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Switching enables communication within a LAN by forwarding frames based on MAC addresses. Switches are smarter than hubs, which simply broadcast traffic, and can segment networks using VLANs to isolate traffic. 802.1Q trunking allows multiple VLANs to traverse a single physical link. Routing connects different networks, using either static routes manually configured or dynamic routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP) that learn paths automatically. Routers maintain routing tables and use the default