Ch.

4 Switching Concepts

CCNA 3 version 3.0

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 one-lane
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.

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

One way street
Half-duplex Transmission: Either way, but only one way at a time.
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,
Nop thats me! Nop
1111 e
2222 3333 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 Abbreviated

MAC
Addresses

Collision!
Access Methods

Two common types of access methods for LANs include

Non-Deterministic: Contention methods (Ethernet, IEEE 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
Hey,
Nop thats me! Nop
1111 e
2222 3333 nnnn
e Abbreviated
MAC
Addresses

Notice
the
location
3333 1111
of the
DA!
And as we said,
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 2222
So, what does a hub do
? when it receives
information?
Remember, a hub is
nothing more than a
multiport repeater.
5555

3333 4444

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a hub
Hub or

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a hub

3333 1111

The hub will flood it out all

1111 2222 ports except for the incoming
Nop port.
e
Hub is a layer 1 device.
A hub does NOT look at layer 2
addresses, so it is fast in
transmitting data.
5555
Disadvantage with hubs: A hub
Nop or series of hubs is a single
e collision domain.
A collision will occur if any two
or more devices transmit at the
same time within the collision
domain.
3333 For 4444 Nop More on this later.
me! e

Sending and receiving Ethernet frames via a hub

2222 1111

Another disadvantage with

1111 2222 hubs is that is take up
For unnecessary bandwidth on
me! other links.

5555
Nop
Wasted
e bandwidth

3333 Nop 4444 Nop

e e

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

switch 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
1111 3333 Destination MAC address.
Abbreviate
If it finds a match, it filters the
d MAC frame by only sending it out
addresses that port.
2222 4444 If there is not a match if floods
it out all ports.

No Destination Address in table, Flood

Source Address Table

Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
3333 1111
1 1111
How does it learn source MAC
switch 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.

1111 3333
Next, in our scenario, the
Abbreviate
switch will flood the frame out
d MAC all other ports, because the DA
addresses is not in the source address
2222 4444 table.

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

switch 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.
1111 3333 It does NOT so it adds it. (This
will help next time 1111 sends
Abbreviate to 3333.)
d MAC
addresses
Next, it checks the DA and in
our case it can filter the frame,
2222 4444 by sending it only out port 1.

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

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.
1111 3333
What happens when two devices
Abbreviate send to same destination?
d MAC
addresses What if this was a hub?
2222 4444
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 3333 1111
9 4444

switch
3333 4444

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
1111 3333 port #6 one at a time.
Abbreviate
The sending PCs have no idea
d MAC that their was another PC
addresses wanting to send to the same
2222 4444 destination.

Collision Domains
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1 1111 6 3333 3333 1111
9 4444 Collision
switch Domains
3333 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.)
1111 3333 With a full-duplex PC and
switch port, there will be no
Abbreviate
d MAC
collision, since the devices and
addresses the medium can send and
2222 4444
receive at the same time.

Other Information
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1 1111 6 3333
How long are addresses kept in the
9 4444 Source Address Table?
switch 5 minutes is common on most
vendor switches.
How do computers know the
Destination MAC address?
ARP Caches and ARP
Requests
How many addresses can be kept
in the table?
Depends on the size of the
1111 3333 cache, but 1,024 addresses is
common.
Abbreviate
d MAC
What about Layer 2 broadcasts?
addresses Layer 2 broadcasts (DA = all
1s) is flooded out all ports.
2222 4444
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 - Jeff Doyle
Receive Packet

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 1111 3333
1 2222 1 3333

Notice the Source

Address Table has
multiple entries for
port #1.

3333

1111 2222 5555


What happens here?
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1 1111 6 3333 1111 3333
1 2222 1 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?
3333

1111 2222 5555


What happens here?
Source Address Table
Port Source MAC Add. Port Source MAC
Add.
1 1111 6 3333 1111 3333
1 2222 1 5555

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 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:
1111 3333
port-based memory buffering
Abbreviate shared memory buffering
d MAC
addresses
In port-based memory buffering frames
are stored in queues that are linked to
2222 4444 specific incoming ports.
Shared memory buffering deposits all
frames into a common memory buffer
which all the ports on the switch share.

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 store-and-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
addresses
Learning bridges or
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? (Layer 2 segments)

switch

Collision
Domains
A switch employs
1111 3333 microsegmentation to
reduce the collision
Abbreviate
d MAC domain on a LAN.
addresses

2222 4444
The switch does this by
creating dedicated network
segments, or point-to-point
connections.

Broadcast domains

S w itc h 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 .1 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2 S w itc h 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A l l ARP
S w i t c hRequest
e d N e tw o rk
T w o S u b n e ts
- T w o N e tw o rk s
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in 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 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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

Note: Different color

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .2 1 hosts refer to
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 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 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 Hub 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
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A ll H u b s
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
O ne N e tw o rk A d d re s s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O ne C o llis io n D o m a in 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O ne B r o a d c a s t D o m a in 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 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 S w itc h 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
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
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
O n e N e tw o rk 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
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

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

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 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 S w itc h 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
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
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
O n e N e tw o rk 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
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

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

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 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 S w itc h 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
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
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
O n e N e tw o rk 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
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

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

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 S w itc h 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
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
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4
O n e N e tw o rk 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
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

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

S w itc h 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 8
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 2 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 4 S w itc h 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

A ll S w itc h e d N e tw o r k
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
O n e N e tw o rk 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in

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 Subnets/Networks
without Routers
Switches are Layer 2 devices
Router are Layer 3 devices
Data between subnets/networks must pass through a
router.

Switched Network with Multiple Subnets
ARP Request

Switch 1
172.30.1.21
255.255.255.0

172.30.2.16
172.30.2.10 172.30.1.23 172.30.2.12 Switch 2 255.255.255.0
255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0

All Switched Network - Two Networks

Two Subnets
172.30.1.25
Several Collision Domains 255.255.255.0
172.30.1.27
One per switch port 172.30.2.14 255.255.255.0
One Broadcast Domain 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

S w itc h 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 .1 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2 S w itc h 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 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
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 7
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
O n e B r o a d c a s t D o m a in 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

S w itc h 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 .1 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6 S w itc h 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 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
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
O n e p e r s w itc h p o r t 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
T w o B r o a d c a s t D o m a in 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 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
S w itc h 1 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 6
1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 5 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 6 S w itc h 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .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
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0
S e v e r a l C o llis io n D o m a in s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 4
O n e p e r s w it c h p o r t 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
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

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 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
R o u te r 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

ARP Request

Secondary addresses S w itc h 1

can be used when the 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
router does not support 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
sub-interfaces which will
be discussed later.

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
R o u te r 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

Advantages T w o S u b n e t s
Useful when C o m are
there m u limited
n i c a t i oEthernet
n b e t w e interfaces
e n s u b n eon
t s the router.
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 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
R o u te r 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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

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 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .1
ip address 172.30.1.1 255.255.255.0 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 s e c
R o u te r 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
ip address 172.30.2.1 255.255.255.0 secondary

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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

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 E1 1 7 2 . 3 0 . 2 . 1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
R o u te r

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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
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 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
R o u te r

ARP Request

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
R o u te d N e tw o rk s 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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

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
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1 123456. Port
121221. 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. Port
121221. 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
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0

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

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
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1 123456. Port
121221. VLAN

Tw o VLANs
T w o S u b n e ts

Inter-VLAN Traffic
Switch Port: VLAN ID

1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 1
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1 123456. Port
121221. VLAN

1. Remember that T w VLAN

o V L AIDs
N s (numbers) are assigned to the switch port and
not to the host. T w o S u b n e VLAN
(Port-centric ts 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
S w itc h 1
1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 2
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 1
VLAN 2

1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1 0 1 7 2 .3 0 .1 .2 3
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1 123456. Port
121221. 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 1 7 2 .3 0 .2 .1
2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0 2 5 5 .2 5 5 .2 5 5 .0
(V L A N 1 ) R o u te r (V L A N 2 )

123456. Port
121221. 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