Which two tasks do Cisco switches perform regarding MAC addresses?

Cisco switches perform several important functions regarding MAC addresses, and one of their key tasks is to use source MAC addresses to maintain a MAC address table. When a switch receives a frame, it examines the source MAC address of the incoming frames and records it in its MAC address table along with the port the frame came in on. This allows the switch to create a map of which devices (identified by their MAC addresses) are connected to which ports.

By maintaining this MAC address table, the switch is able to make intelligent forwarding decisions. When a frame is received, the switch looks at the destination MAC address and checks it against the MAC address table to determine out which port to forward the frame to. If the destination MAC address is not found, the switch may broadcast the frame to all ports except the one it was received on.

The ability to dynamically learn and maintain the MAC address table is crucial for efficient network operation, allowing switches to reduce unnecessary traffic on the network and ensure that data reaches its intended recipient in a timely manner. This ability also helps optimize bandwidth usage and improve overall network performance.