EXPERIMENT NO.
06
DATE OF PERFORMANCE: GRADE:
DATE OF ASSESSMENT: SIGNATURE OF LECTURER/ TTA:
AIM: STUDY OF DIFFERENT NETWORKING DEVICES.
THEORY:
NETWORK DEVICE:
Components used to connect computers as well as other electrical devices together in order
to share resources such as printers and fax machines.
• The different devices or components used in networking include:
• Repeaters
• Bridge
• Hubs
• Switches
• Routers
• Gateways
• Wireless AP (Access Points)
Layer Name of Layer Device
3 Network Routers, layer 3 switches
2 Data Link Switches, bridges, NIC’s
1 Physical Hubs
REPEATER:
Signal attenuation or signal loss – signal degrades over distance.
Repeaters clean, amplify, and resend signals that are weakened by long cable length.
Built-in to hubs or switches.
HUBS:
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Active hub: A central connecting device in a network that regenerates signals on the output
side to keep the signal strong. Also called a "multiport repeater." Contrast with
passive hub and intelligent hub.
Passive hub: A central connecting device in a network that joins wires from several stations
in a star configuration. It does not provide any processing or regeneration of signals.
Contrast with active hub and intelligent hub.
FIGURE 6.1: 4-PORT HUB
OSI layer 1 hardware.
Hubs regenerate and retime network signals.
Hubs propagate signals through the network.
They cannot filter network traffic.
They cannot determine best path.
They are used as network concentration points.
They are really multi-port repeaters.
Uplink port – crossover mode or straight through mode.
BRIDGE:
A layer 2 device designed to create two or more LAN segments, each of which is a
separate collision domain.
The purpose is to filter traffic on a LAN, to keep local traffic local, yet allow
connectivity to other segments of the network.
Filter traffic by looking at the MAC address.
Frame filtering.
If the frame is addressed to a MAC address on the local side of the bridge, it is not
forwarded to the other segment
MAC addresses on the other segment are forwarded
Bridges maintain a MAC address table for both segments they are connected to.
Bridged network can span many segments.
Broadcasts are sent to all segments.
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FIGURE 6.2: BRIDGE DIAGRAM
SWITCH:
• Switches look similar to hubs in that they are rectangular in shape. Manageable
switches are usually a little bigger than unmanageable switches. A switch also has
ports on the back.
• Switches work about the same way as hubs. Unlike hubs, switches can identify the
destination of a packet.
• Switches send information only to the computer that is suppose to receive the
information.
• Switches can also send and retrieve information at the same time which makes
sending information faster to retrieve than hubs.
• Switches are a better option than hubs for larger networks or home networks with 4
or more connected computers.
• Switches can range in price from 1500 RS up to 10000 RS or more depending on if
the switch is manageable or unmanageable, usually unmanageable switches are less
in price versus managed switches.
LAYER 3 SWITCHES :
By definition a switch filters or forwards frames based on MAC addresses. This
makes a switch a layer 2 device.
Now we have layer 3 switches which have routing capability. If a data frame can’t
be switched it is routed.
Each port is a separate LAN port, but the forwarding engine actually calculates and
stores routes based on IP addresses, not MAC addresses.
FIGURE 6.3: 8-PORT SWITCH
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ROUTER:
• A specialized computer programmed to interface between different networks.
• A router receives data from the user.
• Looks for the remote address of the other computer making routing decisions along
the way
• Forwards the user data out to a different interface that is closer to the remote
computer
• Routers make sure data sent over the Internet goes where it needs to go and not
where it is not needed.
• Acts like a traffic controller, working to cut down congestion throughout the
network and keeps everything flowing smoothly along the best path.
• Routers are the only type of equipment that looks at every single packet passing by
on the network.
• Home network router including wireless routers can cost anywhere from 900 RS to
5000 RS or higher.
FIGURE 6.4: ROUTER DIAGRAM
GATEWAY:
• A communication device that provides a remote network with connectivity to the
host network.
• The gateway node acts like a proxy server and firewall
• The gateway uses forwarding tables to determine where packet are to be sent.
• On the Internet a node or stopping point can be a gateway.
• The computers controlling traffic within a network are gateway nodes.
• A gateway is also associated with a router.
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FIGURE 6.5: GATEWAY DIAGRAM
WIRELESS AP (ACCESS POINTS):
• Operates using radio frequency technology.
• Broadcast wireless signals computers can detect and use.
• A wireless network adapter is implemented while using a wireless access point, most
computers today already have network adapters built into the computer.
• The access point usually connects to the router
• A hotspot is a application wireless users can connect to the Internet.
• Aps are used throughout a home network, usually through only one AP.
• Wireless access points can cost anywhere from 1500 and up depending on the type
purchased.
FIGURE 6.6: ACCESS POINT
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