- The History of the Internet 2:21
- Check your facts, your history facts that is! 4 questions
- The Big Picture 2:59
- The Big Picture 3 questions
- Clients and Servers 2:04
- Client and Servers 4 questions
- TCP/IP 3:04
- TCP/IP Protocol Suite 5 questions
- Routers and Switches 2:32
- Routers and Switches 5 questions
- Connecting to the Internet 2:57
- Your Big Picture Review 1 question
Preview
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Routers and Switches
2:32Routers connect multiple networks to move data from computer to computer. Switches physically connect local networks.
When you connect devices together so
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that they can talk to each other,
you create what's called a network.
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One way to accomplish this is
with routers and switches.
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Routers are intermediary devices that
route data to its correct destination,
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meaning routers connect multiple
networks in order to move data around.
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Switches physically
connect local networks.
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And while switches have
a similar purpose to routers,
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switches are much less
intelligent than routers.
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Now let's learn about how switches
create a local network and
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routers connect those networks.
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A router is made to take
data packets destined for
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places outside the local network, and
move them from point A to point B.
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Just like clients and servers, routers
use protocols to talk to each other and
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figure out the more efficient
way to send each packet of data
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from one router to the next,
until the destination is reached.
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In order to work efficiently,
routing packets along the best path for
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their final destination,
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each router keeps information about other
routers in what's called a routing table.
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When a packet is received, a router
examines the packet and determines where
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it needs to go next, using
the information from the routing table.
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To do this, a routing table contains
at least three bits of information.
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The network ID,
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the cost, meaning how efficient the path
is that a packet is to be sent, and
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the next hop or gateway the packet will go
to on its way to its final destination.
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Another piece of hardware that bridges
the gap between computers is a switch.
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A switch is similar to a router
in that it also contributes
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to a network's efficiency.
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However, a switch manages
the flow of data across a network
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in a slightly different way, by physically
connecting devices together with cables.
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When a switch connects devices of
a school, computer lab or office together,
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it creates what's called
a local area network, or LAN.
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While you probably don't
have a switch at home,
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since there are few ports
built into your home router,
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you might be using one at school or
work, maybe even without knowing it.
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With switches creating networks and
routers connecting networks,
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we've created a wonderfully fast and
efficient process to move
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data around our community and world,
but that's not the end of the story.
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Stay tuned to learn about a few
more pieces of hardware and
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software that get the Internet all
the way to your laptop at your house.
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