What is Switches?

Understanding Switches

Operate at Layer 2. A switch establishes a collision domain per port. Network switches are data link layer Layer 2 devices that forward frames between connected devices based on MAC addresses creating microsegmentation by establishing separate collision domains for each connected port. Unlike hubs switches intelligently direct traffic only to intended recipients improving performance and security. Switch specifications are defined in IEEE 802.1 802.3 standards and vendor implementations. Organizations implement switching through careful network design VLAN segmentation port security management protocols and integration with security monitoring. For example a corporate network might deploy managed switches implementing VLANs to segment traffic between departments port security to prevent unauthorized devices spanning tree protocol to prevent loops and port mirroring to support security monitoring all managed through secure administrative interfaces with strong authentication. Related terms Data link layer MAC address VLAN Network segmentation Port security Spanning tree protocol Managed switch Collision domain Broadcast domain.