Recently routers and switches used to be genuinely independent devices. But the technology is constantly moves forward, and higher requirements take place. That's why we can see a trend to join the functionality of these two devices in one.
First of all, let's look at the idea of layer 3 switching. With rapidly developing technology there was appeared the interrogate for device, which can consolidate the high performance of switch and "intelligence" of router. It was inefficient to implement router into the network topology, where routing was necessary, but its usage was rare. From other side, routers use high level routing protocols which results in slow performance and high level of resource consumption. Inspecting these aspects, the decision to build new devices was approved.
Depending on way of implementing, the layer 3 switching there are two types of switch router:
- Routing switch.
- Switching router.
In this description the main features of routing switch will be discussed. The routing switch is a switch, which operates at the data link layer of the Osi model, but has some improvements in order to use it as the router at the network layer. To conclude the shortest path, routing switches don't use software-based routing protocols, such as Rip or Ospf. Instead of this, they have specialized hardware to implement distinct searching methods and to save the routing information. For example, the method called Mls (Multilayer Switching) was designed by the Cisco Corporation in order to supply multiprotocol data transmission over Atm network and this method is used in routing switches. It's leading to understand that routing switches are aimed to be used only for inter-Vlan routing (no Wan support).
The main features of routing switch:
- It has 24 Ethernet ports and doesn't preserve Wan interfaces, unlike routers.
- It switches and routes much faster than former routers.
- It forms broadcast domain and act as a switch on the same network.
There are lots of other types of definite routing switches. One of them is computer wireless router that can work also as an way point. In this case you get genuinely "three for one":
- an way point for wireless data transmission.
- a switch, to associate computers in one network.
- a router, for external access.
So when you should use routing switch?
- When you have a network with a lot of hosts which cause a huge amount of broadcast messages.
- When you have Vlans in your network and you want to enhance performance.
- When you need higher level of protection by implementing Vlans.
- When it's unreasonable to use former router because of high price or low performance.
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