Do ethernet switches need MAC and IP addresses?

Question

That's SWITCHES, not routers.

Answer 1

Possibly. A basic switch such as you might have in your home has neither. It doesn't need one since it never the source or destination for any traffic - it simply passes data between other devices who can't actually see the switch at all.



A fully managed switch typically has both so you can telnet into the management interface or access it using a web browser. Since IP traffic is going to and from the switch (and not just through it) it needs both an IP and a MAC address.



The third possibility is an intermediate variety of switches typically sold as "smart" switches. These have no management interface (apart possibly from a few front panel buttons to select operating modes) and so need no IP address - you can't telnet into them. However, they will participate in STP (spanning tree protocol), to add redundancy to networks and prevent switching loops. A switch running STP acts as both source and destination for STP layer 2 packets - these are ethernet packets but with no IP payload. As such they need a MAC address of their own even though they have no IP address.

Answer 2

Each switch has a MAC ID assigned by the manufacturer. Normally it is not accessible and you cannot change it



An unmanaged switch does not have an IP address. Normally an unmanaged switch does not have any interface or programming access. It is transparent to the network and just does it's thing



A managed switch may have an IP address and a programming interface of some time to allow it to be set up.

Some managed switches have a serial interface and no IP address (for security) while others are Ethernet based with a web interface. some are both.Depending on the switch, it can be a bare bones type system or it can grow into a full blown network monitoring system with full reporting capabilities.



Hope that helps

Answer 3

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An unmanaged switch does not have nor does it need an IP of its own. It only is a massive connector for IP's that are active! From 3COM The 3Com® Baseline Switch 2824 is a highly affordable, high-performance unmanaged Gigabit switch. From the 3Com manual PLUG-AND-PLAY UNMANAGED OPERATION 3Com Baseline switches operate straight out of the box, with no configuration required. Auto MDI/MDIX ports identify and adapt to the Ethernet cable type, eliminating the most common cabling errors and simplifying installation. Autosensing ports detect and adjust to the speed of the connected device to optimize network performance. end of 3Com information from datasheet! Now if it was a managed switch it would need one but since it does not need any management it works below the IP level and simply does not need any IP assignment! There is no setup to a non-managed switch, it is a PLUG AN PLAY device connection other MAC/IP addresses to each other it plays no routing mode nor management of those connections!

Answer 4

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RE:

Do ethernet switches need MAC and IP addresses?

That's SWITCHES, not routers.

Answer 5

You don't have to program anything in to a switch, if that's what you're asking.



Ethernet switches, as contrasted to hubs, are aware of the MAC addresses of their connected devices. The switch will pick up the MAC address automatically.



Switches don't pay attention to IP addresses. (But routers do.)