Re: Low-end Layer 3 switch?
- From: "sphealey" <sphealey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 15 Feb 2006 11:32:58 -0800
Rick Jones wrote:
sphealey <sphealey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I need a very low-end Layer 3 switch (or router, but would prefer
the faster speed).
Just what is the difference between a "switch" doing things at the
network layer and a "router" doing things at the network layer?
I was asked the same question in a job intervew at a large datacom
equipment company, interestingly enough.
Philosophically there is no difference. At the time "switches" were
first marketed (and I bought one of the first Alantec switches sold in
northern Illinois), routers typically had fewer, lower speed interfaces
but were capable of handling many input types (I won't even attempt
layers) - routers typically had a card for anything a telco could put
out, plus Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, Arcnet, etc.
Switches in contrast were usually Ethernet only (10 Mb), but they had
multiple ports (say 12, 24, or even !36!) and a backplane which could
route some significant fraction of the load created by (24 ports x 10
Mb).
Today, with switches having every feature under the sun and routers
available at Best Buy with 10 Gb backplanes, the distinction is fading
fast.
sPh
.
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