Dictionary · Networking Fundamentals
Broadcast Domain
Forwarding · Intermediate
The set of interfaces that receive a broadcast sent by one member. Routers normally bound this set, and separate logical networks do too.
A broadcast stops at a router. If too many devices share one domain, ordinary discovery traffic can waste bandwidth and make problems harder to contain.
Example: All hosts in 10.0.5.0/24 hear an address-resolution broadcast, while hosts on 10.0.6.0/24 do not.
Common misconception
- A larger switch does not automatically create a new domain. The logical network boundary does.