Benefits Of Layer 3 Switches - 3Com SuperStack II 3300 User Manual

Benefits of Layer 3
Switches
Static routes are entered manually into the routing table, and are used
to reach networks not advertised by routers, for example, if a
particular routing policy needs to be enforced. Static routes force
traffic to follow a specific path through the network.
The network administrator can set up a special static route, called the
default route or default gateway. Any frames containing a destination
address which the routing table does not recognize are sent to this
destination by default.
The advantage of static routes is that they cannot easily be disrupted
by routing protocol instability and can be used to provide a backup
routing infrastructure in such cases. The disadvantage of static routes
is that if the network links in the route definition are down, traffic
cannot be routed. The implementation of a static route usually
prohibits the router from offering an alternative data path.
Layer 3 switches offer the following benefits:
Layer 3 switches can reduce traffic on a network because they do not
forward broadcast packets from one VLAN to another.
They can provide a simple firewall between subnetworks. This
prevents incidents that occur within one subnet from affecting others.
They make large Layer 3 switched networks easier to maintain than
their Layer 2 switch-based equivalents.
Router-based networks support any topology, and can more easily
accommodate greater network size and complexity than similar
Layer 2 switched networks.
Layer 3 switches can be used to off-load IP traffic from older legacy
routers that may have become overloaded.

Benefits of Layer 3 Switches

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