Which design enables inter-VLAN routing on the switch itself, reducing the need for traffic to exit to an external router?

Which design enables inter-VLAN routing on the switch itself, reducing the need for traffic to exit to an external router?

• A. Basic Layer 2 switch
• B. Router-on-a-stick
• C. Access layer switch with routing
• D. Multilayer switch with SVIs

Answer: (D)

Inter-VLAN routing happens when a device can perform IP routing between different VLANs. A multilayer switch does both switching and routing in one box, and by creating a Switch Virtual Interface for each VLAN you give the switch a dedicated IP gateway for every VLAN. Devices use those SVIs as their default gateways, so when traffic needs to move from one VLAN to another, the switch routes it internally and forwards it without sending the packets off to an external router. This reduces latency and fabric usage because the routing happens inside the switch hardware. A pure Layer 2 switch cannot route, and routing on an external router (router-on-a-stick) means traffic must leave the switch to be routed. An access layer switch with routing can perform some routing, but a true multilayer switch with SVIs provides seamless, on‑switch inter-VLAN routing with the most efficient internal path.

Inter-VLAN routing happens when a device can perform IP routing between different VLANs. A multilayer switch does both switching and routing in one box, and by creating a Switch Virtual Interface for each VLAN you give the switch a dedicated IP gateway for every VLAN. Devices use those SVIs as their default gateways, so when traffic needs to move from one VLAN to another, the switch routes it internally and forwards it without sending the packets off to an external router. This reduces latency and fabric usage because the routing happens inside the switch hardware. A pure Layer 2 switch cannot route, and routing on an external router (router-on-a-stick) means traffic must leave the switch to be routed. An access layer switch with routing can perform some routing, but a true multilayer switch with SVIs provides seamless, on‑switch inter-VLAN routing with the most efficient internal path.