What is a CAM table in a switch?

• A. A table maintained by a switch that contains MAC addresses and their corresponding port locations.
• B. A routing table
• C. A DNS cache
• D. A NAT translation table

Answer: (A)

Think about how a switch decides where to send a frame. The CAM table keeps track of which MAC addresses have been seen on which switch ports. As frames arrive, the switch notes the source MAC and the incoming port, updating or creating an entry in the table. When a frame is destined for a known MAC, the switch forwards it only to the port listed for that MAC, avoiding flooding. If the destination MAC isn’t in the table yet, the switch floods the frame to all ports except the one it came from. Entries age out so the table stays current as devices move. This is specifically about mapping MAC addresses to switch ports, not about Layer 3 routing, DNS resolution, or IP address translation.