Administrator Guide
Type of Interface Possible Modes Requires Creation Default State
Null interface N/A No Enabled
Port Channel
Layer 2
Layer 3
Yes Shutdown (disabled)
VLAN
Layer 2
Layer 3
Yes, except for the default
VLAN.
No shutdown (active for Layer
2)
Shutdown (disabled for Layer 3)
Conguring Layer 2 (Data Link) Mode
Do not congure switching or Layer 2 protocols such as spanning tree protocol (STP) on an interface unless the interface has been set to
Layer 2 mode.
To set Layer 2 data transmissions through an individual interface, use the following command.
• Enable Layer 2 data transmissions through an individual interface.
INTERFACE mode
switchport
Example of a Basic Layer 2 Interface Conguration
Dell(conf-if)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 1
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
Dell(conf-if)#
Conguring Layer 2 (Interface) Mode
To congure an interface in Layer 2 mode, use the following commands.
• Enable the interface.
INTERFACE mode
no shutdown
• Place the interface in Layer 2 (switching) mode.
INTERFACE mode
switchport
For information about enabling and conguring the Spanning Tree Protocol, refer to Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
To view the interfaces in Layer 2 mode, use the show interfaces switchport command in EXEC mode.
Conguring Layer 3 (Network) Mode
When you assign an IP address to a physical interface, you place it in Layer 3 mode.
To enable Layer 3 mode on an individual interface, use the following commands. In all interface types except VLANs, the shutdown
command prevents all trac from passing through the interface. In VLANs, the shutdown command prevents Layer 3 trac from passing
Interfaces
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