I was wondering if there is a possibility that a switch won't get the needed MAC address to it's CAM.
For example, if the used protocol is UDP, where the sender doesn't need an answer back from the receiver?
Thank you
Switch MAC Address – Does a Switch Always Get a MAC Address from a PC?
mac addressswitchswitchingudp
Related Solutions
GLBP doesn't use gratuituous ARP. When someone asks which MAC does the virtual IP have, the AVG will reply saying "This IP is at this MAC", using the field "Sender MAC Address", which is invisible to the switch's CAM table. The source address is still the AVG MAC.
EDIT: I said it wrong. The IP address requested is actually the Sender, the Target address is the address of the host that sent the arp request in the first place. I'll just upload here an example of ARP Request and Reply and when I get home I'll simulate on GNS so you can see how it really works and not just an example capture.
Cadant device asks which is the MAC for x.x.128.77 and if anyone has the answer, please direct it to x.x.128.164.
Oracle device then replies with a broadcast saying that x.x.128.77 is himself, at the MAC 00:14:4f:fb:c3:16, at the sender MAC address. The target is x.x.128.164, who was the one requesting.
If this was the case of a GLBP host, it would state the virtual MAC in the sender MAC address field. It's called Proxy ARP. Just hold tight, I'll upload the actual GLBP capture in about 10 hours.
GLBP Capture:
R2 is the AVG, R1 the AVF:
HOST 192.168.0.200 asked for the MAC of 192.168.0.1, the GLBP VIP. He received an answer from C001.3270.0000, which is the real MAC of the interface fa0/0 from R2, stating that 192.168.0.1 was located at 0007.B400.0101, one of the virtual MAC .
Later on, HOST 192.168.0.201 asked for the MAC of 192.168.0.1 and received an answer from the same C001.3270.0000 saying that this IP was with the MAC 0007.B400.0102, the other virtual MAC. Wireshark even throws a yellow line saying that "Hey, lookout, this IP is in use by another host".
When issuing "show glbp" from both routers, the AVG output have a little more detailing, including how many times it answered and ARP request with this or that virtual MAC address. You can see the MAC and IP addresses of the interfaces in "Group Members", present in both outputs.
One key use for per port MAC addresses on switches is for Spanning-tree BPDU's. These are Layer-2 multicasts with source MAC address of the egress switch port.
I would have to brush up on other Layer-2 protocols such as TRILL and SPB, but they might also take advantage of a per port MAC.
Does that help?
Best Answer
A switch learns the source MAC from the sender. If the destination is not in the CAM table, the switch floods the frame out all ports. So if the receiver never responds, the switch will never learn the receiver's MAC and it will always flood the frame.