Chapter Seven

Internetworking Devices

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 Network Interface Card (NICs)
• is a circuit board that is physically installed within an active
network node, such as a computer, server, or printer
• The NIC is an adapter that controls the exchange of
information between the network and the user

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 Repeaters/Hubs
• A repeater extends the length of a network cabling system
• Repeater amplifies the signal and then re-transmitting it
• Repeaters operate at Physical Layer
• Any information coming into one port is simply repeated out
all other ports
• A hub is another Layer 1 device
• Hub is used as a central point for connecting segments in a
LAN
• Passive hubs simply pass packets from one port to another
• Active hubs regenerate the signal and they are called Multi-
port repeaters
• Hubs are becoming increasingly intelligent, enabling them to
support network management and minimal path selection
functions
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 • A hub defines a single collision and broadcast domain.

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 Bridges
• A bridge is a Data Link Layer device
• provides a connection between separate LAN segments
• The bridge monitors packets as they move between
segments, keeping track of the MAC addresses that are
associated with various ports
• As they gain more knowledge of the nodes connected to each
network, they are better able to manage traffic flow
• bridge receives every frame broadcast on each LAN it is
connected to
• Processes MAC addresses and only allows data frames with
"nonlocal" destination addresses to cross the bridge
• bridge adds source addresses to the known local nodes table
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• Advantages
– Bridges are easy to install and configure, providing quick, cost-
effective relief for overburdened network segments.
– bridges can extend network segment lengths by repeating,
retiming and regenerating signals
– bridges can connect different network architectures and
different network media
• Limitations
– It only knows to forward all packets that are addressed to non-
local nodes
– improperly addressed frames can be infinitely perpetuated or
flooded onto all bridged LANs (broadcast storm)

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 Switch
• Switches are becoming a more common way to connect networks
together because they are simply faster and more intelligent than
bridges
• Switches have replaced bridges for two reasons:
– superior performance and
– lower price per port
• Used in microsegmentation by creating point-to-point connections
using ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) chips
• Works at Layer 2
• Each segment is its own collision domain
• All devices connected to the same switch are part of the same
broadcast domain
• Advantages
– Produces dramatic increases in bandwidth; used in virtual LANs
• Limitations
– More complicated to manage; more expensive than simple bridging
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 Routers
• Routers were originally invented to solve some of the
problems that weren't addressed by bridges
• Like bridges, routers are used to segment a LAN in order to
reduce excess broadcast traffic and latency
• routers make internetworking possible by interconnecting
both local and wide area networks
• The function of a router is to direct data along the most
efficient and economical route to the destination device
• Routers operate at Network Layer
• Examines the logical network address (IP address)
• Routers reads only data packets addressed to it
• Routers do not forward layer 2 broadcasts
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• Routers map a single layer 3 address to a single network
device
• routers can limit or secure network traffic based on
identifiable attributes (such as TCP and UDP ports) within
each packet
• Routers can be configured to perform both bridging and
routing functions
• Routers can provide the security and access controls that are
needed when interconnecting remote locations
• Routers are used to separate segments into unique collision
and broadcast domains

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• Routers are smarter than bridges because they know about
– routing protocols,
– different address schemes,
– different frame sizes and
– different data rates
• The best path is determined by using routing tables and
algorithms.
• router has its own MAC address
• router consults its routing table to determine the best path on
which to forward the data packet, looking at
– network number of the destination network
– MAC address of the next router along the path to this target network
– port on this router out of which the frame should be sent
– number of hops to the destination network
– age of this entry to avoid routing based on outdated information
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• uses forward-if-proven-remote logic
• Advantages
– Creates firewalls to protect connected LANs.
– Filters unwanted broadcast packets from the internetwork.
– Discriminates and prioritizes processing of packets according
to the network layer protocol.
– Provides security by filtering packets by either data-link or
network layer addresses.
– Provides transparent interconnection between LANs.
• Limitations
– more complicated to configure and manage

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 Gateway
• a Gateway is a hardware and/or software package that
connects two different network environments
• A Gateway provides a LAN with access to a different type of
network
• Gateways are also used to provide access to special services
such as e-mail, fax and telex
• Gateways can operate at all layers of the OSI model, most
notably at the Session, Presentation and Application layers
• Gateways take transmission capabilities for granted and
concentrate on the content of the transmission
• Gateways may very likely change the representation of data
before passing it on

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• Gateways also must do protocol conversion, since the
different environments connected by a Gateway will
generally use different protocol families
• Gateway runs special software to provide the necessary
conversion and translation service
• Gateway needs a considerable amount of RAM and storage

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