Functions Of Routers

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Angel Santizo
Routers
A router is a device used to connect two or more networks and move data between them. Routers work at the network layer of the OSI model. Routers are mainly used to connect networks and keep traffic between them under control. Companies that make routers include: Belkin, Cisco and Linksys.
How do they Work?
It’s a very complicated process how a router works. The simplest example would be a home network.
When the router turns on it loads into its operating system. The router sets up the network interface and the routes that it will run. The network and subnet for each interface on the routes are then added to the router. All non local data is sent along a simple static default route to the cable company.
If a web page is requested the router receives it, then checks the destination IP address. The bits in this IP address are used as a hash point for the correct route. This points the packet in the correct direction to be forwarded to. The router sends the packet in the correct direction, from one router to the next, until the packet makes it to the intended location it was sent to.
This is usually how any router works.
Why?

Routers are used to connect networks together and they also do the following network functions.
FUNCTIONS OF A ROUTER
• Control broadcasts on the LAN
• Act as the default gateway
• Translate protocols when necessary
• Send data to different networks
• Learn and advertise loop free paths
• Show the most efficient path to reach the correct destination
At the physical, data link and network layer Networks (most of the time Ethernet) use broadcast communication. Transmissions on the network layer broadcast to all devices or servers on the network layer. Network broadcast communication i...

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...een programmed this way, and finds routes based off of other routers. RAM is also used for caching is also used for other processes that help speed up the finding and using of data routes.
Network Interfaces: Routers contain many network interfaces. The operating system has 'drivers' that let the operating system gain control of network hardware in the interface modules. Routers know which routes are available on which ports on start up. After, they learn the routes that they can use using information available from other routers, and learn the network interface that sends the information to the correct destination.
Console: The last part that is usually in a router is the console. When routers were first widely spread, the console was the place where managing and configuring the router was performed, and was where most of the issues in a computer were sorted out.

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