11-05-2025 11:14 PM - edited 11-05-2025 11:21 PM
Hello Support,
I have a LAN with a Distribution switch 9300 and Access switch 9200.
9200 series support L3 routing, my question is about implementing L2 network with Trunk or implementing routed access Network with OSPF. which is the best architecture is this situation and why?
L2 switching or L3 routing?
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11-05-2025 11:27 PM
gDay to u @Rowlands Price, Both designs work, but it depends on ur goals my G, so;;
L2 (Trunking), simpler and fine for small networks. The 9300 handles all inter-VLAN routing, and access switches just pass VLANs up. Downside: larger broadcast domains and slower convergence if loops or STP events occur.
L3 (Routed Access with OSPF) - better for scalability and fault isolation. Each access switch routes directly to the distribution layer (no VLANs extended), giving faster convergence and easier troubleshooting.
Which means that if u have multiple access switches or expect the network to grow, go with L3 routed access + OSPF. If it’s a small, simple LAN, L2 trunks are still perfectly fine..........
and check these G:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/solutions/CVD/Campus/cisco-campus-lan-wlan-design-guide.html
https://www.ciscolive.com/c/dam/r/ciscolive/global-event/docs/2025/pdf/BRKENS-1500.pdf
hope it helps and PEACE!
-Enes
11-06-2025 12:01 AM
Speed-wise, there’s no real performance difference between L2 trunking and L3 routing on modern Catalyst switches like the 9200/9300, cause both forward traffic in hardware (ASIC), so line-rate is the same. The main difference is design, not speed:
L2 = simpler, but relies on STP and can have bigger broadcast domains.
L3 = cleaner fault isolation and faster recovery if a link/switch fails.
So for ur setup (1 distro + 9 access), you can safely stay L2 if things are stable, u won’t gain speed by moving to L3...
happy to help G, and GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND!
-Enes
11-06-2025 05:48 AM
L3 routing at the edge is usually mostly beneficial if there's cross VLAN traffic between VLANs on the same edge device (this to avoid needing to send traffic to and from an upstream gateway).
If you only have a L2 edge, connected to a L3 switch, you then have a design decision, which is, do you extend the same VLAN across multiple edge switches? Generally, it's better to not extend VLANs.
11-05-2025 11:27 PM
gDay to u @Rowlands Price, Both designs work, but it depends on ur goals my G, so;;
L2 (Trunking), simpler and fine for small networks. The 9300 handles all inter-VLAN routing, and access switches just pass VLANs up. Downside: larger broadcast domains and slower convergence if loops or STP events occur.
L3 (Routed Access with OSPF) - better for scalability and fault isolation. Each access switch routes directly to the distribution layer (no VLANs extended), giving faster convergence and easier troubleshooting.
Which means that if u have multiple access switches or expect the network to grow, go with L3 routed access + OSPF. If it’s a small, simple LAN, L2 trunks are still perfectly fine..........
and check these G:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/solutions/CVD/Campus/cisco-campus-lan-wlan-design-guide.html
https://www.ciscolive.com/c/dam/r/ciscolive/global-event/docs/2025/pdf/BRKENS-1500.pdf
hope it helps and PEACE!
-Enes
11-05-2025 11:40 PM
Thanks Enes, indeed it's a small network with one distribution (9300) and 9 access switches (9200).
what about the speed? which is more speed between L2 (Trunking) and L3 (rouring)?
11-06-2025 12:01 AM
Speed-wise, there’s no real performance difference between L2 trunking and L3 routing on modern Catalyst switches like the 9200/9300, cause both forward traffic in hardware (ASIC), so line-rate is the same. The main difference is design, not speed:
L2 = simpler, but relies on STP and can have bigger broadcast domains.
L3 = cleaner fault isolation and faster recovery if a link/switch fails.
So for ur setup (1 distro + 9 access), you can safely stay L2 if things are stable, u won’t gain speed by moving to L3...
happy to help G, and GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND!
-Enes
11-06-2025 12:07 AM
Many Thanks Enes, i will go with L2, more simpler.
for reducing broadcast domains, will configure 2 vlans per switch (one vlan for data, one for voice)
11-09-2025 12:12 AM
Thanks Enes,
what about the link between 9300 and the Internet Firewall? keeping L2 or using L3 routing using ospf?
11-06-2025 06:18 AM
what about the speed? which is more speed between L2 (Trunking) and L3 (rouring)?
That's an "it depends" answer, including factors such as how you define "speed" and the capabilities of the actual hardware.
With modern hardware, assuming the hardware doesn't need, for some reason, to "punt" a packet, likely the only forwarding difference between L2 and L3, the latter may have some additional latency. Much older platforms, doing flow based L3 forwarding would have higher additional latency for the first packet of a flow.
I want to emphasize that any latency differences between L2 and L3 forwarding are usually so small that almost all the time it doesn't matter to typical networks. For example, would a 1 microsecond delta matter to your usage?
BTW, you might also find forwarding latency differences between different hardware platforms.
Simple example, even for just L2 forwarding, the latency difference between traditional store and forward switching and cut through switching. Or the difference between fragment free cut through and not fragment free cut through switching. All three forms of L2 switching may be wire-speed/line-rate, and the same "speed" if you only consider bandwidth, but not the same "speed" in time needed to deliver data.
11-06-2025 05:48 AM
L3 routing at the edge is usually mostly beneficial if there's cross VLAN traffic between VLANs on the same edge device (this to avoid needing to send traffic to and from an upstream gateway).
If you only have a L2 edge, connected to a L3 switch, you then have a design decision, which is, do you extend the same VLAN across multiple edge switches? Generally, it's better to not extend VLANs.
11-09-2025 12:13 AM
Hi Joseph
what about the link between 9300 and the Internet Firewall? keeping L2 or using L3 routing using ospf?
11-06-2025 01:10 PM - edited 11-06-2025 01:21 PM
I'd leave the 9200 to do Layer 2.
9300 can handle Layer 3 routing fine (Network Advantage license required).
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