7.3.7 Lab - View The Switch MAC Address Table

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 9

Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Topology

Addressing Table
Device Interface IP Address Subnet Mask

S1 VLAN 1 192.168.1.11 255.255.255.0


S2 VLAN 1 192.168.1.12 255.255.255.0
PC-A NIC 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
PC-B NIC 192.168.1.2 255.255.255.0

Objectives
Part 1: Build and Configure the Network
Part 2: Examine the Switch MAC Address Table

Background / Scenario
The purpose of a Layer 2 LAN switch is to deliver Ethernet frames to host devices on the local network. The
switch records host MAC addresses that are visible on the network, and maps those MAC addresses to its
own Ethernet switch ports. This process is called building the MAC address table. When a switch receives a
frame from a PC, it examines the frame’s source and destination MAC addresses. The source MAC address
is recorded and mapped to the switch port from which it arrived. Then the destination MAC address is looked
up in the MAC address table. If the destination MAC address is a known address, then the frame is forwarded
out of the corresponding switch port associated with that MAC address. If the MAC address is unknown, then
the frame is broadcasted out of all switch ports, except the one from which it came. It is important to observe
and understand the function of a switch and how it delivers data on the network. The way a switch operates
has implications for network administrators whose job it is to ensure secure and consistent network
communication.
Switches are used to interconnect and deliver information to computers on local area networks. Switches
deliver Ethernet frames to host devices identified by network interface card MAC addresses.
In Part 1, you will build a multi-switch topology with a trunk linking the two switches. In Part 2, you will ping
various devices and observe how the two switches build their MAC address tables.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 1 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Note: The switches used are Cisco Catalyst 2960s with Cisco IOS Release 15.2(2) (lanbasek9 image). Other
switches and Cisco IOS versions can be used. Depending on the model and Cisco IOS version, the
commands available and output produced might vary from what is shown in the labs.
Note: Make sure that the switches have been erased and have no startup configurations. If you are unsure
contact your instructor.

Required Resources
 2 Switches (Cisco 2960 with Cisco IOS Release 15.2(2) lanbasek9 image or comparable)
 2 PCs (Windows with terminal emulation program, such as Tera Term)
 Console cables to configure the Cisco IOS devices via the console ports
 Ethernet cables as shown in the topology
Note: The Fast Ethernet interfaces on Cisco 2960 switches are autosensing and an Ethernet straight-through
cable may be used between switches S1 and S2. If using another model Cisco switch, it may be necessary to
use an Ethernet crossover cable.

Instructions

Part 1: Build and Configure the Network


Step 1: Cable the network according to the topology.

Step 2: Configure PC hosts.

Step 3: Initialize and reload switches as necessary.

Step 4: Configure basic settings for each switch.


a. Configure device name as shown in the topology.
b. Configure IP address as listed in Addressing Table.
c. Assign cisco as the console and vty passwords.
d. Assign class as the privileged EXEC password.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 2 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Part 2: Examine the Switch MAC Address Table


A switch learns MAC addresses and builds the MAC address table, as network devices initiate
communication on the network.

Step 1: Record network device MAC addresses.


a. Open a command prompt on PC-A and PC-B and type ipconfig /all.

What are the Ethernet adapter physical addresses?


PC-A MAC Address: FE80::202:17FF:FE68:353B
PC-B MAC Address: FE80::201:42FF:FE18:41EB
b. Console into switch S1 and S2 and type the show interface F0/1 command on each switch.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 3 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

On the second line of command output, what is the hardware addresses (or burned-in address [bia])?
S1 Fast Ethernet 0/1 MAC Address:
00e0.8f3d.6701
S2 Fast Ethernet 0/1 MAC Address:
0001.c9d0.0701
Step 2: Display the switch MAC address table.
Console into switch S2 and view the MAC address table, both before and after running network
communication tests with ping.
a. Establish a console connection to S2 and enter privileged EXEC mode.
b. In privileged EXEC mode, type the show mac address-table command and press Enter.
S2# show mac address-table
Even though there has been no network communication initiated across the network (i.e., no use of ping),
it is possible that the switch has learned MAC addresses from its connection to the PC and the other
switch.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 4 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Are there any MAC addresses recorded in the MAC address table?

YES

What MAC addresses are recorded in the table? To which switch ports are they mapped and to which
devices do they belong? Ignore MAC addresses that are mapped to the CPU.

0001.4218.41eb , 00e0.8f3d.6701

If you had not previously recorded MAC addresses of network devices in Step 1, how could you tell which
devices the MAC addresses belong to, using only the output from the show mac address-table
command? Does it work in all scenarios?

0001.4218.41eb the mac address is of FastEthernet 0/18 of S2 yes it works.

Step 3: Clear the S2 MAC address table and display the MAC address table again.
a. In privileged EXEC mode, type the clear mac address-table dynamic command and press Enter.
S2# clear mac address-table dynamic

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 5 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

b. Quickly type the show mac address-table command again.

Does the MAC address table have any addresses in it for VLAN 1? Are there other MAC addresses
listed?

No, there is no MAC address shown

Wait 10 seconds, type the show mac address-table command, and press Enter. Are there new
addresses in the MAC address table?
YES
Step 4: From PC-B, ping the devices on the network and observe the switch MAC address table.
a. From PC-B, open a command prompt and type arp -a.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 6 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Not including multicast or broadcast addresses, how many device IP-to-MAC address pairs have been
learned by ARP?
NO
b. From the PC-B command prompt, ping PC-A, S1, and S2.

Did all devices have successful replies? If not, check your cabling and IP configurations.
YES
c. From a console connection to S2, enter the show mac address-table command.

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 7 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Has the switch added additional MAC addresses to the MAC address table? If so, which addresses and
devices?
0001.4218.41eb
0002.1768.353b
00e0.8f3d.6701
00e0.f796.3ccb
From PC-B, open a command prompt and retype arp -a.

Do
es the PC-B ARP cache have additional entries for all network devices that were sent pings?

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 8 of 9 www.netacad.com
Lab - View the Switch MAC Address Table

Yes

Reflection Question – In your own words.


On Ethernet networks, data is delivered to devices by their MAC addresses. For this to happen, switches and
PCs dynamically build ARP caches and MAC address tables. With only a few computers on the network this
process seems fairly easy. What might be some of the challenges on larger networks?

ARP broadcasts have the potential to cause broadcast storms. Because ARP and switch MAC tables do
not authenticate or validate IP addresses to MAC addresses, it is simple to spoof a network device..

 2013 - 2023 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 9 of 9 www.netacad.com

You might also like