CN Unit-3

Network Devices: Repeaters, bridges, gateways, routers:

Repeater: A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation. In most twisted pair Ethernet configurations, repeaters are required for cable runs longer than 100 meters.

Bridges: A network bridge connects multiple network segments at the data link layer of the OSI model. Bridges do not promiscuously copy traffic to all ports, as a hub do, but learns which MAC addresses are reachable through specific ports. Once the bridge associates a port and an address, it will send traffic for that address only to that port. Bridges do send broadcasts to all ports except the one on which the broadcast was received. Bridges learn the association of ports and addresses by examining the source address of frames that it sees on various ports. Once a frame arrives through a port, its source address is stored and the bridge assumes that MAC address is associated with that port. The first time that a previously unknown destination address is seen, the bridge will forward the frame to all ports other than the one on which the frame arrived.

Gateway: Gateways work on all seven OSI layers. The main job of a gateway is to convert protocols among communications networks. A router by itself transfers, accepts and relays packets only across networks using similar protocols. A gateway on the other hand can accept a packet formatted for one protocol (e.g. AppleTalk) and convert it to a packet formatted for another protocol (e.g. TCP/IP) before forwarding it. A gateway can be implemented in hardware, software or both, but they are usually implemented by software installed within a router. A gateway must understand the protocols used by each network linked into the router. Gateways are slower than bridges, switches and (non-gateway) routers. A gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network. On the Internet, a node or stopping point can be either a gateway node or a host (end-point) node. Both the computers of Internet users and the computers that serve pages to users are host nodes, while the nodes that connect the networks in between are gateways. For example, the computers that control traffic between company networks or the computers used by internet service providers (ISPs) to connect users to the internet are gateway nodes.

Router: A router is a key device in the internet communication and wan communication system. A router has software called routing table and the source and destination addresses are stored in the routing table. Routers are networking devices that forward data packets between networks using headers and forwarding tables to determine the best path to forward the packets. Routers work at the network layer of the TCP/IP model or layer 3 of the OSI model. Routers also provide interconnectivity between like and unlike media. This is accomplished by examining the Header of a data packet, and making a decision on the next hop to which it should be sent. They use preconfigured static routes, status of their hardware interfaces, and routing protocols to select the best route between any two subnets. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's network. Some DSL and cable modems, for home and office use, have been integrated with routers to allow multiple home/office computers to access the Internet through the same connection. Many of these new devices also consist of wireless access points (waps) or wireless routers to allow for IEEE 802.11b/g wireless enabled devices to connect to the network without the need for a cabled connection.

The Network Layer

Maintaining the quality of service requested by the transport layer.

The network layer performs network routing functions, and might also perform fragmentation and reassembly, and report delivery errors.

Design Issues:

IPv4 Addresses:

Each device on a network must be uniquely defined. At the Network layer, the packets of the communication need to be identified with the source and destination addresses of the two end systems. With IPv4, this means that each packet has a 32-bit source address and a 32-bit destination address in the Layer 3 header. These addresses are used in the data network as binary patterns. Inside the devices, digital logic is applied for their interpretation. For us in the human network, a string of 32 bits is difficult to interpret and even more difficult to remember.

Therefore, we represent IPv4 addresses using dotted decimal format.

Network Layer Addressing:

Dotted Decimal

Binary patterns representing IPv4 addresses are expressed as dotted decimals by separating each byte of the binary pattern, called an octet, with a dot. It is called an octet because each decimal number represents one byte or 8 bits.

For example, the address: 10101100000100000000010000010100

is expressed in dotted decimal as: 172.16.4.20

Keep in mind that devices use binary logic. The dotted decimal format is used to make it easier for people to use and remember addresses.

                        Class full Addressing

Routing concepts (Forwarding Function, Filtering Function):

Filtering: A filter is installed on the forwarding plane. This filter counts and applies the actions to the categories of traffic Because the filter is enforced in the forwarding plane, it prevents traffic from consuming bandwidth on the interface that connects the forwarding plane to the router control plane. The counters serve as an important forensic tool for the analysis of potential attacks, and as an invaluable debugging and troubleshooting aid. By adjusting the granularity and order of the filters, more granular forensics can be performed (i.e., create a filter that matches only traffic allowed from a group of IP addresses for a given protocol followed by a filter that denies all traffic for that protocol). This would allow for counters to be monitored for the allowed protocol filter, as well as any traffic matching the specific protocol that didn't originate from the explicitly allowed hosts.

Forwarding: In addition to the filters, rate limiters for certain classes of traffic are also installed in the forwarding plane. These rate limiters help further control the traffic that will reach the router control plane for each filtered class as well as all traffic not matching an explicit class. The actual rates selected for various classes are network deployment specific; analysis of the rates required for stability should be done periodically. It is important to note that the most significant factor to consider regarding the traffic profile going to the router control plane is the packets per second (pps) rate. Therefore, careful consideration must be given to determine the maximum pps rate that could be generated from a given set of packet size and bandwidth usage scenarios.

Routing: is the act of moving information across an internetwork from a source to a destination.

Along the way, at least one intermediate node typically is encountered.

Static Versus Dynamic:

Static routing algorithms are hardly algorithms at all, but are table mappings established by the network administrator before the beginning of routing. These mappings do not change unless the network administrator alters them. Algorithms that use static routes are simple to design and work well in environments where network traffic is relatively predictable and where network design is relatively simple.

Because static routing systems cannot react to network changes, they generally are considered unsuitable for today's large, constantly changing networks. Most of the dominant routing algorithms today are dynamic routing algorithms, which adjust to changing network circumstances by analyzing incoming routing update messages. If the message indicates that a network change has occurred, the routing software recalculates routes and sends out new routing update messages. These messages permeate the network, stimulating routers to rerun their algorithms and change their routing tables accordingly.

Dynamic routing algorithms can be supplemented with static routes where appropriate. A router of last resort (a router to which all unroutable packets are sent), for example, can be designated to act as a repository for all unroutable packets, ensuring that all messages are at least handled in some way

Hierarchical Routing :In a hierarchical routing system, some routers form what amounts to a

routing backbone. Packets from nonbackbone routers travel to the backbone routers, where they

are sent through the backbone until they reach the general area of the destination. At this point,

they travel from the last backbone router through one or more nonbackbone routers to the final

destination.

Routing systems often designate logical groups of nodes, called domains, autonomous systems,

or areas. In hierarchical systems, some routers in a domain can communicate with routers in

other domains, while others can communicate only with routers within their domain. In very

large networks, additional hierarchical levels may exist, with routers at the highest hierarchical

level forming the routing backbone.

Routing: is the act of moving information across an internetwork from a source to a destination.

Along the way, at least one intermediate node typically is encountered.

Static Versus Dynamic:

Static routing algorithms are hardly algorithms at all, but are table mappings established by the network administrator before the beginning of routing. These mappings do not change unless the network administrator alters them. Algorithms that use static routes are simple to design and work well in environments where network traffic is relatively predictable and where network design is relatively simple.

Because static routing systems cannot react to network changes, they generally are considered unsuitable for today's large, constantly changing networks. Most of the dominant routing algorithms today are dynamic routing algorithms, which adjust to changing network circumstances by analyzing incoming routing update messages. If the message indicates that a network change has occurred, the routing software recalculates routes and sends out new routing update messages. These messages permeate the network, stimulating routers to rerun their algorithms and change their routing tables accordingly.

Dynamic routing algorithms can be supplemented with static routes where appropriate. A router of last resort (a router to which all unroutable packets are sent), for example, can be designated to act as a repository for all unroutable packets, ensuring that all messages are at least handled in some way.

Hierarchical Routing :In a hierarchical routing system, some routers form what amounts to a routing backbone. Packets from nonbackbone routers travel to the backbone routers, where they are sent through the backbone until they reach the general area of the destination. At this point, they travel from the last backbone router through one or more nonbackbone routers to the final destination.

Routing systems often designate logical groups of nodes, called domains, autonomous systems, or areas. In hierarchical systems, some routers in a domain can communicate with routers in other domains, while others can communicate only with routers within their domain. In very large networks, additional hierarchical levels may exist, with routers at the highest hierarchical level forming the routing backbone.

The primary advantage of hierarchical routing is that it mimics the organization of most companies and therefore supports their traffic patterns well. Most network communication occurs within small company groups (domains). Because intradomain routers need to know only about other routers within their domain, their routing algorithms can be simplified, and, depending on the routing algorithm being used, routing update traffic can be reduced accordingly.

Distributed routing:

The key to a distributed routing is to apply a decomposition of problem. For solving the problem, we propose to apply the common approach of using any simple routing protocol.

 

Distance Vector Protocol, Link State protocol:

Link-state algorithms (also known as shortest path first algorithms) flood routing information to all nodes in the internetwork. Each router, however, sends only the portion of the routing table that describes the state of its own links. In link-state algorithms, each router builds a picture of the entire network in its routing tables. Distance vector algorithms (also known as Bellman-Ford algorithms) call for each router to send all or some portion of its routing table, but only to its neighbors. In essence, link-state algorithms send small updates everywhere, while distance vector algorithms send larger updates only to neighboring routers. Distance vector algorithms

know only about their neighbors.

Because they converge more quickly, link-state algorithms are somewhat less prone to routing loops than distance vector algorithms. On the other hand, link-state algorithms require more CPU power and memory than distance vector algorithms. Link-state algorithms, therefore, can be more expensive to implement and support. Link-state protocols are generally more scalable than distance vector protocols.