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1. Are layer 3 switches basically just routers? &nbsp;I'm assuming they must be multiport routers. &nbsp;<br />
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2. The cisco 3550 is a layer 3 switch correct?<br />
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3. In my home lab, I have a few VLANs and a 2600 router doing intervlan routing. Would I benefit from using a layer 3 switch?<br />
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4. Do most companies have a bunch of layer3 switches each doing their own routing. Or do they usually have a bunch of layer2 switches and one layer 3. And the layer3 does all the inter-VLAN routing.<br />
<br />
Thanks
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1. Are layer 3 switches basically just routers?  I'm assuming they must be multiport routers.  

2. The cisco 3550 is a layer 3 switch correct?

3. In my home lab, I have a few VLANs and a 2600 router doing intervlan routing. Would I benefit from using a layer 3 switch?

4. Do most companies have a bunch of layer3 switches each doing their own routing. Or do they usually have a bunch of layer2 switches and one layer 3. And the layer3 does all the inter-VLAN routing.

Thanks

Layer 3 switch questions

A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. The most familiar type of routers are home and small office cable or DSL routers that simply pass data, such as web pages, email, IM, and videos between computers and the Internet. More sophisticated routers, such as enterprise routers, connect large business or ISP networks up to the powerful core routers that forward data at high speed along the optical fiber lines of the Internet backbone. Though routers are typically dedicated hardware devices, use of software-based routers has grown increasingly common.