12/11/2024, 23:20 What is a network switch?

| Juniper Networks US

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What is a network switch?

What is a network switch?

A network switch is equipment that allows two or more IT devices, such as computers, to
communicate with one another. Connecting multiple IT devices together creates a
communications network. Compute, print, server, file storage, Internet access, and other IT
resources can be shared across the network.

IT devices communicate by exchanging “packets” of data over the network. 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.

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 switching technology has been around for decades and is one of the
fundamental building blocks of all modern IT networks, including the Internet.

What problems do switches solve?

A network switch connects users, applications, and equipment across a network so that they can
communicate with one another and share resources. The simplest network switches offer
connectivity exclusively to devices on a single local-area network (LAN). More advanced switches
can connect devices from multiple LANs and may even incorporate basic data security functions.

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. 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.

An 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. This capability allows large numbers of systems to be
connected to a single physical network while securely segmenting certain systems from the rest.
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. EVPN-VXLAN is an increasingly common implementation of
network segmentation in modern enterprise networks.

Network switches come in a wide variety of speeds, capabilities, and sizes. They can support
anywhere from three devices to thousands of them. Multiple network switches can be
connected together to support still more devices. The details of how these switches are

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connected is referred to as a “network topology.”

A 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. 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. These large networks are typically
segmented into a large number of virtual networks using EVPN-VXLAN, with leaf switches
providing access to (and routing for) different network segments.

This type of network is common in data centers shared by many customers (called “multitenant”
data centers), as well as those used by governments and large enterprises.

How does a switch work?

The way a network switch enables inter-device communication is that all connected systems,
including the switch itself, follow a standard set of communications protocols. These standards
are defined and maintained by international standards organizations, such as the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

There are three primary ways for devices to connect to a network: radio (such as Wi-Fi), electrical
(such as RJ-45 Ethernet), and light-based optics. Each connection method uses a different means
of physical network interconnection—RF spectrum, copper cabling, and fiber-optic cabling,
respectively—over which IT devices communicate by sending each other a stream of 1s and 0s.

Network standards allow these streams of 1s and 0s to be interpreted into packets. Packets
contain a header and a payload. Packet headers contain information such as the source and
destination address of the devices that are participating in this communication. Payloads contain
the data that the networked devices are actually attempting to exchange. Each device on a
network has one or more addresses to which packets can be addressed.

Groups of packets exchanged by two or more addresses are called “data flows.” Data flows are
roughly equivalent to individual conversations among networked devices. A switch reads the
addresses from the packet headers and then forwards the packets toward their destination.

Switches maintain records, called lookup tables (LUTs). LUTs contain a list of which addresses can
be reached using specific switch ports. Some switches, as well as all routers, can be configured
with “routes.” Routes are a type of LUT that directs switches to send all packets with certain
destinations to an intermediary switch or router. Using routes allows switches to send packets to
devices for which the switch doesn’t have address information.

For example, let’s consider how a smartphone might use a home Wi-Fi network to access a web
page. The smartphone connects via Wi-Fi to an AP. The AP has a built-in RJ-45/Ethernet switch,
which is connected to an Internet router.

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Devices like smartphones access web servers and other remote resources when a series of interconnected switches and routers communicate with
one another, hop by hop, from source to destination and back using standard communications protocols and addressing schemes.

A packet of data leaves the smartphone’s radio and is received by the AP. The AP reads the data
packet, and determines that it doesn’t know where the destination address in that packet header
is located. The switch in the AP has been configured to send all packets with destination
addresses it doesn’t know about to the Internet router, so it sends a copy of that data packet
through its built-in switch towards the router.

From here, the data packet begins its journey across the Internet. From router to router, and
across an unknown number of switches in between, that data packet will eventually arrive at a
web server. The web server will respond in kind, sending data packets back along an Internet
path toward the original source Internet router, AP-embedded switch, and eventually the
smartphone.

This exchange of packets creates a data flow between the smartphone and the web server.
Communication is possible because each one of dozens (if not hundreds) of different hardware
devices and associated software between the source and destination adhere to standards that
have been defined and maintained for decades.

How Juniper implements network switches

Juniper offers a variety of switches with different specs to fit a range of data centers, campus
fabrics, and Internet service provider (ISP) networks. Juniper switches feature advanced
capabilities and are proven to scale to accommodate the largest networks in the world. Juniper
switches, routers, firewalls, and other network devices are at the core of many of the critical
networks that underlie the modern Internet.

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Juniper switches offer low latency and advanced functionality such as software-defined wide-
area networking (SD-WAN) support. They can route packets to both Layer 2 (Ethernet) and Layer
3 (IP) addresses. In a switching context, Layer 2 refers to forwarding data packets to a certain
switch port based on what’s known as a media access control (MAC) address, while Layer 3
refers to forwarding data packets based on IP address. Each packet’s destination is calculated
using LUTs such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) routing tables.

Juniper switches and routers are supported by Mist AI™, which uses a combination of artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data science techniques to optimize operations across
multiple network domains. Juniper network switches and other devices can be managed in
several ways, depending on your needs, including:

Juniper Mist Cloud, which offers a single portal and AI-based insights and automation
Juniper Apstra intent-based networking software
Python
Puppet
Ansible
Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP)

Juniper networking devices use the Junos OS to offer advanced networking features like:

EVPN-VXLAN
BGP Additional Paths (BGP-AP)
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Layer 3 VPN
VLAN
IPv6 Provider Edge (6PE)
Cloud optimization

Some Juniper switches are modular, meaning they consist of a chassis and a series of add-in
cards. These add-in cards allow for different numbers and speeds of network interface ports and
multiple types of WAN connections. They might also contain additional processing cards that
offer advanced features. Depending on functionality and number of connectivity ports, Juniper
switches might be in form factors as compact as 1 U or as large as 16 U.

High-end Juniper switches can support speeds up to 1080 Gbps and can keep track of up to 1
million MAC address connections. These types of switches are optimal for large data centers,
branch locations with advanced networking requirements, and campus deployments.

For large enterprise environments and data centers, it’s common to connect multiple switches
together into a network fabric, which is resilient to the loss of any individual switch. Similarly, in
these environments, it’s common to use link aggregation to combine multiple physical network
connections into a single, highly available logical connection. Juniper recommends deploying
switches in an EVPN-VXLAN fabric using Ethernet Switch Identifier-Link Aggregation Groups
(ESI-LAGs), which enable peer client devices to form direct logical link interfaces with one
another when high-availability connections are required. Juniper switches also support
Multichassis LAGs (MC-LAGs) and virtual-chassis configurations for redundancy, although these
are no longer recommended.

Network Switches FAQs

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What are network switches used for?

A network switch allows two or more IT devices to communicate with one another. In addition to connecting to end
devices like PCs and printers, switches may be connected to other switches, routers, and firewalls, all of which can
provide connectivity to additional devices. Network switches can also support virtual networks, allowing large
networks of interconnected devices to communicate while segmenting certain groups of devices from others for
security purposes without requiring separate, costly physical networks.

What’s the difference between a switch and a router?

The practical difference between a switch and a router is what you plug in to each one. Switches are sold for the
purpose of connecting many devices, such as servers, PCs, and printers. Routers have increasingly become
specialized in routing packets between physical sites, as well as to and from the Internet, at scales ranging from
small home networks to the largest data centers in the world.

When you buy a switch, you typically look at the number of ports it supports, the speed of those ports, and what
kind of virtual networking the switch enables. Many switches also have basic routing capabilities; routers can route
far larger numbers of packets than switches and increasingly support additional capabilities, such as data security.

Traditionally, the difference between a switch and a router was that switches could only forward packets based
upon Layer 2 MAC addresses, while a router could route packets based on Layer 3 addresses like IP. In practice, this
meant that switches connected a single LAN together, while routers connected multiple LANs, multiple physical
locations, and/or offered connectivity to the Internet. This has changed.

In the context of modern networking, the difference between a switch and a router is largely about the primary
purpose of the device. Today’s advanced switches support virtual networks and can route packets between different
virtual and physical LANs. This means today’s switches can route packets based on both Layer 2 and Layer 3
addresses, just like routers can.

What are the advantages of switch deployments?

Switches allow networks to securely scale in size. Larger switches have the size, security programming, speed, and
routing specs to manage up to 1 million MAC addresses. When combined into a network fabric, entire campuses
can be connected into a single network, as can large-scale data centers that measure their compute capacity not in
the number of servers they contain, but in the number of acres they occupy.

Today’s advanced switches, with support for functionality such as EVPN-VXLAN, enable these large-scale campus
and data center networks to function. Combined with routers and firewalls, they can integrate AI, machine learning,
and automation capabilities with cloud-based management to make even networks operating at extreme scale easy
to manage.

What are the main functions of a network switch?

Switches have three primary tasks. They learn MAC addresses, forward data packets, and protect those packets.
Switches learn and store MAC addresses in what’s called the Content Addressable Memory (CAM) table, a type of
LUT. Some switches can forward data through Layer 3 network overlays using IP address parameters. Lastly, they
keep data packets secure by incorporating VPNs, firewalls, and enhanced encryption embedded in the
programming.

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How do Juniper’s switches make networking better?

Juniper’s switches make the Internet itself possible. Our switches are deployed not only in the networks of ISPs
around the world but also in the world’s largest data centers and in many campus networks, as well. Having to
operate in these diverse and demanding environments means that Juniper has the experience to build networking
equipment for any need.

Juniper switches are scalable, secure, compatible with non-Juniper equipment, and ready to meet the needs of any
network, no matter how large. Juniper network management software takes advantage of AI to enable automation
and personalized insights, easing the burden on network administrators.

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Gartner Names Juniper a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic

Quadrant™ for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure

Related Content

RESEARCH RESEARCH
TOPICS TOPICS

What Is an Access
What is EVPN- What is SD-WAN? Point in Networking?
VXLAN?
An access point (AP) is a term used for
A software-defined wide-area network
a network device that bridges wired
(SD-WAN) is an automated,
EVPN-VXLAN provides large and wireless networks.
programmatic approach to managing
enterprises a common framework to
enterprise network connectivity and
manage their campus and data center
circuit costs.
networks with efficient and scalable
Layer 2/Layer 3 network connectivity.

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Read more  Read more  Read more 

Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure, Tim Zimmerman, Christian Canales, et al., 6 March 2024

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein
with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research
publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Juniper Networks is recognized as Juniper in the 2024, 2022, and 2021 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure reports.

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