Configuring Unicast MAC Address Filtering on Catalyst Switches

 When unicast MAC address filtering is enabled, the switch drops packets with specific source or destination MAC addresses. This feature is disabled by default and only supports unicast static addresses.

Follow these guidelines when using this feature:

•Multicast MAC addresses, broadcast MAC addresses, and router MAC addresses are not supported. If you specify one of these addresses when entering the mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id drop global configuration command, one of these messages appears:

  • Only unicast addresses can be configured to be dropped
  • CPU destined address cannot be configured as drop address
• Packets that are forwarded to the CPU are also not supported.

• If you add a unicast MAC address as a static address and configure unicast MAC address filtering, the switch either adds the MAC address as a static address or drops packets with that MAC address, depending on which command was entered last. The second command that you entered overrides the first command.

For example, if you enter the mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id interface interface-id global configuration command followed by the mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id drop command, the switch drops packets with the specified MAC address as a source or destination.

If you enter the mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id drop global configuration command followed by the mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id interface interface-id command, the switch adds the MAC address as a static address.

You enable unicast MAC address filtering and configure the switch to drop packets with a specific address by specifying the source or destination unicast MAC address and the VLAN from which it is received.

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure the switch to drop a source or destination unicast static address: 

 

Command

Purpose

Step 1 

configure terminal

Enter global configuration mode.

Step 2 

mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id drop

Enable unicast MAC address filtering and configure the switch to drop a packet with the specified source or destination unicast static address.

•For mac-addr, specify a source or destination unicast MAC address. Packets with this MAC address are dropped.

•For vlan-id, specify the VLAN for which the packet with the specified MAC address is received. Valid VLAN IDs are 1 to 4094.

Step 3 

end

Return to privileged EXEC mode.

Step 4 

show mac address-table static

Verify your entries.

Step 5 

copy running-config startup-config

(Optional) Save your entries in the configuration file.

To disable unicast MAC address filtering, use the no mac address-table static mac-addr vlan vlan-id global configuration command.

This example shows how to enable unicast MAC address filtering and to configure the switch to drop packets that have a source or destination address of c2f3.220a.12f4. When a packet is received in VLAN 4 with this MAC address as its source or destination, the packet is dropped:

Switch(config)# mac address-table static c2f3.220a.12f4 vlan 4 drop
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