how to show mac address table on cisco switch

Showing the Mac Address Table on a Cisco Switch

A Cisco switch maintains a MAC address table, also known as a Content-Addressable Memory (CAM) table, which contains the MAC addresses of all devices connected to it. The CAM table plays a crucial role in the switch's forwarding and filtering decisions.

The switch learns MAC addresses automatically through the dynamic learning process. When an incoming frame is received, the switch checks the source MAC address against its CAM table. If the entry is already available, the switch updates the existing entry; otherwise, it creates a new one. This automatic learning process eliminates the need to manually configure MAC addresses.

The CAM table can be viewed on a Cisco switch using various commands. One common method is to use the `show mac address-table` command in privileged mode:

```

Router# enable

Router# configure terminal

Router# show mac address-table

```

This command displays all entries in the CAM table, including the source MAC address, VLAN ID, and interface information.

Alternatively, you can use the `show mac address-table dynamic` command to view only dynamically learned entries:

```

Router# enable

Router# configure terminal

Router# show mac address-table dynamic

```

To display static entries, use the `show mac address-table static` command:

```

Router# enable

Router# configure terminal

Router# show mac address-table static

```

Understanding how to view and manage the MAC address table on a Cisco switch is essential for network administrators. This knowledge enables you to troubleshoot connectivity issues, verify network configurations, and optimize network performance.

How to show mac address table on cisco switch