Topic covered: NETWORKING DEVICES

Various devices are used to connect network of a computer The most common devices work on different
layers of OSI model are:

1) Repeaters 2) Bridges 3) Router 4) Gateways 5) Hub 6) Modem

• Repeater – active only at the Physical layer

• Bridge – most active at the Datalink layer
• Router – links separate but similar LANs ⇒ most active at the Network layer
• Gateway – provides “translation” service between incompatible LANs or applications ⇒ active in all
layers

REPEATERS
 Repeaters are used within network to extend the length of communication.
 Data process through transmission media in the farm of waves or signals. The transmission media weaken
signals that move through it. The weakening of signal is called attenuation. If the data is to be transmitted
beyond the maximum length of a communication media, signals have amplified. The devices that are used
to amplify the signals are called repeaters. Repeaters work at the physical layer of OSI model.
 Repeaters are normally two ports boxes that connect two segments. As a signal comes in one port , it is
Regenerated and send out to the other port.
 The signal is read as 1s and 0s. As 1s and 0s are transmitted, the noise can be cleaned out.

Advantages of Repeater

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 Repeaters easily extend the length of network.
 They require no processing over head, so very little if any performance degradation occurs.
 It can connect signals from the same network type that use different types of cables.

Disadvantages of Repeaters
 Repeaters can not be used to connect segments of different network types.
 They cannot be used to segment traffic on a network to reduce congestion .
 Many types of network have a limit on the number of network s that can be used at once .

Repeaters operate at the physical layer of the OSI model.

BRIDGES

 Bridges are used to connect similar network segments.

 A bridge does not pass or signals it receives. When a bridge receive a signal , it determines its destination
by looking at its destination and it sends the signals towards it.
 When the bridge receives the signals it read address of both sender and receiver. If the sender is a
computer in segment A and the receiver is also segment A, it would not pass the signals to the segments
B. It will however pass signals if the sender is in one segment and the receiver in other segment. Bridge
works at the data link layer of O.S.I model.

Advantages of Bridges
 Bridge extends network segments by connecting them together to make one logical network.
 They can affect the segment traffic between networks by filtering data if it does not need to pass.
 Like repeaters they can connect similar network types with different cabling.
Disadvantages of Bridges
 Bride possess information about the data they receive with can slow performance.

Routers
 Routers are devices which connect two are more networks that use similar protocol. A router consists of
hard ware and software.
 Hard ware can be a computer is specific device.
 Software consists of special management program that controls flow of data between networks.
 Routers operate at a network layer of O.S.I model.
Advantages of Router
 They use high level of intelligence to rout data
 Routers can also act as a bridge to handle non rout able protocols such as NetBEUI (Network Bios Extended
User Interface )

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 Disadvantages of Router
 High level of intelligence take more processing time which can effect performance
 Routers are very complicated which installation and maintenance difficult

 Routers can increase network efficiency by filtering out broadcast traffic between
networks, thus reducing unnecessary traffic between networks.
 Routers operate at the network level of the OSI model.
 Routers can connect different network types such as Ethernet, token ring, and FDDI.

OR
These are network devices that examine the network address (IP address) field and determine the best
route for a data packet, and will only transmit it out of a network segment if it is destined for a node
on another network. Routers do the following:
 Do not forward broadcast
 Do not forward traffic to unknown addresses
 Modify data packet header
 Build tables of network addresses

OR
Routers link two or more different networks together, such as an Internet Protocol network.
These networks can consist of various types of LAN segments, for example, Ethernet, token
ring, or Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI). A router receives packets and selects the
optimum path to forward the packet across the network. Routers build a table of all the device
addresses (routing table) across the networks. Using this table, the router forwards a transmission from
the sending station to the receiving station across the best path.

GATEWAYS
 Gateways are multi-purpose connection devices. They are able to convert the format of data
in one computing environment to a format that is usable in another computer environment
(for example, AppleTalk and DECnet).

Gateways can operate at all layers of the OSI model since they:
Can provide a physical link between networks.
Create junctions between dissimilar networks.
Translate different network protocols and/ or applications (for example,
electronic mail between the Internet and a commercial online service with its own mail protocol

OR
Gateways are devices which connect two are more networks that use different protocols. They are similar
in function to routes but they are more powerful and intelligent devices. A gateway can actually convert
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 data so that network with an application on a computers on the other side of the gateway e.g a get way can
receive email messages in one format in convert them into another format. Gateway can operate at all
seven layer of OSI model. Since Gateway perform data conversion so they are slower in speed and very
expensive devices.
OR
Gateway: A network gateway is an internetworking system capable of joining together two networks
that use different base protocols. A network gateway can be implemented completely in software,
completely in hardware, or as a combination of both. Depending on the types of protocols they support,
network gateways can operate at any level of the OSI model.

HUB
 A hub is a repeater with multiple ports, and can be thought of as being the centre point of a star topology
network. It is often known as a multi-port repeater (or as a concentrator in Ethernet). Hubs can be active
(where they repeat signal sent through them) or passive (where they do not repeat, but merely split,
signals sent through them). Hub generally:
 Amplify signals.
 Propagate the signal through the network.
 Do not filter traffic. This is a major disadvantage with hubs and repeaters as data arriving at any of the
ports is automatically transmitted to all the other ports connected to the hub.
 Do not determine path.
 Centralize the connection to the network.
OR
Hubs are basically multi ports repeaters for U.T.P cables. Some hubs have ports for other type of cable such as
coaxial cable. Hubs range in size from four ports up to and for specific to the network types. These are some
hubs which are
I. Passive Hub II. Active Hub III. Switch/ Intelligent Hub

Passive Hub
It provides no signal regeneration. They are simply cables connected together so that the signal is
broken out to other nodes without regeneration. These are not used often today because of loss of cable
length that is allowed.
Active Hub
It acts as repeaters and regenerates the data signals to all ports. They have no real intelligence to tell
whether the signal needs to go to all ports that is blindly repeated.
Switch Hub
 Switches are multi ports bridges. They filter traffic between the ports on the switch by using the address of
computers transmitting to them.

 Switches can be used when data performance is needed or when collision need to be reduce.

Advantages of Hub
 Hubs need almost no configuration.

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 Active hub can extend maximum network media distance.
 No processing is done at the hub to slow down performance
Disadvantages of Hub
 Passive hubs can greatly limit maximum media distance.
 Hubs have no intelligence to filter traffic so all data is send out on all ports whether it is need or not.
 Since hubs can act as repeaters the network using them must follow the same rules as repeaters

MODEM
The device that converts digital signals into analog signals and analog signals to digital signals is called
Modem. The word modem stands for modulation and demodulation. The process of converting digital
signals to analog signals is called modulation. The process of converting analog signals to digital signals
is called demodulation. Modems are used with computers to transfer data from one computer to another
computer through telephone lines.

Modems have two connections these are.

 Analog connection
 Digital connection

Analog connection.

The connection between the modem and the telephone line is called analog connection.

Digital connection.

The connection of modem to computer is called digital connection

Types of Modem

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF MODEMS

 Internal modem
 External modem

INTERNAL MODEM

It fits into expansion slots inside the computer. It is directly linked to the telephone lines through the
telephone jack. It is normally less inexpensive than external modem. Its transmission speed is also less
external modem.

EXTERNAL MODEM

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 It is the external unit of computer and is connected to the computer through serial port. It is also linked to
the telephone line through a telephone jack. External modems are expensive and have more operation
features and high transmission speed.

Advantages of Modem

 Inexpensive hardware and telephone lines.

 Easy to setup and maintain.

Disadvantages of Modem
 Very slow performance.

Difference between Router and Switch

Router Switch

Basically, a router is used to connect computers belonging to one

A switch on the other hand, connects
network with those belonging to another or other networks. Thus,
different computers within one network.
a router connects two or more different networks.

Unless it is a multi-layer switch, a network

As per the OSI model, a router is a Network Layer device, i.e. it
switch operates at Layer 2 (Data Link
operates at Layer 3.
Layer).

Routers are much more sophisticated and intelligent network In comparison with routers, switches are less
devices, as compared to switches. sophisticated and less intelligent.

A switch works on the basis of MAC

A router works on the principle of IP addresses.
addresses.

A router's inbuilt hardware makes use of routing algorithms to

A switch does not perform any such
compute the best possible path for routing data packets across
activities.
different computer networks.

Routers have their own inbuilt operating systems and they need to Most switches do not require any prior
be configured before use. configuration and are usually 'ready-to-use'.

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