Does anybody know what is difference between Layer 3 switch and Router ?
Layer 3 switch are almost same as a router with following differences Layer 3 switch is optimized to data as fast as layer2 switch but it makes the decision on how to transmit traffic at layer 3 (just like a router) Perfect in Lan environment as it is built on switching hardware. Another thing is it is faster than a router in LAN environment. Layer 3 use route once switch many policy. It means when it search for specific destination using a routing table, it creates a cache entry in a switch RAM. So next time it does not have to search again for a routing table for same source and destination address. It also picks up hop information from cache. So you can say that Layer 3 switch has the ability to reprogram the hardware dynamically with the current Layer 3 routing information. That is why it is faster than a router. To be frank many of Cisco’s layer 3 switch’s are actually routers Layer 3 switch good for LAN Routers good for WAN Router has some advanced routing functionality which is
