L2 Managed Switch Vs L3

So l3 switch happen to be faster than router in forwarding packets.

L2 managed switch vs l3.

Network layer where it route packet by using ip address it is used widely on vlans. Now the exceptions l3 switches like 6500 can be loaded with cards which support wan connections also. A layer 2 switch works with mac addresses only and does not care about ip address or any items of higher layers. However if the server and the client pc are located on different subnets and the traffic needs to be sent across between subnets then a layer 3 managed switch is needed which makes traffic.

Layer 2 switch work on layer 2 of osi model i e. A layer 2 managed switch forwards traffic between network hosts such as a server and a client pc within the same subnet. This is where a layer 3 switch can be utilized. This is also the biggest difference lies between layer 2 switch and layer 3 switch.

A layer 3 switch is basically a switch that can perform routing functions in addition to switching. Layer 2 layer 3 in osi model. A layer 3 switch on the other hand is a specialized hardware device used for routing data packets using ip. These solutions are optimized for a wide range of industries including service providers financial services and the public sector.

So a layer 3 switch is aware of subnets and networks in addition to being aware of vlans. The image below shows an example of a multi vlan environment on a layer 2 switch. A layer 3 switch builds a layer 2 forwarding table to be able to forward within a vlan. A layer 3 switch includes the functionality of a layer 2 switch and also is able to use layer 3 information ip addresses to make its forwarding decisions.

So layer 2 switches simple do switching. Layer 2 vs layer 3 switch the main difference between layer 2 and layer 3 is the routing function. Routing in layer 2 and layer 3 switch switching operates at layer 2 of the osi reference model where data packets are redirected to a destination port based on mac addresses. Layer 3 switch work on layer 3 of osi model i e.

Data link layer and sends a frames to destination port using mac address table which stores the mac address of a device associated with that port. Cisco delivers a comprehensive portfolio of switching solutions for enterprise networks data centers and smaller businesses.