EXPERIMENT NO.

Aim- To study Networking Devices

Name: AAMIR GORIAWALA Roll No.: 13

Batch: Date : 19/7/12

Grade: Sign :

Networking Devices
Networking devices are products used to connect networks. As computer networks grow in size and complexity, so do the internetworking devices used to connect. These devices interconnect individual computers and ensure that they communicate efficiently.

The purpose of these devices are

They allow a greater number of nodes to be connected to the network. They extend the distance over which a network can extend. They localize traffic on the network. They can merge existing networks.

They isolate network problems so they can be diagnosed more easily. These devices regulate the speed at which your network information travels. These devices manage the flow of traffic, opening, closing, or directing it to specific streets as the need arises. Some of these devices help you protect sensitive information.

The top vendors are Cisco, D-Link, LinkSys, Baynet, RealTek, 3Com, NetGear, Intel, Nortel, and Lucent etc. A well designed IT infrastructure with the proper placement of the routers, servers, gateway and switches can reduce the operational cost and enhances the overall performance dramatically.

Repeaters-

Repeaters are devices which just retransmit the packets that they receive. They connect two physical wires. It amplifies and boost the signal if it must travel over long physical distances. In the case of digital signals the repeater restores the amplitude of the signal, removing noise as well. The first popular Ethernet medium was a copper coaxial cable known as "thicknet." The maximum length of a thicknet cable was 500 meters. In large building or campus environments, a 500meter cable could not always reach every network device. A repeater addresses this problem. It can be used for dissimilar media. Repeaters connect multiple Ethernet segments, listening to each segment and repeating the signal heard on one segment onto every other segment connected to the repeater. By running multiple cables and joining them with repeaters, you can

significantly increase your network diameter. They work at the physical layer.

Hubs-

Hubs are used in networks that use twisted-pair cabling to connect devices. Hubs can also be joined together to create larger networks. Hubs are simple devices that direct data packets to all devices connected to the hub, regardless of whether the data package is destined for the device. This makes them inefficient devices and can create a performance bottleneck on busy networks.

In computer networking, a hub is a small, simple, inexpensive device that joins multiple computers together. Many network hubs available today support the Ethernet standard. If we talk about networks on larger scale hub(s) are required to build network. In its most basic form, a hub does nothing except provide a pathway for the electrical signals to travel along. Such a device is called a passive hub. Far more common nowadays is an active hub, which, as well as providing a path for the data signals, regenerates the signal before it forwards it to all of theconnected devices. A hub does not perform any processing on the data that it forwards, nor does it perform any error checking.

Hubs are also called concentrators or repeaters. Hubs come in various sizes, the most common being 12-port or 24-port (meaning they can connect to 12 or 24 computers/printers/hubs). They operate on Physical layer.

Switch-

Switch is another important device when we talk about computer network on broader spectrum.It is used at the same place as hub is but the only difference between the two is that switch possess switching table with in it. Switching tables store the MAC addresses of every computer it is connected to and send the data to only requested address unlike hub which broadcasts the data too all the ports. Switches can be considered advance form of hubs Like hubs, switches are the connectivity points of an Ethernet network. Devices connect to switches via twisted-pair cabling, one cable for each device. The difference between hubs and switches is in how the devices deal with the data that they receive. Whereas a hub forwards the data it receives to all of the ports on the device, a switch forwards it only to the port that connects to the destination device. It does this by learning the MAC address of the devices attached to it, and then by matching the destination MAC address in the data it receives. Switches operate at both the physical layer and the data link layer of the OSI Model.

Network switches appear nearly identical to network hubs, but a switch generally contains more intelligence (and a slightly higher price tag) than a hub. Unlike hubs, network switches are capable of inspecting data packets as they are received, determining the source and destination device of each packet, and forwarding them appropriately. By delivering messages only to the connected device intended, a network switch conserves network bandwidth and offers generally better performance than a hub.

Router-

Router is intelligent device which routes data to destination computers. It helps in connecting two different logical and physical networks together. In small network server is connected to router along with clients for communication. With routers network communication is not possible; it is soul of network without which distribution if internet and other network data to entire network is impossible.

Since the router is a level three device that communicates using packets it can be used to connect networks of different types, for example ethernet and token ring networks

Networking with a router helps you to-

1) Share files between computers 2) Share an Internet connection between computers 3) Share a printer 4) Connect your game console or other home entertainment equipment to the Internet 5) Routers are not necessarily required to build a network. For example, you can connect two computers directly to each other with just a cable (or without wires in some cases). 6) Home routers offer convenience and easier maintenance as your network grows.

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. Because a network gateway, by definition, appears at the edge of a network, related capabilities like firewalls tend to be integrated with it. On home networks, a broadband router typically serves as the network gateway although ordinary computers can also be configured to perform equivalent functions. 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. Because a network gateway, by definition, appears at the edge of a network, related capabilities like firewalls tend to be integrated with it. On home networks, a broadband router typically serves as the network gateway although ordinary computers can also be configured to perform equivalent functions.

Bridge-

A bridge is used to join two network segments together, it allows computers on either segment to access resources on the other. They can also be used to divide large networks into smaller segments. Bridges have all the features of repeaters, but can have more nodes, and since the network is divided, there is fewer computers competing for resources on each segment thus improving network performance. Bridges can also connect networks that run at different speeds, different topologies, or different protocols. But they cannot, join an Ethernet segment with a Token Ring segment, because these use different networking standards. Bridges operate at both the Physical Layer and the MAC sublayer of the Data Link layer. Bridges read the MAC header of each frame to determine on which side of the bridge the destination device is located, the bridge then repeats the transmission to the segment where the device is located. The networks connected by a bridge may use different physical and data link protocols. For example, you can install a bridge to connect a small lab of Macintosh computers using LocalTalk to the school's main Ethernet network. Bridges filter network traffic. They examine each set of data, transmitting only appropriate data to each connected segment. In this manner, bridges help reduce overall network traffic. Bridges are relatively simple and

efficient traffic regulators. However, in most networks they have been replaced by their less expensive or more powerful cousins hubs, switches, and routers. Most bridges operate by examining incoming or outgoing signals for information at OSI level 2, the data link level.