BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

Repeater:
A repeater is an electronic device that amplifies the signal it receives. You can
think of repeater as a device which receives a signal and retransmits it at a
higher level or higher power so that the signal can cover longer distances,
more than 100 meters for standard LAN cables. Repeaters work on the
Physical layer.
A repeater operates at the physical layer. Its job is to regenerate the signal
over the same network before the signal becomes too weak or corrupted so
as to extend the length to which the signal can be transmitted over the same
network. An important point to be noted about repeaters is that they do not
amplify the signal. When the signal becomes weak, they copy the signal bit
by bit and regenerate it at the original strength. It is a 2-port device.

When an electrical signal is transmitted via a channel, it gets attenuated

depending upon the nature of the channel or the technology. This poses a
limitation upon the length of the LAN or coverage area of cellular networks.
This problem is alleviated by installing repeaters at certain intervals.
Repeaters amplifies the attenuated signal and then retransmits it. Digital
repeaters can even reconstruct signals distorted by transmission loss. So,

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9
repeaters are popularly incorporated to connect between two LANs thus
forming a large single LAN.
Types of Repeaters
According to the types of signals that they regenerate, repeaters can be
classified into two categories −
 Analog Repeaters − They can only amplify the analog signal.
 Digital Repeaters − They can reconstruct a distorted signal.
According to the types of networks that they connect, repeaters can be
categorized into two types −
 Wired Repeaters − They are used in wired LANs.
 Wireless Repeaters − They are used in wireless LANs and cellular
networks.
According to the domain of LANs they connect, repeaters can be divided into
two categories −
 Local Repeaters − They connect LAN segments separated by small
distance.
 Remote Repeaters − They connect LANs that are far from each other.
Advantages of Repeaters
 Repeaters are simple to install and can easily extend the length or the
coverage area of networks.
 They are cost effective.
 Repeaters don’t require any processing overhead. The only time they
need to be investigated is in case of degradation of performance.
 They can connect signals using different types of cables.
Disadvantages of Repeaters
 Repeaters cannot connect dissimilar networks.
 They cannot differentiate between actual signal and noise.
 They cannot reduce network traffic or congestion.
 Most networks have limitations upon the number of repeaters that can
be deployed.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

Hub: -
Hub is a centralized device that connects multiple devices in a single LAN
network. When Hub receives the data signals from a connected device on any
of its port, except that port, it forwards those signals to all other connected
devices from the remaining ports. Usually, Hub has one or more uplink ports
that are used to connect it with another Hub.
A hub is the simplest in the family of network connecting devices because it
connects LAN components with identical protocols.
A hub can be used with both digital and analog data, provided its settings
have been configured to prepare for the formatting of the incoming data. For
example, if the incoming data is in digital format, the hub must pass it on as
packets; however, if the incoming data is analog, then the hub passes it on in
signal form.
Hubs do not perform packet filtering or addressing functions; they just send
data packets to all connected devices.
A hub is basically a multiport repeater. A hub connects multiple wires coming
from different branches, for example, the connector in star topology which
connects different stations.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9
There are two types of the Hub.
Passive Hub: - It forwards data signals in the same format in which it receives
them. It does not change the data signal in any manner.
Active Hub: - It also works same as the passive Hub works. But before
forwarding the data signals, it amplifies them. Due to this added feature, the
active Hub is also known as the repeater.

Bridge:
Bridges are operated at Layer 2 – Data Link layer of OSI reference model.
A bridge is a repeater, with add on the functionality of filtering content by
reading the MAC addresses of source and destination. It is also used for
interconnecting two LANs working on the same protocol. It has a single input
and single output port, thus making it a 2-port device.
A bridge is a network device that connects multiple LANs (local area networks)
together to form a larger LAN. The process of aggregating networks is called
network bridging. A bridge connects the different components so that they
appear as parts of a single network.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

Bridges connects two or more different LANs that has a similar protocol and
provides communication between the devices (nodes) in them.
By joining multiple LANs, bridges help in multiplying the network capacity of
a single LAN.
Since they operate at data link layer, they transmit data as data frames. On
receiving a data frame, the bridge consults a database to decide whether to
pass, transmit or discard the frame.
 If the frame has a destination MAC (media access control) address in
the same network, the bridge passes the frame to that node and then
discards it.
 If the frame has a destination MAC address in a connected network, it
will forward the frame toward it.

In cases where the destination MAC address is not available, bridges can
broadcast data frames to each node. To discover new segments, they maintain
the MAC address table.
Bridges also connect virtual LANs (VLANs) to make a larger VLAN.
A wireless bridge is used to connect wireless networks or networks having a
wireless segment.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

Switch:
Switches are networking devices operating at layer 2 or a data link layer of
the OSI model. They connect devices in a network and use packet switching
to send, receive or forward data packets or data frames over the network.
A switch has many ports, to which computers are plugged in. When a data
frame arrives at any port of a network switch, it examines the destination
address, performs necessary checks and sends the frame to the
corresponding device(s). It supports unicast, multicast as well as broadcast
communications.
It is an intelligent network device that can be conceived as a multiport
network bridge
It uses MAC addresses (addresses of medium access control sublayer) to
send data packets to selected destination ports.
It uses packet switching technique to receive and forward data packets from
the source to the destination device.
It is supports unicast (one-to-one), multicast (one-to-many) and broadcast
(one-to-all) communications.
Transmission mode is full duplex, i.e. communication in the channel occurs
in both the directions at the same time. Due to this, collisions do not occur.
Switches can perform some error checking before forwarding data to the
destined port. Number of ports may vary from 4 to 48 based on
requirements.
Types of Switch:
Unmanaged Switch − These are inexpensive switches commonly used in
home networks and small businesses. They can be set up by simply plugging
in to the network, after which they instantly start operating. When more
devices needs to be added, more switches are simply added by this plug and
play method. They are referred to as u managed since they do not require to
be configured or monitored.
Managed Switch − These are costly switches that are used in organizations
with large and complex networks, since they can be customized to augment
the functionalities of a standard switch. The augmented features may be
QoS (Quality of Service) like higher security levels, better precision control
and complete network management. Despite their cost, they are preferred in

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9
growing organizations due to their scalability and flexibility. Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) is used for configuring managed switches.

Difference between Hub and Switch:

HUB SWITCH
While switch is operated on Data link
1. Hub is operated on Physical layer.
layer.
While switch is a Unicast, multicast and
2. Hub is a broadcast type transmission.
broadcast type transmission.
3. Hub have maximum 4 ports. While switch can have 24 to 28 ports.
In hub, there is only one collision While in switch, different ports have
4.
domain. own collision domain.
While switch is a full duplex
5. Hub is a half-duplex transmission mode.
transmission mode.
While in switch, Packet filtering is
6. In hub, Packet filtering is not provided.
provided.
7. Hub cannot be used as a repeater. While switch can be used as a repeater.
Hub is not an intelligent device hence it While switch is an intelligent device so
8.
is comparatively inexpensive. it is expensive.
Hub is simply old type of device and is While switch is very sophisticated
9.
not generally used. device and widely used.
Hacking of systems attached to hub is Hacking of systems attached to switch
10.
complex. is little easy.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9
Router:

The router is a physical or virtual internetworking device that is designed to

receive, analyze, and forward data packets between computer networks.
It operates at Layer 3 – Network Layer of OSI reference model.
A router examines a destination IP address of a given data packet, and it uses
the headers and forwarding tables to decide the best way to transfer the
packets.
It allows users to connect several LANs and WANs together.
A router is used in LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network)
environments. For example, it is used in offices for connectivity, and you can
also establish the connection between distant networks.
It shares information with other routers in networking. It uses the routing
protocol to transfer the data across a network.
It is more expensive than other networking devices like hub, switch, bridge,
etc. It uses protocols such as ICMP to communicate between two or more
networks. It is also known as an intelligent device as it can calculate the best
route to pass the network packets from source to the destination
automatically.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

A router analyzes a destination IP address of a given packet header and

compares it with the routing table to decide the packet's next path. The list of
routing tables provides directions to transfer the data to a network
destination. They have a set of rules that compute the best path to forward
the data to the given IP address.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

There are two types of tables in the router that are static and dynamic. The
static routing tables are configured manually, and the dynamic routing tables
are updated automatically by dynamic routers based on network activity.
Routers' main components are central processing unit (CPU), flash memory,
RAM, Non-Volatile RAM, console, network, and interface card.
Routers are capable of routing the traffic in a large networking system by
considering the sub-network as an intact network.
Brouter: A brouter is a combination of the bridge and a router. It allows
transferring the data between networks like a bridge. And like a router, it can
also route the data within a network to the individual systems. Thus, it
combines these two functions of bridge and router by routing some incoming
data to the correct systems while transferring the other data to another
network.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

Gateway:
A gateway is a network node that forms a passage between two networks
operating with different transmission protocols. The most common type of
gateways, the network gateway operates at layer 3, i.e. network layer of the
OSI (open systems interconnection) model.
However, depending upon the functionality, a gateway can operate at any of
the seven layers of OSI model. It acts as the entry – exit point for a network
since all traffic that flows across the networks should pass through the
gateway. Only the internal traffic between the nodes of a LAN does not pass
through the gateway.
In network, Gateway node is a key stopping point for data on its way to or
from other networks. The Internet would not be used to use without
Gateways.

In a workplace, the gateway is the computer that routes traffic from a

workstation to the outside network that is serving up the Web pages. For basic
Internet connections at home, the gateway is the Internet Service Provider
that gives you access to the entire Internet.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot

BCA314 – Data Communication and Networks

UNIT - 9

If you have a wireless network at home that gives your entire family access
to the Internet, your gateway is the modem (or modem-router combo) your
ISP provides so you can connect to their network. On the other end, the
computer that controls all of the data traffic your Internet Service Provider
(ISP) takes and sends out is itself a node.
It forms a passage between two different networks operating with different
transmission protocols.
A gateway operates as a protocol converter, providing compatibility between
the different protocols used in the two different networks.
The feature that differentiates a gateway from other network devices is that
it can operate at any layer of the OSI model.
Unidirectional and Bidirectional gateways are available.
When used in enterprise scenario, a gateway node may be supplemented as
proxy server or firewall. It uses packet switching technique to transmit data
across the networks.

BCA Department, RK University, Rajkot