MAC Address Learning Basics

In these videos, David Bombal demonstrates how MAC address tables are populated on network switches and how disabling MAC address learning causes traffic flooding.

David Bombal

June 11, 2018

1 Min Read
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Get back to basics with this demonstration of how a switch learns MAC addresses. The MAC address table contains information that switches use to forward traffic between ports. In this video, David Bombal uses Cisco's Packet Tracer tool to populate a MAC address table on a layer 2 network switch with no VLANs or configurations other than the default configuration.

In the second video below, he shows you how clearing a MAC address table results in traffic flooding.

About the Author

David Bombal

David Bombal

Author and instructorDavid Bombal is an author and instructor at GNS3 and O'Reilly Media. He creates worldwide instructor-led and self-paced video training on new and emerging technologies such as SDN. He's involved in multiple SDN and OpenFlow projects which include both open source as well as commercial SDN controllers. His YouTube channel has more than 1 million views. Bombal holds numerous certifications, including CCIE #11023 (Emeritus). He's designed, implemented and managed networks ranging from single sites to those that span 50 countries.

See more from David Bombal
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