Routing Table Definition A routing table is a set of rules, often viewed in table format, that is used to determine where data packets traveling over an Internet Protocol (IP) network will be directed. All IP-enabled devices, including routers and switches, use routing tables. A routing table contains the information necessary to forward a packet along the best path toward its destination. Each packet contains information about its origin and destination. When a packet is received, a network...

Network Switch Definition In a network, a switch is a device that channels incoming data from any of multiple input ports to the specific output port that will take it toward its intended destination. In a local area network (LAN) using Ethernet, a network switch determines where to send each incoming message frame by looking at the physical device address (also known as the Media Access Control address or MAC address). Switches maintain tables that match each MAC address to the port from wh...

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Definition Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a protocol-agnostic routing technique designed to speed up and shape traffic flows across enterprise wide area and service provider networks. MPLS allows most data packets to be forwarded at Layer 2 -- the switching level -- rather than having to be passed up to Layer 3 -- the routing level. For this reason, it is often informally described as operating at Layer 2.5. MPLS was created in the late 1990...