Which address or combination of addresses does a Layer 3 switch use to make forwarding decisions?
A Layer 3 switch makes forwarding decisions by using the IP addresses.
Specifically, it uses the destination IP address found in the network layer header of the incoming packet.
When a Layer 3 switch receives a packet, it examines the destination IP address and performs a lookup in its IP routing table.
The routing table contains entries that associate destination IP addresses or IP address ranges with the next hop (neighbor) or directly connected interface.
The Layer 3 switch uses this information to determine the outgoing interface or next hop for forwarding the packet.
The forwarding decision may involve multiple steps, including checking the longest prefix match, subnet mask matching, and administrative distance (if there are multiple routes to the same destination). Layer 3 switches make these decisions based on the destination IP address, which allows them to route traffic between different networks efficiently.
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