Proxy ARP Explained

Hello Ananth!

MAC address learning that occurs on a switch involves the learning of the MAC addresses that are attached to the specific interface. For example, if interface Fa0/1 is connected to PC1 with MAC Address A:B:C:D:E:F, then this MAC address will be used to populate the MAC address table. The Fa0/1 interface does not need to learn its own MAC address. What happens if interface Fa0/1 is connected to interface Fa0/2 of another switch. Won’t the MAC address of Fa0/2 of that switch be included in the MAC table of the first switch? It depends.

It is important to understand that the creation of the MAC address table in a switch is done via the Source MAC address found in the incoming frames on an interface. If the other switch is never the destination of a frame, then this MAC address will not be included in any MAC address table. MAC addresses of specific switch interfaces will not enter the MAC tables of other switches unless the switches themselves are the sources (or destinations) of frames.

I hope this has been helpful.

Laz