Topic 04

Network
Devices
RECAP SUMMARY
Network Repeaters and
Hubs
A repeater receives bit signals generated by NICs and
other devices, strengthens them, and then “repeats” them
to other parts of the network

A repeater enables you to connect computers whose

distance from one another would make communication
impossible

A traditional repeater has two ports or connections that

you can use to extend your network
Multiport Repeaters and
Hubs
Receives bit signals generated
Referred as Hub from a connected computer’s
NIC on one of its ports

Cleans the signal by filtering Regenerates the signal to full

out electrical noise strength

Transmits the regenerated

signal to all other ports where
a computer (or other network
device) is connected to
Hub
In a hub, a frame is passed along or
"broadcast" to every one of its
ports. It doesn't matter that the
frame is only destined for one port.
The hub has no way of
distinguishing which port a frame
should be sent to. Passing it along
to every port ensures that it will
reach its intended destination. This
places a lot of traffic on the network
and can lead to poor network
response times
Network Switches
Looks just like a hub
◦ But a switch actually reads data in the message,
determines which port the destination device is connected
to, and forward the message to only that port
◦ Basic Switch Operation
◦ Data is sent onto the medium one frame at a time
◦ Each frame has the destination and source MAC addresses
◦ Switch reads the addresses:
◦ Use the source MAC address of frame to keep a record of which
computer is on which port (switching table)
◦ Forwards the frame to the port where the destination MAC can
be found
How Network Switch
Works
 1. The switch receives a frame.
2. The switch reads the source and
destination MAC addresses.
3. The switch looks up the destination MAC
Steps of address in its switching table.
switch 4. The switch forwards the frame to the
operation port where the computer owning the
MAC address is found.
5. The switching table is updated with the
source MAC address and port
information.
Steps of switch
operation
1. The switch receives a frame.
2. The switch reads the source and destination MAC
addresses.
3. The switch looks up the destination MAC address in
its switching table.
4. The switch forwards the frame to the port where
the computer owning the MAC address is found.
5. The switching table is updated with the source
MAC address and port information.
Switches and Network
Bandwidth
Each port gets dedicated bandwidth
◦ Instead of having to share bandwidth with all ports
Multiple conversations can occur simultaneously
Can operate in full-duplex mode (hub only provides
half-duplex mode)
◦ Can send an receive data simultaneously
Switches are the preferred device because of these
advantages
Switches and
Network
Bandwidth
A switch, keeps a record of the MAC (Media
Access Control) addresses of all the devices
connected to it. With this information, a
switch can identify which system is sitting on
which port. So when a frame is received, it
knows exactly which port to send it to,
without significantly increasing network
response times. In addition, unlike a hub, a
10/100Mbps switch will allocate a full
10/100Mbps to each of its ports. So
regardless of the number of PCs transmitting,
users will always have access to the
maximum amount of bandwidth. It's for
these reasons a switch is considered to be a
much better choice than a hub.
 The heart of a wireless network is the wireless access
point (AP)

APs operate similarly to a hub without wires

Wireless
Access All communication passes through the AP

Points
Most small business and home networks use a
device typically called a wireless router that
combines the functions of an AP, a switch, and a
router

Wireless LANs are usually attached to wired

networks
Network Interface Card
(NIC)
The tasks a NIC and its driver perform:
◦ Provide a connection from computer to medium
◦ Incoming messages: Receives bit signals and assembles
them into frames
◦ Verifies the destination address
◦ Removes frame header and sends the resulting packet to the
network protocol
◦ Outgoing messages: receive packets from network protocol
◦ Creates frames by adding MAC addresses/error check
◦ Converts frame into bit signals suitable for the medium and
transmits them
NICs and MAC address
NIC manufacturers ensure that every NIC produced has a
unique address
◦ Networks won’t function correctly if duplicate MAC addresses
exist
MAC address is stored in read-only memory (ROM) on the NIC
Two 24-bit hexadecimal numbers
◦ 24-bit manufacturer ID called OUI
◦ 24-bit serial number assigned by the manufacturer
48-bit address expressed in 12 hexadecimal digits:
◦ 04-40-31-5B-1A-C4
NIC as Gatekeeper
When a frame arrives at a NIC, the NIC check’s the frame’s
destination MAC address to see whether it matches it’s built-in
MAC address
NIC only permits inbound communications if the destination
MAC:
◦ Matches the NICs burned-in address
◦ Is a broadcast address (ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff)
◦ NIC is in a special mode called promiscuous
When the destination MAC address matches the MAC burned-in
address (BIA), or the physical address of a NIC, it’s a unicast
frame
◦ Intended for a single computer
NIC as Gatekeeper
When the destination is the broadcast address, it’s
a broadcast frame
◦ Broadcast frames are intended to be processed by all
computers on the network
Promiscuous mode – turns off the gatekeeper
functions and enables the NIC to process all frames
it sees
◦ Used by software called a protocol analyzer or packet
sniffer
Wireless NICs
Wireless NICs must be chosen according to type of wireless
AP being used
Typical are Wireless-n, 802.11ac or 802.11 a/b/g/n
◦ The letter a,b,g, n, and ac refer to the wireless networking
standard the device supports
Wireless NICs connect to network using service set identifier
(SSID)
◦ SSID is the name assigned to the wireless network
You may also need to enter a security key or a username and
password, depending on the network’s security configuration
Routers
Most complex device
Connect LANs together to create an
internetwork (Network of
Networks)
Routers are devices that enable
multiple LANs to communicate
with one another by forwarding
packets from one LAN to another
 Routers connect LANs, switches connect
computers to form LANs

Routers work with logical (IP) addresses,

switches work with physical (MAC)
Difference addresses
s between Routers work with packets, switches with
routers frames
and
switches Routers don’t forward broadcasts, switches
do

Routers use routing tables, switches use

switching tables
How routers forward
packet

Notice between each Router, the MAC address header is stripped

and regenerated to get it to the next hop. The IP header generated
by the first computer is only stripped off by the final computer,
hence the IP header handled the “end to end” delivery, and each
of the four different MAC headers involved in this animation
handled the “hop to hop” delivery.
Routers
Connect
LAN
The router is used to
connect 3 separate LANs
in order to contain
broadcast traffic and
facilitate more effective
communication in each
department LAN
Difference between
Hub, Switch and Router
 Routers Work with IP
Addresses and Routing
Tables

Default route Network unreachable Default gateway

Where to send a packet when Message sent when the In a computer’s IP address
the router doesn’t have an network can’t be found and no configuration – the IP address
entry in its routing table default route of the computer’s router