What do switches utilize to maintain a mirror image of the forwarding information contained in the IP routing table?

Switches utilize the Forwarding Information Base (FIB) to maintain a mirror image of the forwarding information contained in the IP routing table. The FIB is a data structure that holds information about the paths to each destination network and is used by the switch to efficiently forward packets to the appropriate output interface based on the destination IP address.

When a packet arrives at a switch, the switch checks the FIB to determine the best path for the packet based on its destination. Because the FIB is optimized for quick lookups, it allows the switch to forward packets at high speeds, maintaining the performance expected in network environments.

The other choices do not relate directly to how switches handle forwarding information. The MAC Address Table, for instance, stores MAC addresses and their associated ports but does not include IP routing information. A Traffic Analysis Table is not a standard term in networking for this purpose. The Forwarding Interface Base is not a recognized term within switching technology, making the FIB the correct choice for maintaining forwarding information based on routing tables.