What is the difference between routers, switches and bridges ?
A router essentially determines which way is the shortest or fastest in a network, and routes packets accordingly. It works at layer 3 of the OSI model, moving packets from one port to another based on L3 addresses – ie. IP addresses, IPX addresses, etc. A switch connects one point to another in a network temporarily by turning it on and off as necessary. It works at layer 2, with some intelligence (there are also some layer 3 switches, that essentially have routing capabilities). A bridge connects one point to another in a network. It works at layer 1 and 2 of the OSI model. It only connects two segments of the network. A bridge and a switch are very similar. In practice, a switch can be looked at as a multiport bridge – both have the same basic functionality. They move frames between ports based on MAC addresses. A lot of functionality can be added to switches, but the base purpose is the same. “Layer 3” switches can be looked at as a switch with a router inside.
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