Layer 2 vs Layer 3 VPN - Know the Difference - IP With Ease (2024)

FAQs

Layer 2 vs Layer 3 VPN - Know the Difference - IP With Ease? ›

Hence the differences between Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs are as follows: In the Layer 2 case, no routing interaction occurs between the customer and service provider. In the L3VPN case, the CE and PE router can exchange routes. In the Layer 2 case, the customer can run any type of Layer 3 protocol between sites.

Generally speaking, layer 2 VPN bridging is best for extending a LAN across different locations or for applications that need layer 2 features. On the other hand, layer 3 VPN bridging is preferable for connecting networks with different protocols or addresses or for applications that need layer 3 features.

The layer 3 address is a logical address. It will pertain to a single protocol (such as IP, IPX, or Appletalk). The layer 2 address is a physical address. It pertains to the actual hardware interface (NIC) in the computer.

More specifically, IPsec is a group of protocols that are used together to set up secure connections between devices at layer 3 of the OSI model (the network layer).

Layer 2 switches are often used to reduce data traffic on a LAN. Because they use MAC addresses only, an unidentified device attempting to use the network will be denied. On the other hand, Layer 3 switches are primarily used to operate VLANs and improve security.

Layer 2 switches by default do not have built-in security features, making them vulnerable to security threats such as ARP spoofing attacks. Layer 3 switches have built-in security features, such as access control lists, that can help protect your network from security threats.

Layer 2 is low level code that controls the flow of traffic between devices. It has some traffic control, and frames of information travelling on this layer can be of pretty much any protocol type. Layer 3 is where protocols like TCP and UDP do their work.

As a rule of thumb, WiFi (802.11) operates at the first two layers of the OSI model, in other words, the physical layer and the data link layer.

Logical Addressing: Layer 3 uses IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to uniquely identify devices. These are logical addresses, and addressing schemes are set up to maximize the network topology and ensure secure and efficient data transfer.

Layer 3 switches can connect different VLANs, and offer more security features than Layer 2 switches. Other functions, such as Quality of Service (QoS), allow for the prioritizing of network traffic for maximum efficiency.

What is a layer 3 VPN? ›

A Layer 3 VPN is composed of a set of customer sites that are connected over a service provider's existing public Internet backbone. A peer-to-peer model is used to connect to the customer sites, where the service providers learn the customer routes on peering with the customers.

IPsec provides network-layer security, encrypting entire data packets, making it a popular choice for full network communications. On the other hand, SSL VPNs focus on application-layer security, ensuring only specific application data is encrypted. The "more secure" label depends on the context.

Customers who prefer to maintain control over most of the administration of their own networks might want Layer 2 VPN connections with their service provider instead of a Layer 3 VPN.

However, firewalls typically operate at Layers 3 and 4, the network and transport layers.

Where Layer 3 works with IP addresses, Layer 2 works with MAC addresses. MAC addresses are unique identifiers for the network adaptor present in each device. As IP addresses are a layer of abstraction higher than MAC addresses, they are necessarily 'slower' (theoretically – to our human experience, it's academic).

Most layer 2 switches are managed, which means that the IP address is assigned by the management interface. However, many unmanaged switches do not have IP addresses.

Logical View of a Layer 2 MPLS VPN. Layer 2 VPNs are a type of Virtual Private Network (VPN) that uses MPLS labels to transport data. The communication occurs between routers that are known as Provider Edge routers (PE routers), as they sit on the edge of the provider's network, next to the customer's network.

Layer 3 IP protects voice and data across the network from encryptor to decryptor at the final destination. Layer 2 Ethernet protects voice and data from link-to-link. That means the data is encrypted, decrypted and then re-encrypted at each link (hop) until it reaches the final destination.