Ethernet Switches

Ethernet Switches

by Joann Zimmerman, Charles E. Spurgeon
Released April 2013
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781449367305

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Book description

If you’re ready to build a large network system, this handy excerpt from Ethernet: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition gets you up to speed on a basic building block: Ethernet switches. Whether you’re working on an enterprise or campus network, data center, or Internet service provider network, you’ll learn how Ethernet switches function and how they’re used in network designs.

This brief tutorial also provides an overview of the most important features found in switches, from the basics to more advanced features found in higher-cost and specialized switches.

  • Get an overview of basic switch operation, the spanning tree protocol, and switch performance issues
  • Learn about switch management and some of the most widely used switch features
  • Discover how a hierarchical design can help maintain stable network operations
  • Delve into special-purpose switches, such as multi-layer, access, stacking, and wireless access-point switches
  • Learn about advanced switch features designed for specific networking environments
  • Dive deeper into switches, with a list of protocol and package documentation

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    Table of contents

    1. Ethernet Switches
    2. Preface
      1. Conventions Used in This Book
      2. Using Code Examples
      3. Safari® Books Online
      4. How to Contact Us
      5. Acknowledgements
    3. 1. Basic Switch Operation
      1. What an Ethernet Switch Does
        1. Bridges and Switches
        2. What Is a Switch?
      2. Operation of Ethernet Switches
        1. Transparent Bridging
        2. Address Learning
        3. Traffic Filtering
        4. Frame Flooding
        5. Broadcast and Multicast Traffic
          1. Broadcast and multicast forwarding
          2. Uses of broadcast and multicast
      3. Combining Switches
        1. Forwarding Loops
      4. Spanning Tree Protocol
        1. Spanning Tree Packets
        2. Choosing a Root Bridge
        3. Choosing the Least-Cost Path
        4. Blocking Loop Paths
        5. Spanning Tree Port States
        6. Spanning Tree Versions
      5. Switch Performance Issues
        1. Packet Forwarding Performance
        2. Switch Port Memory
        3. Switch CPU and RAM
        4. Switch Specifications
    4. 2. Basic Switch Features
      1. Switch Management
        1. Simple Network Management Protocol
        2. Packet Mirror Ports
        3. Switch Traffic Filters
          1. Managing switch filters
      2. Virtual LANs
        1. 802.1Q VLAN Standard
        2. Linking VLANs
        3. 802.1Q Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
      3. Quality of Service (QoS)
    5. 3. Network Design with Ethernet Switches
      1. Advantages of Switches in Network Designs
        1. Improved Network Performance
        2. Switch Hierarchy and Uplink Speeds
        3. Uplink Speeds and Traffic Congestion
        4. Multiple Conversations
        5. Switch Traffic Bottlenecks
      2. Hierarchical Network Design
        1. Seven Hop Maximum
      3. Network Resiliency with Switches
        1. Spanning Tree and Network Resiliency
          1. Cost and complexity of resiliency
      4. Routers
        1. Operation and Use of Routers
        2. Routers or Bridges?
          1. Advantages of bridges
          2. Disadvantages of bridges
          3. Advantages of routers
          4. Disadvantages of routers
    6. 4. Special-Purpose Switches
      1. Multilayer Switches
      2. Access Switches
      3. Stacking Switches
      4. Industrial Ethernet
      5. Wireless Access Point Switches
      6. Internet Service Provider Switches
        1. Metro Ethernet
      7. Data Center Switches
        1. Data Center Port Speeds
        2. Data Center Switch Types
        3. Data Center Oversubscription
        4. Data Center Switch Fabrics
        5. Data Center Switch Resiliency
    7. 5. Advanced Switch Features
      1. Traffic Flow Monitoring
        1. sFlow and Netflow
      2. Power over Ethernet
    8. A. Resources
      1. Resources for Chapter 1
        1. Bridging Standards
        2. Ethernet Standards
        3. OSI Model
        4. Ethernet Bridging and the Spanning Tree Protocol
        5. Switch Performance
      2. Resources for Chapter 2
        1. Switch Management
      3. Resources for Chapter 3
        1. Cisco Validated Design Guides
        2. Layer 2 Network Failure Modes
      4. Resources for Chapter 4
      5. Resources for Chapter 5
        1. Traffic Flow Monitoring
        2. Power over Ethernet
    9. Glossary
    10. About the Authors
    11. Colophon
    12. Copyright

    Product information

    • Title: Ethernet Switches
    • Author(s): Joann Zimmerman, Charles E. Spurgeon
    • Release date: April 2013
    • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
    • ISBN: 9781449367305