![]() In a spine-leaf data center network, leaf switches aggregate traffic from servers and connect directly to spine switches, which interconnect all leaf switches in a full-mesh topology. The details of how these switches are connected is referred to as a “network topology.”Ī modern “spine-leaf” topology using high-speed switches with high port density could easily connect tens of thousands of devices into a single physical network. Multiple network switches can be connected together to support still more devices. They can support anywhere from three devices to thousands of them. Network switches come in a wide variety of speeds, capabilities, and sizes. EVPN-VXLAN is an increasingly common implementation of network segmentation in modern enterprise networks. Virtual network types include virtual private networks (VPNs), virtual LANs (VLANs), and Ethernet VPN-virtual eXtensible LANs (EVPN-VXLANs), all of which are regularly used in midsized and large networks. This capability allows large numbers of systems to be connected to a single physical network while securely segmenting certain systems from the rest. Despite these switches’ advanced capabilities, they continue to be referred to as “switches,” because their primary purpose is to connect devices to one another as part of an IT network.Īn important role of an advanced switch is the ability to create “virtual networks.” Virtual networks isolate groups of networked systems from one another based on configurations provided by network administrators. In the more advanced switches, functions beyond simple LAN interconnection are often a subset of those typically found in other network devices, such as routers and firewalls. ![]() More advanced switches can connect devices from multiple LANs and may even incorporate basic data security functions. The simplest network switches offer connectivity exclusively to devices on a single local-area network (LAN). Basic switching technology has been around for decades and is one of the fundamental building blocks of all modern IT networks, including the Internet.Ī network switch connects users, applications, and equipment across a network so that they can communicate with one another and share resources. Switches can take the form of a dedicated appliance or they can be a component of other equipment, such as network routers and wireless access points (APs), that performs operations on data packets. Basic switches forward packets from one device to another, while more complicated operations (such as deciding if a packet is allowed to reach its intended destination) are traditionally the domain of other types of network devices. IT devices communicate by exchanging “packets” of data over the network. Compute, print, server, file storage, Internet access, and other IT resources can be shared across the network. ![]() Connecting multiple IT devices together creates a communications network. A network switch is equipment that allows two or more IT devices, such as computers, to communicate with one another.
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