Chapter Four

LAN and WAN Devices

Mulugeta G.
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Network Interface Card (NICs)
• NIC provides the physical connection between the network
and the computer workstation.
• NIC are a major factor in determining the speed and
performance of a network.
• NIC is a circuit board that is physically installed within an
active network node, such as a computer, server, or printer
• NIC is an adapter that controls the exchange of
information between the network and the user

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Hubs
• least expensive, least intelligent
• Its job is very simple – anything that comes in one port is
sent out to the others.
• If a message comes in for computer “A”, that message is
sent out all the other ports, regardless of which one
computer “A” is on:

And when computer “A” responds, its response also goes out
to every other port on the hub: 3
• Every computer connected to the hub “sees”
everything that every other computer on the hub
sees.
• For years, simple hubs have been quick and easy
ways to connect computers in small networks
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Repeaters
• To boost the signal, Since a signal loses strength as it passes
along a cable
• Electrically amplifies the signal it receives and rebroadcasts it.
• Used to extend the length of a network cabling system
• Repeaters operate at Physical Layer
• Any information coming into one port is simply repeated out
all other ports

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Bridges
• a device that allows you to segment a large network into two smaller, more
efficient networks.
• monitor the information traffic on both sides of the network so that it can
pass packets of information to the correct location.
• can "listen" to the network and automatically figure out the address of each
computer on both sides of the bridge.
• can check each message and, if necessary, broadcast it on the other side of
the network.
• A bridge is a Data Link Layer device
• bridge receives every frame broadcast on each LAN it is connected to
• 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 simply faster and more intelligent than bridges
• Switches have replaced bridges for two reasons:
– superior performance and
– lower price per port
• Used in micro segmentation by creating point-to-point
connections using ASIC (application-specific integrated
circuit) chips
• Works at Layer 2(Data link layer)
• Advantages
– Produces dramatic increases in bandwidth; used in virtual LANs
• Limitations
– More complicated to manage; more expensive than simple bridging
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• A switch does essentially what a hub does, but more
efficiently.
• it can “learn” where particular addresses are.
• Initially, a switch knows nothing and simply sends
on incoming messages to all ports:

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• In addition to sending the response through to the
originator, the switch has now learned something else – it
now knows on which connection machine “A” is located.
• That means that subsequent messages destined for
machine “A” need only be sent to that one port:
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• Switch is a device that provides a central connection
point for cables from workstations, servers, and
peripherals.
• amplify the signal as it moves from one device to another.
• Switches no longer broadcast network packets as hubs
did in the past, they memorize addressing of computers
and send the information to the correct location directly.

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Routers
• 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
• Routers select the best path to route a message, based on
the destination address and origin.
• While bridges know the addresses of all computers on
each side of the network, routers know the addresses of
computers, bridges, and other routers on the network.
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• Routers can:
– Direct signal traffic efficiently
– Route messages between any two protocols
– Route messages between linear bus, star, and ring topologies
– Route messages across fiber optic, coaxial, and twisted-pair
cabling
• 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 locations15
• 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 16
• 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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Internet Protocol (IP)

• IP designed as a best-effort delivery protocol

• However, IP protocol has two deficiencies:

– lack of error control and

– lack of flow control
• To make IP more responsive it takes help of other protocols as
depicted in Figure:

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Internet Protocol (IP)

• To make IP more responsive it takes help of other protocols

– Protocols to create a mapping between physical and logical
addresses: ARP (Address Resolution Protocol).
– Protocols to create a reverse mapping i.e. mapping a physical
address to a logical address: RARP, BOOTP, and DHCP.
– Lack of flow control and error control in the Internet
Protocol has resulted in another protocol, ICMP. It reports
congestion and some types of errors in the network or
destination host.
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Address Mapping
• An internet is made of a combination of physical networks
connected by internetworking devices such as routers.
• A packet starting from a source host may pass through several
different physical networks before finally reaching the destination
host.
• The hosts and routers are recognized at the network level by their
logical (IP) addresses, while at the physical level, they are
recognized by their physical (MAC) addresses.
• Thus delivery of a packet to a host or a router requires two levels
of addressing: logical (IP) and physical (MAC). 20
Address Mapping

• We need to be able to map a logical address to its corresponding

physical address and vice versa.
• These can be done by using
– Static Mapping or
– Dynamic Mapping

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Address Mapping

• Static Mapping
– involves in the creation of a table that associates a logical
address with a physical address.
– This table is stored in each machine on the network.
– Each machine that knows the IP address of another machine
but not its physical address can look it up in the table.
– Static mapping has some limitations because physical
addresses may change

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Address Mapping

• Limitations of Static Mapping because physical addresses may

change in the following ways:
– A machine could change its NIC (Network Interface Card),
resulting in a new physical address.
– In some LANs, such as Local Talk, the physical address
changes every time the computer is turned on.
– A mobile computer can move from one physical network to
another, resulting in a change in its physical address.
• To implement these changes, a static mapping table must be
updated periodically. This overhead could affect network
performance 23
Address Mapping

• Dynamic Mapping
– In such mapping each time a machine knows one of the two
addresses (logical or physical),
– It can use a protocol to find the other one such as
• Mapping Logical to Physical Address: ARP
• Mapping Physical to Logical Address: RARP, BOOTP,
and DHCP

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Address Mapping

• ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)

– Mapping Logical to Physical Address
– ARP finds the physical address, also known as Media Access
Control (MAC) address, of a host from its known IP address

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Address Mapping

• ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)

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Address Mapping
• Mapping Physical to Logical Address: RARP, BOOTP,
and DHCP
– There are occasions in which a host knows its physical address, but
needs to know its logical address.
– This may happen in two cases:
– Case 1: A diskless station is just booted. The station can find its
physical address by checking its interface, but it does not know its IP
address.
– Case 2: An organization does not have enough IP addresses to assign
to each station; it needs to assign IP addresses on demand. The
station can send its physical address and ask for a short time lease.
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Address Mapping
• RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol)
– Mapping Physical to Logical Address
– Finds the logical address for a machine that knows only its
physical address.
– To create an IP datagram, a host or a router needs to know
its own IP address or addresses.

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Address Mapping
• RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol)

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Thank You

?
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