deterministic: Token Passing (Token Ring)

CSMA/CD
CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection)

Common contention method used with Ethernet

and IEEE 802.3

Let everyone have access whenever they want

and we will work it out somehow.

CSMA/CD and Collisions

CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection)

Listens to the networks shared media to see if any other users
on on the line by trying to sense a neutral electrical signal or
carrier.
If no transmission is sensed, then multiple access allows anyone
onto the media without any further permission required.
If two PCs detect a neutral signal and access the shared media
at the exact same time, a collision occurs and is detected.
The PCs sense the collision by being unable to deliver the entire
frame (coming soon) onto the network. (This is why there are
minimum frame lengths along with cable distance and speed
limitations. This includes the 5-4-3 rule.)
When a collision occurs, a jamming signal is sent out by the first
PC to detect the collision.
Using either a priority or random backoff scheme, the PCs wait
certain amount of time before retransmitting.
If collisions continue to occur, the PCs random interval is
doubled, lessening the chances of a collision.

CSMA/CD and Collisions Abbreviated

1111

Notice
the
location
of the
DA!
And as we said,

Hey,
Nop
thats me!
e
2222 3333

Nop
nnnn
e

MAC
Addresses

3333 1111

When information (frame) is transmitted, every PC/NIC on the

shared media copies part of the transmitted frame to see if
the destination address matches the address of the NIC.

If there is a match, the rest of the frame is copied

If there is NOT a match the rest of the frame is ignored.

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a

hub
3333 1111

1111

So, what does a hub do

when it receives
information?

Remember, a hub is
nothing more than a
multiport repeater.

2222

5555

3333

4444

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a

hub

Hub or

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a

hub
3333 1111

1111

2222
Nop
e

5555
Nop
e

3333 For
me!

4444 Nop
e

The hub will flood it out all

ports except for the
incoming port.
Hub is a layer 1 device.
A hub does NOT look at
layer 2 addresses, so it is
fast in transmitting data.
Disadvantage with hubs: A
hub or series of hubs is a
single collision domain.
A collision will occur if any
two or more devices
transmit at the same time
within the collision domain.
More on this later.

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a

hub
2222 1111

1111

2222
For
me!

5555
Nop
e

3333 Nop
e

4444 Nop
e

Another disadvantage
with hubs is that is take
up unnecessary
bandwidth on other links.

Wasted
bandwidth


Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a
switch

 Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a switch

Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.

3333 1111

Switches are also known as

learning bridges or
learning switches.

A switch has a source address

table in cache (RAM) where it
stores source MAC address
after it learns about them.

A switch receives an Ethernet

frame it searches the source
address table for the
Destination MAC address.

If it finds a match, it filters

the frame by only sending it
out that port.

If there is not a match if

floods it out all ports.

switch

1111

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

 No Destination Address in table, Flood

Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111

3333 1111

How does it learn source

MAC addresses?

First, the switch will see if

the SA (1111) is in its table.

If it is, it resets the timer

(more in a moment).

If it is NOT in the table it

adds it, with the port
number.

Next, in our scenario, the

switch will flood the frame
out all other ports, because
the DA is not in the source
address table.

switch

1111

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

 Destination Address in table, Filter

Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333

1111 3333

Most communications involve

some sort of client-server
relationship or exchange of
information. (You will
understand this more as you
learn about TCP/IP.)

Now 3333 sends data back to

1111.

The switch sees if it has the SA

stored.

It does NOT so it adds it. (This

will help next time 1111 sends
to 3333.)

Next, it checks the DA and in

our case it can filter the
frame, by sending it only out
port 1.

switch

1111

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

 Destination Address in table, Filter

Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333

3333 1111

switch
1111 3333

1111

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

Now, because both MAC

addresses are in the switchs
table, any information
exchanged between 1111 and
3333 can be sent (filtered) out
the appropriate port.

What happens when two

devices send to same
destination?

What if this was a hub?

Where is (are) the collision

domain(s) in this example?

No Collisions in Switch, Buffering

Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
9
4444

3333 1111

switch
3333 4444

1111

Unlike a hub, a collision

does NOT occur, which
would cause the two PCs to
have to retransmit the
frames.

Instead the switch buffers

the frames and sends them
out port #6 one at a time.

The sending PCs have no

idea that their was another
PC wanting to send to the
same destination.

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

 Collision Domains
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
9
4444 Collision

switch

3333 1111

Domains
3333 4444

1111

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

When there is only one

device on a switch port, the
collision domain is only
between the PC and the
switch. (Cisco curriculum is
inaccurate on this point.)

With a full-duplex PC and

switch port, there will be no
collision, since the devices
and the medium can send
and receive at the same
time.

 Other Information
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
9
4444

switch

How long are addresses kept in

the Source Address Table?

5 minutes is common on
most vendor switches.

How do computers know the

Destination MAC address?

1111

How many addresses can be

kept in the table?

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

4444

Depends on the size of the

cache, but 1,024 addresses
is common.

What about Layer 2 broadcasts?

2222

ARP Caches and ARP

Requests

Layer 2 broadcasts (DA = all

1s) is flooded out all ports.

Side Note - Transparent

Bridging
Transparent bridging (normal switching process) is defined in

IEEE 802.1d describing the five bridging processes of:

learning

flooding filtering

forwarding

aging

These will be discussed further in STP (Spanning Tree

Protocol)

Transparent Bridge Process Receive Packet

Jeff Doyle
Learn source address or refresh aging timer

Is the destination a broadcast, multicast or unknown unicast?

No

Yes

Flood Packet

Are the source and destination on the same interface?

No

Yes

Filter Packet

Forward unicast to correct port

What happens here?

Source Address Table

Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
1
2222
1
3333

1111 3333

3333
1111 2222 5555

Notice the Source

Address Table has
multiple entries
for port #1.

What happens here?

Source Address Table

Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
1
2222
1
5555

1111 3333

3333
1111 2222 5555

The switch filters

the frame out
port #1.

But the hub is

only a layer 1
device, so it
floods it out all
ports.

Where is the
collision domain?

What happens here?

Source Address Table

Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1
1111
6
3333
1
2222
1
5555

1111 3333

Collision
Domain

3333
1111 2222 5555

LAN segmentation with

routers

Routers provide segmentation of networks, adding a latency factor

of 20% to 30% over a switched network.
This increased latency is because a router operates at the network
layer and uses the IP address to determine the best path to the
destination node.
Bridges and switches provide segmentation within a single network
or subnetwork.
Routers provide connectivity between networks and
subnetworks.
Routers also do not forward broadcasts while switches and
bridges must forward broadcast frames.

Layer 2 and layer 3

switching

(routing)

A layer 3 switch is typically a layer 2 switch that includes a

routing process, I.e. does routing. (Oh yea, also known as
routing. Got to love those people in Marketing.)
Layer 3 switching has many meanings and in many cases is just a
marketing term.
Layer 3 switching is a function of the network layer.
The Layer 3 header information is examined and the packet is
forwarded based on the IP address.

Symmetric and
asymmetric switching

Note: Most switches are now

10/100, which allow you to use
them symmetrically or
asymmetrically.

Ethernet switch latency

Latency is the period of time from when the beginning of a

frame enters to when the end of the frame exits the switch.
Latency is directly related to the configured switching process
and volume of traffic.

Memory buffering
switch

1111

An Ethernet switch may use a

buffering technique to store and
forward frames.

Buffering may also be used when the

destination port is busy.

The area of memory where the

switch stores the data is called the
memory buffer.

This memory buffer can use two

methods for forwarding frame:

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

port-based memory buffering

shared memory buffering

In port-based memory buffering

frames are stored in queues that are
linked to specific incoming ports.

Shared memory buffering deposits all

frames into a common memory
buffer which all the ports on the
switch share.

4444

Two switching methods

Store-and-forwardThe entire frame is received before any

forwarding takes place.
The destination and source addresses are read and filters
are applied before the frame is forwarded.
CRC Check done
Cut-throughThe frame is forwarded through the switch
before the entire frame is received.
This mode decreases the latency of the transmission, but
also reduces error detection.
1900 and 2800 series switches this is configurable, otherwise
depends on the model of the switch.

Cut-through

Cut-through

Fast-forwardOffers the lowest level of latency.

Fast-forward switching immediately forwards a packet after

reading the destination address.

There may be times when packets are relayed with errors.

Although this occurs infrequently and the destination

network adapter will discard the faulty packet upon receipt.

Cut-through

Cut-through

Fragment-freeFragment-free switching filters out collision

fragments before forwarding begins.

Collision fragments are the majority of packet errors.

In a properly functioning network, collision fragments must be

smaller than 64 bytes.

Anything greater than 64 bytes is a valid packet and is usually

received without error.

Fragment-free switching waits until the packet is determined not

to be a collision fragment before forwarding.

Two switching methods

Adaptive cut-through

In this mode, the switch uses cut-through until it detects a given

number of errors.

Once the error threshold is reached, the switch changes to storeand-forward mode.

Functions of a switch

The main features of Ethernet switches are:

Isolate traffic among segments

Achieve greater amount of bandwidth per user by creating

smaller collision domains

How switches
learn
Learning bridges or
addresses
Learning switches

Bridges and switches learn in the following ways:

Reading the source MAC address of each received frame or
datagram
Recording the port on which the MAC address was received.
The bridge or switch learns which addresses belong to the devices
connected to each port.
The learned addresses and associated port or interface are stored
in the addressing table.
The bridge examines the destination address of all received
frames.
The bridge then scans the address table searching for the
destination address.

Filter or Flood (Switch)

If a switch has the frames destination address in its CAM table (or
Source Address Table) it will only send the frame out the
appropriate port.
If a switch does not have the frames destination MAC address in
its CAM table, it floods (sends) it out all ports except for the
incoming port (the port that the frame came in on) known as an
Unknown Unicast, or if the destination MAC address is a broadcast.
Note: A CAM table may contain multiple entries per port, if a hub
or a switch is attached to that port.
Most Ethernet bridges can filter broadcast and multicast frames.

Filter or Flood (Switch)

Switches flood frames that are:

Unknown unicasts

Layer 2 broadcasts

Multicasts (unless running multicast snooping or IGMP)

Multicast are special layer 2 and layer 3 addresses that are sent to
devices that belong to that group.

Why segment LANs?

(Layer 2 segments)
Hub

Switch

First is to isolate traffic between segments.

The second reason is to achieve more bandwidth per user by

creating smaller collision domains.

Why segment LANs?

switch
(Layer 2 segments)
Collision
Domains
1111

A switch employs
microsegmentation to
reduce the collision domain
on a LAN.

The switch does this by

creating dedicated network
segments, or point-to-point
connections.

3333

Abbreviate
d MAC
addresses

2222

4444

Broadcast domains
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w i t c hRequest
e d N e tw o rk
A l l ARP
T w o S u b n e ts

S w itc h 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

- T w o N e tw o rk s

S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Even though the LAN switch reduces the size of collision domains,
all hosts connected to the switch are still in the same broadcast
domain.
Therefore, a broadcast from one node will still be seen by all the
other nodes connected through the LAN switch.

Switches and broadcast

domains
These are logical not
physical
representations of
what happens to
these frames.

Switches flood frames that are:

Unknown unicasts

Layer 2 broadcasts

Multicasts (unless running multicast snooping or IGMP)

Multicast

are special layer 2 and layer 3 addresses that

are sent to devices that belong to that group.

Switches and broadcast

domains

When a device wants to send out a Layer 2 broadcast, the

destination MAC address in the frame is set to all ones.
A MAC address of all ones is FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF in hexadecimal.
By setting the destination to this value, all the devices will
accept and process the broadcasted frame.

Switches and broadcast

domains

Communication between
switches and workstation

Hubs to
VLANs
Part 1
(PART 2 WILL BE DISCUSSED WHEN WE COVER
VLANS.)

Using Hubs

Layer 1 devices

Inexpensive

In one port, out the others

One collision domain

One broadcast domain

Single Hub
Hub 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S in g le H u b
O n e N e t w o r k ( IP N e tw o r k A d d r e s s - u s u a lly )
O n e C o llis io n D o m a in
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

This is fine for small workgroups, but does not scale well
for larger workgroups or heavy traffic.

Single Hub
Hub 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Note: Different color

hosts refer to
different subnets.

S in g le H u b - T w o s u b n e ts
T w o s u b n e ts
O n e C o llis io n D o m a in
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

What if the computers were on two different subnets?

Could they communicate within their own subnet? Yes

Between subnets? No, need a router. The sending host will check the destination IP
address with its own IP address and subnet mask. The AND operation will determine
that it is on a different subnet and cannot be reached without sending the packet to a
default gateway (router). This is even though they are on the same physical network.

Multiple Hubs
Hub 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A ll H u b
O ne
O ne
O ne

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

s
N e tw o rk A d d re s s
C o llis io n D o m a in
B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

Hub 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Same issues as before, with more of an impact on the network.

Using Switches

Layer 2 devices

Layer 2 filtering based on Destination MAC

addresses and Source Address Table

One collision domain per port

One broadcast domain across all switches

Switches create multiple

parallel paths
Hub

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h a n d H u b N e tw o r k
O n e N e tw o rk
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
O n e f o r t h e e n t ir e H u b
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Two parallel paths: (complete SAT tables)

Data traffic from 172.30.1.24 to 172.30.1.25

Data traffic from 172.30.1.26 to 172.30.1.2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Hubs do not create

multiple parallel paths
Collision!

Hub

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h a n d H u b N e tw o r k
O n e N e tw o rk
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
O n e f o r t h e e n t ir e H u b
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

As opposed to the Hub:

Data traffic from 172.30.1.21 to 172.30.1.22
Data traffic from 172.30.1.23 to 172.30.1.24

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Switches create multiple

parallel paths
Hub

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h a n d H u b N e tw o r k
O n e N e tw o rk
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
O n e f o r t h e e n t ir e H u b
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Collisions and Switches:

What happens when two devices on a switch, send data to another
device on the switch?
172.30.1.24 to 172.30.1.25 and 172.30.1.26 to 172.30.1.25

Switches create multiple

parallel paths
Hub

Frames
buffered

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h a n d H u b N e tw o r k
O n e N e tw o rk
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
O n e f o r t h e e n t ir e H u b
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

The switch keeps the frames in buffer memory, and queues the
traffic for the host 172.30.1.25.
This means that the sending hosts do not know about the
collisions and do not have to re-send the frames.

Other Switching Features

Review

Asymmetric ports: 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps

Full-duplex ports

Cut-through versus Store-and-Forward switching

Other Switching Features

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A ll S w itc h e d N e tw o r k
O n e N e tw o rk
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 8
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Ports between switches and server ports are good candidates for
higher bandwidth ports (100 Mbps) and full-duplex ports.
Most switch ports today are full-duplex.

Introducing Multiple
Switches are Layer 2 devices
Subnets/Networks
without
Router are Layer 3 devices
Routers
Data between subnets/networks must pass through a router.

Switched Network with Multiple Subnets

ARP Request

172.30.1.21
255.255.255.0

172.30.2.10
255.255.255.0

All Switched Network - Two Networks

Two Subnets
Several Collision Domains
One per switch port
One Broadcast Domain

Switch 1

172.30.1.23
255.255.255.0

Switch 2

172.30.2.12
255.255.255.0

172.30.1.25
255.255.255.0
172.30.2.14
255.255.255.0

172.30.2.16
255.255.255.0

172.30.1.27
255.255.255.0

What are the issues?

Can data travel within the subnet? Yes
Can data travel between subnets? No, need a router!
What is the impact of a layer 2 broadcast, like an ARP Request?

Switched Network with Multiple Subnets

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A ll S w itc h e d N e tw o r k - T w o N e tw o r k s
T w o S u b n e ts
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

All devices see the ARP Request, even those on the other subnets that do not need to
see it.
One broadcast domain means the switches flood all broadcast out all ports, except the
incoming port.
Switches have no idea of the layer 3 information contained in the ARP Request.This
consumes bandwidth on the network and processing cycles on the hosts.

One Solution: Physically separate the subnets

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

T w o S w itc h e d N e tw o r k s
T w o S u b n e ts
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t
T w o B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

S w itc h 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

But still no data can travel between the subnets.

How can we get the data to travel between the two subnets?

Another Solution: Use a Router

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e tw e e n s u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 6
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Two separate broadcast domains, because the router will

not forward the layer 2 broadcasts such as ARP Requests.

Switches with multiple

subnets

So far this should have been a review.

Lets see what happens when we have two

subnets on a single switch and we want to route
between the two subnets.

Router-on-a-stick or One-Arm-Router (OAR)

interface e 0
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

ARP Request
Secondary addresses
can be used when the
router does not support
sub-interfaces which will
be discussed later.

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e t w e e n s u b n e ts
When a single interface is used to route between subnets or networks,
this is know as a router-on-a-stick.
To assign multiple ip addresses to the same interface, secondary
addresses or subinterfaces are used.

Router-on-a-stick or One-Arm-Router (OAR)

interface e 0
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
Advantages T w o S u b n e t s
there
C o m mare
u n limited
i c a t i o n Ethernet
b e t w e e n interfaces
s u b n e t s on the router.
Useful when
Disadvantage
Because a single link is used to connect multiple subnets, one link is
having to carry the traffic for multiple subnets.
Be sure this is link can handle the traffic.

Router-on-a-stick or One-Arm-Router (OAR)

interface e 0
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e t w e e n s u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Still the same problem of the switch forwarding broadcast

traffic to all devices on all subnets.

Router-on-a-stick or One-Arm-Router (OAR)

interface e 0
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e t w e e n s u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Remember to have the proper default gateway set for each host.

172.30.1.0 hosts - default gateway is 172.30.1.1

172.30.2.0 hosts - default gateway is 172.30.2.1

Interface for each subnet

1 7 2 . 3 0 . 1 . 1 E0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

E1 1 7 2 . 3 0 . 2 . 1

R o u te r

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e tw e e n s u b n e ts

2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

An Ethernet router interface per subnet may be used instead of one.

However this may be difficult if you do not have enough Ethernet ports
on your router.

Still one broadcast domain

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

ARP Request
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

R o u te d N e tw o rk s
T w o S u b n e ts
C o m m u n ic a tio n b e tw e e n s u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Still the same problem of the switch forwarding broadcast

traffic to all devices on all subnets.

Introducing VLANs

VLAN = Subnet

VLANs create separate broadcast domains

within the switch.

Routers are needed to pass information

between different VLANs

This is only an introduction, as we will

discuss VLANs and Inter-VLAN Routing in
later chapters.

Layer 2 Broadcast Segmentation

Switch Port: VLAN ID

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

123456.
121221.

Port
VLAN

Tw o VLANs
T w o S u b n e ts

An ARP Request from 172.30.1.21 for 172.30.1.23 will only be seen by

hosts on that VLAN.
The switch will flood broadcast traffic out only those ports belonging to
that particular VLAN, in this case VLAN 1.

Layer 2 Broadcast Segmentation

123456.
121221.

Port
VLAN

Port-centric VLAN Switches

As the Network Administrator, it is your job to assign switch
ports to the proper VLAN.
This assignment is only done at the switch and not at the
host.
Note: The following diagrams show the VLAN below the
host, but it is actually assigned on the switch.

Without VLANs No Broadcast Control

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

No VLANs
S a m e a s a s in g le V L A N
T w o S u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Without VLANs, the ARP Request would be seen by all hosts.

Again, consuming unnecessary network bandwidth and host processing
cycles.

With VLANs Broadcast Control

Switch Port: VLAN ID

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

Tw o VLANs
T w o S u b n e ts

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

123456.
121221.

Port
VLAN

Inter-VLAN Traffic
Switch Port: VLAN ID

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

123456.
121221.

Port
VLAN

T w VLAN
o V L A IDs
N s (numbers) are assigned to the switch port
1. Remember that
and not to the host.
T w o(Port-centric
S u b n e t s VLAN switches)
2. Be sure to have all of the hosts on the same subnet belong to the same
VLAN, or you will have problems.
Hosts on subnet 172.30.1.0/24 - VLAN 1
Hosts on subnet 172.30.2.0/24 - VLAN 2
etc.

Inter-VLAN Traffic
Switch Port: VLAN ID

To 172.30.2.12

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

S w itc h 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2

123456.
121221.

Port
VLAN

Tw o VLANs
T w o S u b n e ts

A switch cannot route data between different VLANs.

Note: The host will not even send the Packet unless it has a
default gateway to forward it to.

Inter-VLAN Routing needs a Router

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
(V L A N 1 )

R o u te r

123456.
121221.

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
(V L A N 2 )

Port
VLAN

A router is need to route traffic between VLANs (VLAN = Subnet).

There are various methods of doing this including Router-on-a-stick
with trunking (more than one VLAN on the link).
This will be discussed later when we get to the chapter on VLANs and
Inter-VLAN Routing.

Ch. 4
Switching
Concepts
CCNA 3 VERSION 3.0