Layer 3 routing Vs Layer 3 switching

[sathyasav]

Hello,

Can someone brief me out the differene between layer 3 routing and layer 3 switching.

I got this doubt when i am reading CEF.

As per my understanding,

Layer 3 routing is what the router does----->Learning the routes via routing protocol and forwarding the packets based on the routing table information.

Layer 3 switching is what the CEF does---->Forwading the packets in hardware based on the FIB and ADjacency table information. 

[sathyasav]

Hi jon,

you are great!!!!!!

I read in some cisco document that even TCAM can store the L2 information(i.e mas address table) just what CAM is storing.So in layer 3 switch it stores the FIB,Adjacency table in TCAM also as per my first point the same TCAM is used for stroing MAC address table(CAM is not required),is this rite.CAM will be there only in layer 2 switch is it rite.

ANd my final question is,both CAM and TCAM are a part of RAM or both has a separete memory.