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Switching Encapsulation

ruchikkumar
Level 1
Level 1

Can someone please help me on my quelry: why encapsulation is not required in layer 2 and why it is required on Layer 3.What woud be the imapct of that ?

Thanks in advance.

Ruchik Sharma
2 Accepted Solutions

Accepted Solutions

Leo Laohoo
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
Can someone please help me on my quelry: why encapsulation is not required in layer 2 and why it is required on Layer 3.What woud be the imapct of that ?

I think you are talking about inter-VLAN communications using routing.   Read the document below as it will answer a lot of your questions.

Configuring InterVLAN Routing and ISL/802.1Q Trunking on a Catalyst 2900XL/3500XL/2950 Switch Using an External Router

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk389/tk815/technologies_configuration_example09186a00800949fd.shtml

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Leo provides a link with good information. But the question from the original poster seems to indicate a fundamental misunderstanding about encapsulation and I would like to respond to that part.

Encapsulation is a fundamental concept in the development of the layered model and in the implementation of the TCP/IP stack. The original question seems to assume that encapsulation happens at one layer or the other. But the reality is that encapsulation happens multiple times at multiple layers. The original data payload is produced in the application that is running. The original data payload is encapsulated at the data link layer, where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on the protocol port numbers. Then encapsulation happens again at the networking layer where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on IP addresses. Then encapsulation happens again at the data link layer where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on MAC addresses (assuming that the data link layer is using Ethernet).

encapsulation is important at each of these layers and if it did not happen at a particular layer then our ability to forward the data would be impacted in a negative way.

HTH

Rick

HTH

Rick

View solution in original post

3 Replies 3

Leo Laohoo
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
Can someone please help me on my quelry: why encapsulation is not required in layer 2 and why it is required on Layer 3.What woud be the imapct of that ?

I think you are talking about inter-VLAN communications using routing.   Read the document below as it will answer a lot of your questions.

Configuring InterVLAN Routing and ISL/802.1Q Trunking on a Catalyst 2900XL/3500XL/2950 Switch Using an External Router

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk389/tk815/technologies_configuration_example09186a00800949fd.shtml

Leo provides a link with good information. But the question from the original poster seems to indicate a fundamental misunderstanding about encapsulation and I would like to respond to that part.

Encapsulation is a fundamental concept in the development of the layered model and in the implementation of the TCP/IP stack. The original question seems to assume that encapsulation happens at one layer or the other. But the reality is that encapsulation happens multiple times at multiple layers. The original data payload is produced in the application that is running. The original data payload is encapsulated at the data link layer, where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on the protocol port numbers. Then encapsulation happens again at the networking layer where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on IP addresses. Then encapsulation happens again at the data link layer where the addressing in the encapsulation is based on MAC addresses (assuming that the data link layer is using Ethernet).

encapsulation is important at each of these layers and if it did not happen at a particular layer then our ability to forward the data would be impacted in a negative way.

HTH

Rick

HTH

Rick

Thanks Leo and Richard,

You were right Richard, i was bit confused in encapsulation tagging.Now i got my answer.

Ruchik Sharma

Ruchik Sharma