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fuckstick | 3 years ago

You are wrong.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilayer_switch

See for an intro.

discuss

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reilly3000|3 years ago

From reading that I see L3 switching uses "specialized ASICs with the help of content-addressable memory" and later on features "flow accounting". I'm supposing those primitives could make a rate limiter. I'm refusing to go down this rabbit hole though. If I'm wrong I'm sure I'll hear about it by tomorrow :)

iwillbenice|3 years ago

Respectfully, you are incorrect. Switches, in the technical sense and accepted terminology, refers to Layer 2 processing. Routing is Layer 3. And so on. MLS is just a combined product offering multiple Layers of processing.

hackmiester|3 years ago

I think this argument can never be won. "Layer 3 switch" is common terminology. But "switching" strictly speaking is a Layer 2 action. But sometimes we say that a switch is "switching packets at Layer 3" when it is doing a hardware action in response to IP layer information. We could go back and forth all day. So let's all be reasonable if possible.

fuckstick|3 years ago

A layer 3 switch does not just “glean” information from the packet , it can switch packets and rewrite IP header data at wire speed to place packets on different networks completely bypassing a router. I don’t know of any better term for it than a “layer 3 switch”.

But these are not “straightforward” concepts - you say there is no “hybrid” thing - but there most certainly is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_router