switches dynamically learn what mac addresses

Static MAC address learning involves manually configuring the MAC addresses in the switch’s MAC address table. There are two main types of MAC address learning: 1. How to Find MAC Address on Switch? Types of MAC address learning The switch then forwards the data packet to the appropriate port based on the destination MAC address in its MAC address table. When a switch receives a data packet, it examines the source MAC address and updates its MAC address table with the MAC address and the port it received the packet.

The table maps MAC addresses to the physical ports on the switch. MAC address tableĪs data packets are sent through the switch, the switch will start building a MAC address table.

This mechanism ensures that the data packet reaches its intended destination, even if the switch doesn’t know the destination MAC address. If the switch doesn’t have a MAC address in its table, it floods the packet out of all ports except the one it was received on. There are two main ways that a switch can learn MAC addresses: #1. The switch needs to learn the MAC addresses by examining the source MAC address of incoming data packets. When a switch is first powered on, it does not know any MAC addresses in the network. The first six digits represent the manufacturer’s unique identifier, while the last six digits represent the NIC’s unique identifier. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.Ī MAC address is a 48-bit address expressed in hexadecimal format, which means it consists of 12 hexadecimal digits. Understanding MAC addressesīefore we dive into how a switch learns MAC addresses, let us first understand what MAC addresses are. In this article, we will explore how a switch learns MAC addresses. However, for the switch to know where to send the data packets, it needs to know the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the devices in the network. One of the primary functions of a switch is to forward data packets between devices in the network. A switch is a networking device that connects devices together in a network. If you have ever worked with computer networks, you may have heard of a switch.

Switches dynamically learn what mac addresses