Layer 2 device

Layer 2 device

• A. Hub
• B. Repeater
• C. Router
• D. Switch

Answer: (D)

Layer 2 devices forward frames using MAC addresses and build a MAC address table to map where each device lives on the local network. A switch learns the source MAC of frames it receives and then forwards future frames only to the port associated with the destination MAC, which makes communication efficient and keeps each port’s collision domain separate. This ability to switch traffic based on hardware addresses within the same LAN is what defines a Layer 2 device. In contrast, a hub merely repeats signals to all ports, so every device shares a single collision domain; a repeater operates at the physical layer without addressing; and a router works at the network layer, routing packets between different networks using IP addresses.

Layer 2 devices forward frames using MAC addresses and build a MAC address table to map where each device lives on the local network. A switch learns the source MAC of frames it receives and then forwards future frames only to the port associated with the destination MAC, which makes communication efficient and keeps each port’s collision domain separate. This ability to switch traffic based on hardware addresses within the same LAN is what defines a Layer 2 device. In contrast, a hub merely repeats signals to all ports, so every device shares a single collision domain; a repeater operates at the physical layer without addressing; and a router works at the network layer, routing packets between different networks using IP addresses.