Routing vs Switching

Hi (Firewall.cx)ers
What I'm asking looks very simple but it's not when digging more, ready?
what are basics behind using Routing or Switching?
What is the difference between Routing a packet than Switching a packet?
And finally why there is Routing since there is Switching? :roll:

Briefly, switching is done on the layer 2 level while routing is done on the layer 3 level. i.e. switches forward Ethernet frames using the destination MAC address written in the frame according to a CAM table. While routers forward IP packets using the destination IP written in the packet according to a routing table.

Reading it again, this is too brief!! :roll:. The following two articles can help

www.firewall.cx/switches.php
www.firewall.cx/ip_routing.php

switching is a space within routing . in addition to sending the data routing sellects the best path to destination based on some routing protocols. If you like you can use the terms routers and switches if you like.

basically routers operate at layer 3 and switches at layer 2, but you can also have switching at layer three that to some extend can replace routers and routers operating at layer 2.

take care

S0lo, it makes a lot of sence when if there is only layer 2 switching and layer 3 routing
But there is also layer 3 switching (as sose mentioned)!!
So we can't say that switching based on IP is routing or based on MAC is Switching.
I understood that switching is to switch packets within same network while routing is to switch packets form different networks, but I I don't know if this is true or no!

routing and switching technologies were integrated in a layer 3 switch. but a layer 3 switch has its limitations compared to high powered routers, it is mostly used within an intranet and relatively cost less than routers

sose

S0lo, it makes a lot of sence when if there is only layer 2 switching and layer 3 routing
But there is also layer 3 switching (as sose mentioned)!!
So we can't say that switching based on IP is routing or based on MAC is Switching.

Yes, as sose noted there exists layer 3 switches. These switches can do both routing and switching at the same time. Imagine it like a router and switch all built into one device. The configuration you define decides what the switch is going to do. In other words, you tell it when to route and when to switch.

In Cisco terms, this is done by defining different VLANs (different networks) on different ports and then using the ip routing command to enable routing (i.e layer 3 switching).

I understood that switching is to switch packets within same network while routing is to switch packets form different networks, but I I don't know if this is true or no!

Thats absolutely correct , but for switching (layer 2) the packets are called frames. Only in routing (layer 3) they are called packets.

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