Networking Device | Routers

Routers are another type of inter-networking device. As you learned earlier, bridges are primarily used to connect segments of a network. Routers are used to connect separate networks and to access the internet.



Routers provide end-to-end routing by passing data packets and routing traffic between different networks based on network protocol or Layer 3 information. Routers have the ability to make decisions about the best path for delivery of data on the network (like your mobile phone GPS system which help you find the efficient path). The problem of excessive broadcast traffic can be solved by using a router because routers do not forward broadcast frames unless specifically told to do so.


Difference Between Routers and Switches:
Routers differ from bridges in several respects. First, bridging occurs at Layer 2, the data link layer, whereas routing occurs at Layer 3, the network layer of the OSI reference model. Second, bridges use physical or MAC addresses to make data forwarding decisions. Routers use a different addressing scheme that occurs at Layer 3 to make forwarding decisions. They use network-layer addresses, which are referred to as Internet Protocol (IP), or logical addresses, rather than MAC addresses. Because IP addresses are implemented in software and refer to the network a device is located on, sometimes these Layer 3 addresses are referred to as protocol addresses or network addresses. Physical, or MAC, addresses are usually assigned by the NIC manufacturer and are hard-coded into the NIC. IP addresses, on the other hand, are usually assigned by the network administrator.

For routing to be successful, each network must have a unique network number, this unique network number is incorporated into the IP address assigned to each device attached to the network.



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