There has been an 11.8% growth in the fiber-optic cable manufacturing industry in the past five years. With this growth, most businesses are now switching to and adopting layer 3 services. The layer 3 switches are valuable tools that boost network efficiency, especially when there are several subnets and VLANs. Read on to find out more about layer 3 services.
What are Layer 3 Services?
While these words are thrown around a lot, most people don’t understand what a layer 3 switch or layer 3 connectivity is. Apart from that, why are they so significant to networks? Layer 3 connectivity is a step up from layer 2, which has limited connectivity. When it comes to connectivity, a layer 3 switch is comparable to a 2-in-1 switch and router. So you will notice that a layer 3 switch is quite similar to a router even in terms of design. Apart from appearance, the two also support similar routing protocols and modes of function.
How it Works
Layer 3 connectivity is all about the improved hardware internals. These units combine the internal hardware of both switches and routers to come up with improved network routing performance. However, unlike routers, these switches are built for intranets. This means that they don’t come with wide area network features and ports that are featured on standard routers.
Features of Layer 3 Switches
Generally, a layer 2 switch will have the following features:
- 24 Ethernet ports with no wide area network interface
- Switching algorithm utilized for most simple routed protocols
- Can operate on both layer 2 and layer 3 OSI layers
It’s important to note that the layer 3 switch works as a switch that facilitates connectivity between devices on the same subnet.
Advantages of Layer 3 Connectivity/Switch
The main advantage of layer 3 switches is that they combine several functions and purposes in one package. Below are the benefits of layer 3 switches:
- Eliminates network latency
- Facilitates routing between virtual LANs
- Lower broadcast traffic volumes
- Separates routing tables and boosts segregation of traffic
- Simplifies the configuration process for VLANs
- Simplifies troubleshooting and identification of faults
Layer 3 switches come with a wide range of benefits. They are a significant technological improvement that has made the world a better place by enabling high-speed internet connections and a complete end-to-end experience.
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