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explainer thread re: some of the most important physical components & what actually does what in a(n ethernet) switch:

ASIC: - looks at frames - decides where they go - very smart, very dry, does not touch wires PHY: - negotiates link speed - handles encoding / signaling - pushes electrons (or photons), meaning bits without the PHY, an ASIC is just thinking thoughts with nowhere to send em

MII / GMII / SGMII / RGMII: - the private lil interface between the ASIC’s MAC & the PHY - sits inside the box, passing bits back & forth

caveat for “well, actually”s—MII is not a physical chip u can see on the board. the variants of MII are basically interface standards for signaling/clock frequencies BUT sometimes u can open up a switch & see traces on the board between the ASIC & PHY. that’s where your MII logic is applied :)