CATALYST SWITCH

OPERATION
Objectives

 Describe Layer 2 switching (bridging) operations

 Describe the switch operations
 Configure switch
 Loop Avoidance through STP
 Use show commands to verify switch configuration
and operations
What is Switching ?
 It breaks the Collision Domain
 It
takes the packet and forwards to
destined port without any modification.
 Networkstill remains in one large
Broadcast Domain.
 It increases bandwidth of the network.
 Multiple devices can be connected to each
interface.
 Switches versus Bridges
 Switches are nothing but bridges with more
ports, with certain important differences:
 Bridges are software based while Switches are
hardware based. Using ASIC (Application
Specific Integrated Circuit) chip to make filtering
decision.
 Bridges can only have one Spanning-Tree
Instance per bridge, while switches can have
many.
 Bridges can have only 16 ports, while switches
can have hundreds
 Bridges are self managed while switches are
manageable.
 Switching Technology
 To understand Switching Technology we need
to understand the following :
 Layer 2 Switching
 Address Learning
 Forward/Filtering Decisions
 Loop Avoidance
 Spanning-Tree Protocol
 LAN Switch Types
Layer 2 Switching
 This is hardware based switching
 It uses MAC address to filter the network.

 To build Filter Table, it uses ASICs

(Application-specific Integrated Circuits)

 It is like Multiport bridge.

 Layer 2 switches do not look at the Network

layer header and hence faster.

 Based on hardware address it decides

whether to forward the packet or drop it.

 Layer 2 Switching provides the following:

 Hardware-based bridging (MAC)

 Wire speed
 Layer 2 switch is considered faster because no
modification in the packet.
 Low Latency
 Because the switching is faster
 Low cost
Three Main Functions of a Switch

 Address learning
 Forward/filter decision
 Loop avoidance
How Switches Learn Host
Locations
MAC address table

A B

0260.8c01.1111 0260.8c01.3333
E0 E1

C E2 E3 D

0260.8c01.2222 0260.8c01.4444

• Initial MAC address table is empty

How Switches Learn Hosts
Locations
MAC address table
E0: 0260.8c01.1111

A B

0260.8c01.1111 0260.8c01.3333
E0 E1

C D
E2 E3
0260.8c01.2222 0260.8c01.4444
• Station A sends a frame to Station C
• Switch caches station A MAC address to port E0 by learning
the source address of data frames
• The frame from station A to station C is flooded out to all
ports except port E0
(unknown unicasts are flooded)
How Switches Learn Host
Locations
MAC address table
E0: 0260.8c01.1111
E3: 0260.8c01.4444
A B

0260.8c01.1111 0260.8c01.3333
E0 E1

C E2 E3 D

0260.8c01.2222 0260.8c01.4444

• Station D sends a frame to station C

• Switch caches station D MAC address to port E3 by learning the
source Address of data frames
• The frame from station D to station C is flooded out to all ports
except port E3 (unknown unicasts are flooded)
 Address Learning
 Switches and Bridges remember the source address of
each frame received on an interface and enter this
information into MAC database.
 Whenever switch receives a packet it makes an entry
of the source address and sends a broadcast for
destination.
 The destination machine then responds to broadcast
and switch receives a packet from destination.
 Switch again makes entry for the destination
machine’s hardware address.
 Using this method Switch maintains a table stating that
which hardware address is available at which port.
How Switches Filter Frames
MAC address table
E0: 0260.8c01.1111
E2: 0260.8c01.2222
A E1: 0260.8c01.3333 B
E3: 0260.8c01.4444
0260.8c01.1111 0260.8c01.3333
E0 E1
X
C
E2
XE3 D

0260.8c01.2222 0260.8c01.4444

 Station A sends a frame to station C

 Destination is known, frame is not flooded
 Forward / Filter Decisions
 When a frame is received on an interface, the switch looks at the
destination hardware address and finds the exit interface in the MAC
database.

 If found the packet will be forwarded to the mentioned port

 If not found the Broadcast / Multicast is sent on all the ports and
the exit port for this particular address is determined.
 Broadcast and Multicast
Frames
MAC address table
E0: 0260.8c01.1111
A E2: 0260.8c01.2222 B
E1: 0260.8c01.3333
E3: 0260.8c01.4444
0260.8c01.1111 0260.8c01.3333
E0 E1

C E2 E3 D

0260.8c01.2222 0260.8c01.4444

• Station D sends a broadcast or multicast frame

• Broadcast and multicast frames are flooded to
all ports other than the originating port
 Broadcast /Multicast
 When packets are sent to a specific machine
that is called Unicast.
 It always knows the destination address
 When packets are sent to few selected or a
group of machines that is called Multicast.
 This does not know the destination no. but it knows
the network no. (few 1s &0s and rest all 1s)
 Whenpackets are sent to all that is called
Broadcast.
 It the destination address will be all 1s.
 Redundant Topology
Server/host X Router Y

Segment 1

Segment 2

 Redundant topology eliminates single points of failure

 Redundant topology causes broadcast storms, multiple frame copies, and MAC
address table instability problems
 Broadcast Storms
Server/host X Router Y

Segment 1
Broadcast

Switch A Switch B

Segment 2

Host X sends a Broadcast

 Broadcast Storms

Server/host X Router Y

Segment 1
Broadcast

Switch A Switch B

Segment 2

Host X sends a Broadcast

 Broadcast Storms
Server/host X Router Y

Segment 1

Switch A Broadcast Switch B

Segment 2

Switches continue to propagate broadcast traffic over

and over
Multiple Frame Copies

Server/host X Unicast Router Y

Segment 1

Switch A Switch B

Segment 2

• Host X sends an unicast frame to router Y

• Router Y MAC address has not been learned by either
switch yet
 Multiple Frame Copies

Server/host X Unicast Router Y

Segment 1
Unicast
Unicast

Switch A Switch B

Segment 2

• Host X sends an unicast frame to Router Y

• Router Y MAC Address has not been learned by
either Switch yet
• Router Y will receive two copies of the same frame
 MAC Database Instability

Server/host X Router Y

Segment 1
Unicast Unicast

Port 0 Port 0
Switch A Switch B
Port 1 Port 1

Segment 2

• Host X sends an unicast frame to Router Y

• Router Y MAC Address has not been learned by either
Switch yet
• Switch A and B learn Host X MAC address on port 0
 MAC Database Instability

Server/host X Router Y
Segment 1
Unicast Unicast

Port 0 Port 0
Switch A Switch B

Port 1 Port 1

Segment 2
• Host X sends an unicast frame to Router Y
• Router Y MAC Address has not been learned by either Switch yet
• Switch A and B learn Host X MAC address on port 0
• Frame to Router Y is flooded
• Switch A and B incorrectly learn Host X MAC address on port 1
Multiple Loop Problems
Server/host
Broadcast
Loop

Loop

Loop

Workstations

 Complex topology can cause multiple loops to occur

 Layer 2 has no mechanism to stop the loop
 Loop Avoidance
 Ifmultiple connections between switches are
created for redundancy, network loops can
occur.
 Most commonly networks are implemented with
redundant links for fault tolerance purpose.
 These multiple links may cause loops and
broadcast storm
 In a switched network some scheme should be
implemented to avoid these loops.
 The Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) is used to stop
network loops and allow redundancy.
Loop Occuring
 In this scenario if no loop avoidance scheme is
implemented the switch will generate a broadcast
storm.
 A device can receive multiple copy of same frames.
 The MAC address table will be continuously updated
and the table itself will be confused, because frames
will be received from more than one link. This is called
“thrashing” MAC Table.
 This is how loops within other loop will be generated
and no switching will be performed in the network.

Note : Spanning Tree Protocol is designed to solve this

problem.
Solution: Spanning-Tree Protocol

x Block

Provides a loop free redundant network topology by

placing certain ports in the blocking state
Spanning-Tree Protocol
 Themain function of STP is to maintain a
loop free network.
 Originally STP was created by DEC (Now
Compaq)
 It was modified by IEEE and was published in
802.1d specification.
 DEC and IEEE 802.1d are not compatible
 All CISCO switches run on IEEE802.1d version of
STP
 Spanning-Tree Operations

• One root bridge per network

• One root port per non-root bridge
• One designated port per segment

100baseT

Designated port (F) Root port (F)

Root bridge Non-root bridge
SW X SW Y
Designated port (F)
xNon-designated port (B)

10baseT
 Bridge Protocol Data Units

 Switches and Bridges running STP exchange

information with something called BPDUs.

 BPDUs send Broadcast messages using

multicast frames.

 BridgeID of each device is sent to other device

using BPDUs.
 Spanning-Tree Protocol
Root Bridge Selection

Switch X Switch Y
Default priority 32768 BPDU Default priority 32768
(8000 hex) (8000 hex)
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222

BPDU = Bridge protocol data unit

(default = sent every 2 seconds)
Root bridge = Bridge with the lowest bridge ID
Bridge ID = Bridge priority + bridge MAC address
In the example, which switch has the lowest bridge ID?
 Spanning-Tree Protocol
Port States
100baseT

Designated port (F) Root port (F)

Port 0 Port 0
Switch X Switch Y
Default priority 32768 Root bridge Default priority 32768
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222
Port 1 Port 1
Designated port (F)
x Nondesignated port (B)

10baseT
 Spanning-Tree Protocol
Path Cost

Link Speed Cost (reratify IEEE spec) Cost (previous IEEE spec)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Gbps 2 1
1 Gbps 4 1
100 Mbps 19 10
10 Mbps 100 100
 How STP Works

 STP continuously monitors the network for a

failure or addition of a link, switch or bridge.
 Whenever there is a change in topology, it

reconfigures switch or bridge to avoid a total

loss of connectivity or creation of new loops.
 STP is by-default enabled in Catalyst switches.

 STP provides a loop-free network by following:

 Electing a Root Bridge
 Root Port for a Non-root Bridge
 Designated port for Each Segment
 Spanning-Tree:
Switch Z
Mac 0c0011110000
Default priority 32768
Port 0

100baseT
Port 0 Port 0
Switch X Switch Y
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222
Default priority 32768 Default priority 32768
Port 1 Port 1

100baseT
Can you figure out:
• What is the root bridge?
• What are the designated, non-designated, and root ports?
• Which are the forwarding and blocking ports?
 Spanning-Tree:
Switch Z
Mac 0c0011110000
Default priority 32768
Port 0
Designated port (F)

100baseT
Port 0 Root port (F) Port 0 Root port (F)
Switch X Switch Y
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222
Default priority 32768 Default priority 32768
Port 1 Port 1
Designated port (F) Nondesignated port (BLK)
100baseT
Can you figure out:
• What is the root bridge?
• What are the designated, non-designated, and root ports?
• Which are the forwarding and blocking ports?
 Electing Root Bridge
 In one Broadcast Domain only one Bridge is designated
as Root Bridge.
 All Ports on the Root Bridge are in Forwarding State and

are called Designated Port

 All ports in forwarding state can send and receive traffic.

 Bridge ID is used to determine the Root Bridge and Root

Port.
 Bridge ID includes the priority and the MAC Address of

the device.
Root Port for a Non-root
Bridge
 The
Root Port is the lowest cost path from a
Non-Root Bridge to the Root Bridge.
 Spanning Tree Path Cost is an accumulated cost
based on bandwidth.
 More Bandwidth - Less Cost
 In the event that the cost is the same then the
deciding factor would be the lowest port no.
 Root Ports are in forwarding state.
Designated Port
 There will be only one Designated Port in one
Segment.
 Designated Port is selected on the bridge that

has the lowest cost path to Root Bridge.

 Designated Port is in the forwarding state.

 Responsible for forwarding traffic for the

segmentation
 Nondesignated Ports are normally in the blocking
state to break the loop topology. That means the
Spanning Tree is preventing it from forwarding
traffic.
Spanning-Tree Port States

Spanning-tree transitions each port

through several different state:

Blocking

Listening

Learning

Forwarding
Spanning Tree Port State

 Blocking : Won’t forward frames; listens to

BPDUs. All ports are in blocking state by
default when the switch is powered up.
 Listening: Listens to BPDUs to make sure
no loops occur on the network before
passing data frames.
 Learning : Learns MAC addresses and builds
a filter table but does not forward frames.
 Forwarding : Sends and receives all data on
the bridged port.
 Spanning-Tree Recalculation

100baseT

Designated port Root port (F)

Port 0 Port 0
Switch X Switch Y
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222
Default priority 32768 Root Bridge Default priority 32768
Port 1 Port 1
Designated port
x Nondesignated port (BLK)

10baseT
 Spanning-Tree Recalculation

100baseT

Designated port Root port (F)

Port 0 Port 0

x
Switch X MAXAGE

x
Switch Y
MAC 0c0011111111 MAC 0c0022222222
Default priority 32768 Root Bridge Default priority 32768
Port 1 BPDU Port 1
Designated port
x Nondesignated port (BLK)

10baseT
Key Issue: Time to
Convergence

• Convergence occurs when all the

switches and bridge ports have
transitioned to either the forwarding or
blocking state.
• When network topology changes,
switches and bridges must recomputed
the Spanning-Tree Protocol, which
disrupts user traffic.
Bridging Compared to LAN
Switching

Bridging

 Primarily software based

 One spanning-tree instance per bridge
 Usually up to 16 ports per bridge

LAN Switching
 Primarily hardware based (ASIC)
 Many spanning-tree instances per switch
 More ports on a switch
Transmitting Frames Through a
Switch
 Cut-through
 Switch checks destination

address and immediately begins

forwarding frame

Frame
Transmitting Frames through a
Switch
 Cut-through  Store and forward
 Switch checks destination
 Complete frame is received and
address and immediately begins checked before forwarding
forwarding frame

Frame Frame
Frame

Frame
 Transmitting Frames through a
Switch
 Cut-through  Store and forward
 Switch checks destination  Complete frame is received and

address and immediately begins checked before forwarding

forwarding frame

Frame Frame
Frame

Frame
 Fragment free
(modified cut-through)
 Switch checks the first 64 bytes then immediately

begins forwarding frame

Frame
 Duplex Overview

Switch
Half duplex (CSMA/CD)
• Unidirectional data flow
• Higher potential for collison Hub
• Hubs connectivity
 Duplex Overview

Switch
Half duplex (CSMA/CD)
• Unidirectional data flow
• Higher potential for collison Hub
• Hubs connectivity

Full duplex
• Point-to-point only
• Attached to dedicated switched port
• Requires full-duplex support on both ends
• Collision free
• Collision detect circuit disabled
Configuring the Switch
Ports on the Catalyst Switch
 Ports on the Catalyst Switch

wg_sw_d#sh run
wg_sw_d#sh spanning-tree
Building configuration...
Port Ethernet 0/1 of VLAN1 is Forwarding
Current configuration:
Port path cost 100, Port priority 128
!
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0090.8673.3340
!
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0090.8673.3340
interface Ethernet 0/1
Designated port is Ethernet 0/1, path cost 0
!
Timers: message age 20, forward delay 15, hold 1
interface Ethernet 0/2

wg_sw_a#show vlan

Port VLAN Membership Type Port VLAN Membership Type

------------------------------------------------------------------
1 5 Static 13 1 Static
2 1 Static 14 1 Static
3 1 Static 15 1 Static
Configuring the Switch

 Configuration Modes
Global configuration mode
wg_sw_a# conf term
wg_sw_a(config)#
Interface configuration mode
wg_sw_a(config)# interface fa0/1
wg_sw_a(config-if)#
Configuring the Switch IP
Address
wg_sw_a(config)#

ip address {ip address} {mask}

 Configuring the Switch IP
Address
wg_sw_a(config)#

ip address {ip address} {mask}

wg_sw_a(config)#int vlan 1
wg_sw_a(config-if)#ip address 10.5.5.11 255.255.255.0
Managing Mac Address Table

wg_sw_a#show mac-address-table
Managing Mac Address Table

wg_sw_a#show mac-address-table

wg_sw_a#sh mac-address-table
Number of permanent addresses : 0
Number of restricted static addresses : 0
Number of dynamic addresses : 6

Address Dest Interface Type Source Interface List

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00E0.1E5D.AE2F Ethernet 0/2 Dynamic All
00D0.588F.B604 FastEthernet 0/26 Dynamic All
00E0.1E5D.AE2B FastEthernet 0/26 Dynamic All
0090.273B.87A4 FastEthernet 0/26 Dynamic All
00D0.588F.B600 FastEthernet 0/26 Dynamic All
00D0.5892.38C4 FastEthernet 0/27 Dynamic All
 Clear NVRAM

wg_sw_d#erase startup

Resets the system configuration to factory defaults.

 Summary

 Aftercompleting this chapter, you should be able

to perform the following tasks:
 Describe Layer 2 switching (bridging) operations
 Describe the switch operations
 Configure switch
 Control of Loops
 Use show commands to verify switch configuration and
operations