Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches

Prices are higher than for a Level 2 switch because extra processing power and memory is required for Layer 3 switching. Such switches also require setup and management. Most are configured via a Web based GUI, although support for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is another common option.

Layer 3 switches can be complex to manage, especially on large distributed networks, but the concepts aren't that difficult and affordable Layer 3 switches are now available for small business deployment.

Which switch?

Small networks can be built using just Layer 2 devices, but most corporate networks will have a mix of Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches. Dumb Layer 2 products are a cheap and easy way of providing connectivity to workgroups while more intelligent Layer 3 switches enable departmental networks to be segmented and controlled with no loss of bandwidth.

Finally, it's worth noting that some switch vendors claim to support Layer 4 (the Transport Layer) and above. Load balancing switches, for example, use information beyond Layer 3 to distribute packets across large server farms. However, there's blurring of the levels in these more sophisticated products such that it's now more usual to refer to them as multi-level switches. Multi-level switches are more expensive and complicated to deploy and mostly reserved for specialist applications.

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