What would you find in a switch's MAC address table?

What would you find in a switch's MAC address table?

• A. The destination IP addresses of the frames
• B. The source MAC addresses of incoming frames
• C. The VLAN number assigned to each port
• D. The DHCP leases issued by the server

Answer: (B)

In a switch's MAC address table, you would find the source MAC addresses of incoming frames. This table, often referred to as the MAC address table or content addressable memory (CAM) table, plays a crucial role in the data-link layer of the OSI model. When a switch receives a frame, it inspects the source MAC address of that frame and records it in the MAC address table, associating that address with the specific port on which the frame was received. This process enables the switch to learn the locations of devices on the network and is essential for efficient frame switching. When the switch later receives frames that need to be sent to specific destination MAC addresses, it can refer to this table to determine the appropriate port, ensuring the frames are forwarded only to the correct recipient. In contrast, the other options do not belong in a switch's MAC address table. Destination IP addresses are associated with the network layer and would be found in routing tables, VLAN numbers pertain to Layer 2 networking configurations but are not a part of the MAC address table, and DHCP leases are related to IP address allocation and would be held by a DHCP server rather than a switch.

In a switch's MAC address table, you would find the source MAC addresses of incoming frames. This table, often referred to as the MAC address table or content addressable memory (CAM) table, plays a crucial role in the data-link layer of the OSI model.

When a switch receives a frame, it inspects the source MAC address of that frame and records it in the MAC address table, associating that address with the specific port on which the frame was received. This process enables the switch to learn the locations of devices on the network and is essential for efficient frame switching. When the switch later receives frames that need to be sent to specific destination MAC addresses, it can refer to this table to determine the appropriate port, ensuring the frames are forwarded only to the correct recipient.

In contrast, the other options do not belong in a switch's MAC address table. Destination IP addresses are associated with the network layer and would be found in routing tables, VLAN numbers pertain to Layer 2 networking configurations but are not a part of the MAC address table, and DHCP leases are related to IP address allocation and would be held by a DHCP server rather than a switch.