Switching: means receiving data on a certain port and forwarding it to appropriate port transparently, just care about the next hop, so it is a layer 2 action. Examples of Layer 2 devices: NIC, Bridge and Switch. Hierarchical network design with access, distribution and core layers. The benefits of the hierarchical network design. Understanding hierarchical network design principles such as network diameter, bandwidth aggregation and redundancy. The definition converged network. Understanding different switch features: 1. Form Factors (Fixed, Modular and Stackable) 2. Performance (Port Density) 3. Performance (Forwarding Rates & Link Aggregation) 4. Power over Ethernet 5. L3 Functions Access Layer Switch Features. Distribution Layer Switch Features. Core Layer Switch Features Features of Cisco Catalyst Switches