A Layer 3 switch combines the high-speed forwarding capability of a Layer 2 switch with the routing intelligence of a router. It can forward frames based on MAC addresses inside the same local network, and it can also route packets based on IP addresses between different network. A Layer 3 switch (also called a multilayer switch) is a purpose-built hardware device that blends features of a traditional Layer 2 switch and a router. They operate at the Network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model, making them. Layer2 and Layer3 switches are the foundation of any network. After all, any network devices (routers, firewalls, computers, servers etc) have to be connected to a switch. In simple words, a Layer 3 Switch is a networking device that can perform switching (functions of. In this lesson, we examine the network devices that operate at Layer 3 of the OSI model. The network has been specifically.
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