Administrator Guide
Configuring Layer 2 (Interface) Mode
To configure 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 configuring 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.
Configuring 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 traffic from passing through the interface. In VLANs, the
shutdown command prevents Layer 3 traffic from passing through the interface. Layer 2 traffic is unaffected
by the
shutdown command. One of the interfaces in the system must be in Layer 3 mode before you
configure or enter a Layer 3 protocol mode (for example, OSPF).
• Enable Layer 3 on an individual interface
INTERFACE mode
ip address
• Enable the interface.
INTERFACE mode
no shutdown
Dell(conf-if)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 1/5
ip address 10.10.10.1 /24
no shutdown
Dell(conf-if)#
Example of Error Due to Issuing a Layer 3 Command on a Layer 2 Interface
If an interface is in the incorrect layer mode for a given command, an error message displays (shown in bold).
In the following example, the ip address command triggered an error message because the interface is in
Layer 2 mode and the ip address command is a Layer 3 command only.
Dell(conf-if)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
Interfaces 407