Which networking device forwards data packets at the hardware address level?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle the question, I’ll evaluate what each listed networking device does, focusing on how data is forwarded.
Option 1: Hub. A hub operates at the physical layer and simply repeats incoming electrical signals to all ports. It does not inspect MAC or network layer addresses, so it cannot forward data packets based on hardware (MAC) addresses. This makes it unsuitable for MAC-based forwarding.
Option 2: Switch. A switch is designed to forward data frames using MAC addresses. It builds a MAC address table mapping devices to switch ports and uses that information to send frames only to the intended destination port, rather than broadcasting to every port. This is precisely how hardware address (MAC) level forwarding is achieved.
Option 3: Repeater. A repeater extends a network segment by regenerating and amplifying signals, but it operates only at the physical layer and does not use MAC addresses to forward frames. Its function is to maintain signal integrity over longer distances, not to perform address-based forwarding.
Option 4: Modem. A modem modulates and demodulates signals for transmission over telephone lines or other media, bridging between digital data and analog transmission. It does not forward frames based on hardware addresses within a local network.
In summary, the device that forwards data packets by using hardware addresses (MAC addresses) to determine the destination and port is the switch, whereas hubs broadcast, repeaters ignore addresses, and modems handle signaling rather than local switching.

Which networking device forwards data packets at the hardware address level?

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

At which layer of the OSI Model error detection is done while sending and receiving the frames?

At which layer of the OSI model would a MAC address be added during encapsulation?

Question at position 41 Which of the following ARE Link Layer Services? Provide ALL the answersCongestion ControlFlow ControlMaintain Group InformationTimeout ComputationLink AccessFraming

Question at position 1 ARP protocol works at __________ layer.LinkPhysicalTransportNetwork

Question at position 1 ARP protocol works at __________ layer.LinkNetworkTransportPhysical

Which of the following layers handle physical communications between two neighboring systems?

MACアドレスは，OSI基本参照モデルのどの層で接続されているノードを識別するために利用されますか？

Wireless access points operate at which layer of the OSI model?

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单