Switching in An Enterprise Network

Switching in an
Enterprise Network
Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprise

Chapter 3
Version 4.0 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 1
Objectives
Compare the types of switches used in an enterprise
network.
Explain how Spanning Tree Protocol prevents
switching loops.
Describe and configure VLANs on a Cisco switch.
Describe and configure trunking and Inter-VLAN
routing.
Maintain VLANs in an enterprise network.
2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 2

Compare the Types of Switches Used in an
Enterprise Network
Switching and network segmentation
Content addressable memory (CAM)
Virtual circuits

Enterprise Network
Hardware-based Layer 2 switching
Software-based Layer-3 (multilayer) switching

Enterprise Network
Store and forward switching
Cut-through switching
Fast-forward
Fragment-free

Store and forward switching
Entire frame is read and stored in memory before being sent

to the destination device.
The switch checks the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value.
CRC value is located within the frame check sequence (FCS)
field of an Ethernet frame.
Highest amount of latency
Typically only used in environments where errors are likely to
occur, such as environments that have a high probability of
EMI.

Cut-through switching: Fast-forward
Fastest method of switching.

The switch forwards the frames out the destination port
as soon as it reads the destination MAC address.
This method has the lowest latency
Forwards collision fragments and damaged frames.
Best in a stable network with few errors.

Cut-through switching: Fragment-Free
Switch reads first 64 bytes of the frame before it begins

to forward it out the destination port.
The shortest valid Ethernet frame is 64 bytes.
Smaller frames are usually the result of a collision and
are called runts.
Checking the first 64 bytes ensures that the switch
does not forward collision fragments.

Current Cisco Switch
Most Cisco LAN switches rely on the store-and-forward

method for switching.
Newer technology and faster processing times,
switches are able to store and process the frames
almost as quickly as cut-through switching, without the
issue of errors.
Higher end features, such as multilayer switching,
require the use of the store-and-forward method.

Adaptive Cut-through Switching
Switches that can adapt their switching method to changing network
conditions.
Begin by forwarding traffic using the fast-forward method
Recognized the errors and stores an error counter in memory.
It compares the number of errors found to a predefined threshold value.
If the number of errors exceeds the threshold value the switch modifies
itself to perform store and forward switching.
If the number of errors drops back below the threshold, the switch
reverts back to fast-forward mode.

Enterprise Network
Switch physical security
Switch access security

Switch Basic Security
Physically secure the device

Use secure passwords
Enable SSH access
Monitor access and traffic
Disable http access
Disable unused ports
Enable port security
Disable Telnet

Explain How Spanning Tree Protocol Prevents
Switching Loops
Redundancy in network equipment
Redundant network links
Dangers of switching loops
Broadcast storms

Redundancy
Two different pathways to
a particular destination.
Examples of redundancy
in non-networking
2 roads into a town
2 bridges to cross a river
2 two doors to exit a building
If one way is blocked,

another is still available.

Switch Redundancy
Connecting switch with multiple links

Redundant links in a switched network reduce congestion
and support high availability and load balancing.
Disadvantages : Creates switching loops.
The broadcast frames go around and around in all
directions, causing a broadcast storm.
Broadcast storms use up all of the available bandwidth
Existing network connections to be dropped

Unicast frame problem
Multiple frame transmissions

MAC database instability.

Multiple frame transmissions
A host sends a unicast frame to a destination host
No destination MAC address in Switch MAC table
Switch floods the frame out all ports.
In a looped network, the frame could be sent back to the initial switch
Process repeats, creating multiple copies of the frame
Destination host receives multiple copies of the frame.
This causes
wasted bandwidth
wasted CPU time
duplication of transaction traffic.

MAC database instability
Switches learn the wrong information about the location

of a host.
If a loop exists, one switch may associate the
destination MAC address with two separate ports.
This causes confusion and suboptimal of frame
forwarding.

How Spanning Tree Protocol Prevents
Switching Loops
Create a loop-free logical topology
STP is an open standard protocol
Potential loop detection and port blocking
Redundancy without switching loops

How STP prevent switching loops
Forces certain interfaces into a standby or blocked

state
Leaves other interfaces in a forwarding state
Reconfigures the network by activating the appropriate
standby path, if the forwarding path becomes
unavailable

Root Bridge
Primary switch or focal point in the STP topology.

The root bridge communicates with the other switches using
Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs).
BPDUs are frames that multicast every 2 seconds to all other
switches.
BPDUs contain information such as:
Identity of the source switch
Identity of the source port
Cumulative cost of path to root bridge

How Spanning Tree Protocol Prevents
Switching Loops
Determining a root bridge
Bridge ID (BID)
Root ports, designated ports, and blocked ports

STP switch port states
Blocking
Listening
Learning
Forwarding
Disabled

STP Stage

Switching Loops
STP recalculations
Minimizing downtime
PortFast
UplinkFast
BackboneFast

Switching Loops
Spanning-tree verification commands

Switching Loops
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
Discarding
Active topology

Describe and Configure VLANs on a Cisco
Switch
Virtual LANs
Logical networks
Broadcast control
Transparent to end-users

Switch
VLAN functions
VLAN membership
Static
Dynamic

Switch
VLAN 1: management VLAN
VLAN numbers and names
Port assignment

Switch
VLAN verification commands
Deleting a VLAN
Removing a port from a VLAN

Switch
VLAN ID
Frame tagging: IEEE 802.1Q

Describe and Configure Trunking and Inter-
VLAN Routing
Trunk port characteristics
Point-to-point link
Carry multiple-VLAN traffic over single link
Support for frame tagging

Trunk modes

VLAN Routing
Extending VLANs across switches
Configuring a native VLAN

VLAN Routing
Connectivity between different VLANs
Subinterfaces
Router-on-a-stick

Maintain VLAN Structure on an Enterprise
Network
VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) purpose and goals
Management domain
VTP modes: server, client, transparent
VLAN database
Configuration revision number

Network
VTP messages
Summary advertisements
Subset advertisements
Advertisement requests

Network
Configuring VTP
Verifying VTP configuration

Network
VLANs and IP phones
VLANs and wireless security

Network
VLAN best practices
VLAN security

Summary
Switches forward traffic using store and forward or cut-through
techniques
Basic security features should be applied to switches
A VLAN is a way to group hosts on the same logical network even
though they may be physically separated
Frame tagging allows a switch to identify the source VLAN of an
Ethernet frame.
A Layer 3 device is needed to move traffic between different
VLANs.
Subinterfaces allow router interfaces to support multiple VLANs.
VLAN Trunking Protocol provides centralized control, distribution
and maintenance of VLANs.


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Switching in an

Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprise

2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 2

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Entire frame is read and stored in memory before being sent

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Fastest method of switching.

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Switch reads first 64 bytes of the frame before it begins

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Most Cisco LAN switches rely on the store-and-forward

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Physically secure the device

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If one way is blocked,

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Connecting switch with multiple links

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Multiple frame transmissions

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Switches learn the wrong information about the location

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Forces certain interfaces into a standby or blocked

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Primary switch or focal point in the STP topology.

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Spanning-tree verification commands

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Support for frame tagging

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