Ngophuhliso lweshishini lonxibelelwano kunye nolwazi loqoqosho lwesizwe, i iswitsha yenethiwekhi yeringi elawulwayoimarike ikhule ngokuthe ngcembe. Iyabiza, ibhetyebhetye kakhulu, ilula kwaye kulula ukuyiphumeza. Itekhnoloji ye-Ethernet iye yaba yitekhnoloji ebalulekileyo yenethiwekhi ye-LAN namhlanje, kwaye iiswitshi zeringi ezilawulwayo ziye zaba zizitshixo ezidumileyo.
Ukutshintsha umsebenzi kwi-2 (idatha yekhonkco yedatha) yemodeli yereferensi ye-OSI. Xa i-interface nganye iqhagamshelwe ngempumelelo, i-CPU ngaphakathi kwitshintshi iya kwenza itafile ye-MAC ngokwenza idilesi ye-MAC kwi-interface. Kunxibelelwano lwexesha elizayo, iipakethi ezimiselwe loo dilesi ye-MAC ziya kuthunyelwa kuphela kujongano lwayo oluhambelanayo, ayilulo lonke ujongano. Ngoko ke, ukutshintshwa kwenethiwekhi yekhonkco elawulwayo ingasetyenziselwa ukwahlula ukusasazwa koluhlu lwekhonkco lwedatha, oko kukuthi, i-domain yongquzulwano; kodwa ayinako ukwahlula usasazo lomaleko womnatha, oko kukuthi, indawo yosasazo.
Ukutshintshwa kokutshintsha kweringi elawulwayo kunebhasi ephezulu kakhulu ye-bandwidth reverse kunye ne-matrix yokutshintsha kwangaphakathi. Lonke ujongano lokutshintsha luqhagamshelwe kule bhasi ibuyela umva. Emva kokuba isiphaluka solawulo sifumana ipakethi, i-interface yokucubungula iya kukhangela itafile yokuthelekisa idilesi kwimemori ukumisela i-NIC (ikhadi lenethiwekhi) ye-MAC ekujoliswe kuyo (idilesi ye-hardware yekhadi lenethiwekhi). Kweyiphi i-interface ipakethi ithunyelwa ngokukhawuleza kwi-interface yendawo ekusingwa kuyo ngelaphu langaphakathi lokutshintsha. Ukuba indawo ekuyiwa kuyo i-MAC ayikho, yisasaze kuyo yonke imidibaniso. Emva kokuba utshintsho lufumene impendulo kwi-interface, "iya kufunda" idilesi entsha ye-MAC kwaye yongeze kwitafile yedilesi ye-MAC yangaphakathi. Ukusebenzisa iiswitshi nako "kunokwahlula" inethiwekhi. Ngokuthelekisa iitafile zedilesi ye-IP, ukutshintshwa kweefowuni ezilawulwayo zivumela kuphela i-traffic yenethiwekhi eyimfuneko ukuba idlule kwi-switch. Ukutshintshela ukuhluza kunye nokuthunyelwa kunokunciphisa ngokufanelekileyo indawo yongquzulwano.