Switching Modes

Switching Mode is a technique used by switch to transfer data between source and destination computers.

There are different modes of switching.

1) Store and forward

2) Cut through

3) Fragment Free

1) Store and forward: In store Forward Method Switch copies the entire data frame to its buffer memory before forwarding to the destination.Switch also performs CRC to ensure there is no loss of data. The data is forwarded to the destination MAC address by checking MAC address table. Example- CISCO catalyst 5000 series. 

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2) Cut-Through: In this mode Switch forwards the data by shortest path and only copies destination address. Switch does not check for errors in the data.Therefore it is faster, but there might have some errors.

3) Fragment Free Mode: It is similar to Store and forward, but switch checks for errors. It provides more error free data compared to store and forward. Example- 1900 CISCO Catalyst.