CIT 4209 - Router and Routing Basics
Introduction
Routers are used to connect networks together and route packets of data from one network to
another.
Four router functions in your network can be listed as follows:
- Packet switching
- Packet filtering
- Internetwork communication
- Path selection
Remember that routers are really switches; they’re actually what we call Layer 3 switches.
Unlike Layer 2 switches, which forward or filter frames, routers (Layer 3 switches) use logical
addressing and provide what is called packet switching. Routers can also provide packet filtering
by using access lists; and when routers connect two or more networks together and use logical
addressing (IP or IPv6), this is called an internetwork.
Last, routers use a routing table (map of the internetwork) to make path selections and to
forward packets to remote networks.
Conversely, switches aren’t used to create internetworks (they do not break up broadcast
domains by default); they’re employed to add functionality to a network LAN. The main purpose
of a switch is to make a LAN work better—to optimize its performance—providing more
bandwidth for the LAN’s users. And switches don’t forward packets to other networks as routers
do. Instead, they only “switch” frames from one port to another within the switched network.
By default, switches break up collision domains. “The Current Ethernet Specifications.” This is
an Ethernet term used to describe a network scenario wherein one particular device sends a
packet on a network segment, forcing every other device on that same segment to pay attention
to it. At the same time, a different device tries to transmit, leading to a collision, after which both
devices must retransmit, one at a time. Not very efficient! This situation is typically found in a
hub environment where each host segment connects to a hub that represents only one collision
domain and only one broadcast domain. By contrast, each and every port on a switch represents
its own collision domain.
Here are some points about routers that you should commit to memory:
- Routers, by default, will not forward any broadcast or multicast packets.
- Routers use the logical address in a Network-layer header to determine the next hop
router to forward the packet to.
- Routers can use access lists, created by an administrator, to control security on the types
of packets that are allowed to enter or exit an interface.
- Routers can provide Layer 2 bridging functions if needed and can simultaneously route
through the same interface.
- Layer 3 devices (routers, in this case) provide connections between virtual LANs
(VLANs).
- Routers can provide quality of service (QoS) for specific types of network traffic.
Types of memory on a Cisco device
Cisco devices usually have four types of memory that are being used for different purposes.
These four types are:
- ROM (Read-only memory) – stores a bootstrap program that is used to initialize a boot
process. This is a read-only type of memory, so it can’t be altered.
1
- RAM (Random Access Memory) – the running configuration and routing tables of the
device are stored here. This type of memory loses its content when a device is restarted.
- Flash memory – used to store IOS software images. Can also be used to store other files,
for example backup configuration files. Retains its content even after a device is
restarted.
- NVRAM (Nonvolatile RAM) – usually used to store a startup configuration file. This
type of memory retains its content even after a device is powered down or restarted.
