Types of switches

Question 1

Unmanaged Switches

Answer 1

Plug and play switches without configuration.

Question 2

Managed Switches

Answer 2

Offer features for configuration, VLAN setup, monitoring, etc.

Question 3

Layer 2 (Data Link) Switches

Answer 3

Operate using MAC addresses.

Question 4

Layer 3 (Network) Switches

Answer 4

Incorporate routing functions and operate using both MAC and IP addresses.

Question 5

Multilayer Switches

Answer 5

Operate at multiple layers, often combining Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions.

Question 6

PoE (Power over Ethernet) Switches

Answer 6

Deliver power and data over a single Ethernet cable, useful for devices like IP phones and cameras.

Question 7

Benefits of Using Switches

Answer 7

Efficiency: Reduced collisions and dedicated bandwidth for each connection.
Performance: High-speed connectivity, especially in full-duplex mode.
Flexibility: Scalability to accommodate growing networks.
Security: Features like VLANs can segment network traffic.

Question 8

Store-and-Forward Switching

Answer 8

Process - In store-and-forward switching, the switch receives the entire data frame into its buffer. It checks it for errors (usually using a Cyclic Redundancy Check, or CRC) before forwarding it.
Error Checking - This method allows the switch to catch and discard frames with errors, reducing the amount of erroneous data transmitted through the network.
Latency - It introduces more latency compared to other methods, as the switch must wait to receive the entire frame before beginning to forward it.
Advantages - High data integrity since frames are checked for errors.
Disadvantages - Higher latency, especially with larger frames.

Question 9

Cut-Through Switching

Answer 9

Process - Cut-through switching begins forwarding the frame immediatel, as the switch reads the destination MAC address without waiting to receive the entire frame.
Error Checking - There is minimal error checking with this method. The switch does not check the CRC so that it may forward corrupted frames.
Latency - This method has lower latency compared to store-and-forward since the switch starts forwarding the frame almost immediately.
Advantages - Lower latency, making it suitable for time-sensitive applications.
Disadvantages - Potential for forwarding corrupted frames, as there is no error checking.

Question 10

Fragment-Free Switching

Answer 10

Process - Fragment-free switching is a variation of cut-through switching. The switch waits for the first 64 bytes of the frame (the collision window) before forwarding.
Error Checking - By waiting for the first 64 bytes, the switch can avoid forwarding most collision fragments (runts). However, it still doesn’t check the entire frame.
Latency - It has slightly higher latency than pure cut-through but less than store-and-forward.
Advantages - Balances the benefits of cut-through (low latency) and store-and-forward (error checking), reducing the chances of forwarding error frames.
Disadvantages - There is still a possibility of forwarding corrupted frames, although it’s lower than in cut-through switching.

Question 11

What are VPCs?

Answer 11

Virtual Private Networks (VPC) - provide networking and connectivity capabilities for virtual machines, products and services in the cloud.
AWS and GCP - calls these Virtual Private Clouds or VPCs
Azure - calls these Virtual Networks or vNets
Oracle - calls these Virtual Cloud Networks