Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

A Layer 7 Switch performs wire-speed processing of packet header content, not only at Layer 2 or Layer 3, but also at the transport layer (Layer 4) up through the application layer (OSI’s Layer 7). Layer 7 switch integrates routing and switching by forwarding traffic at layer 2 speed using layer 7 information. For example, an XML switch can analyze the XML tags at the application level and make forwarding decisions.

Related Terms

layer 7 switch