What do switches in a Dante network primarily look at to forward frames?

In a Dante network, switches primarily operate at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model, where they use MAC (Media Access Control) addresses to forward frames. When a switch receives a frame, it examines the destination MAC address contained within the Ethernet frame header. This MAC address indicates the specific device that the frame is intended for, allowing the switch to efficiently route the data only to the appropriate port leading to that device.

By focusing on destination MAC addresses, switches can create a MAC address table that tracks which devices are connected to which ports. This allows for more efficient data transmission, reducing unnecessary network traffic and improving performance. In contrast, source IP addresses, destination port numbers, and UDP protocol headers are more relevant to higher layers of the network stack, such as Layer 3 (network layer) and Layer 4 (transport layer), and play lesser roles in the basic frame-forwarding function of switches in a Dante network setup. Thus, the correct answer highlights the essential role of MAC addresses in the forwarding process within a Ethernet-based system.