Router as Component of a Network Connection Essay

Introduction

A router is an apparatus that interconnects two or more computers and forwards incoming data based on the destination addresses in the data packets. Routers are mainly found along gateways. This is the point at which more than one network interconnects. In terms of their mode of operation, routers generally make use of protocols for communicating with other computers on the network in order to find the best path between them. In large networks, more than one router is used and these exchange information about the destination addresses so that each router can formulate the preferred path between any two machines or computers on the network (SearchNetworking, 2010).

A router usually has two or more network interfaces which vary depending on the physical interface of the peripherals to which it will be connected. A majority of the offices rely on routers to t is locally available. The network is then relayed via either a cable or modem. A number of these routers have firewall systems which serves all hosts on the network thus eliminating the need for setting up security mechanisms for the individual systems. In addition, another useful role played by routers is that of linking smaller networks, especially where large scale ventures are used. In this case, use is made of Ethernet. Routers connect logical subnets that do not have a common IP address and generally does the work of forwarding the data passing through it.

A router practically operates between in two planes:

• Control plane- This is where a router makes use of a table to determine the interface through which a packet should be forwarded. This is done through the use of statically configured statements or by getting information from other routers operating on the same network.
• Forwarding plane- In this case, a router forwards traffic from incoming interfaces to an outgoing interface that is most suitable for the destination address associated with the data packet. The rules derived from the routing table in the control plane are used for the forwarding plane.

Routers can also be referred to as gateways, the term ‘default gateway’ refers to the router that one is using in his/her network.

Aim

The aim of the paper is to demonstrate how routers were invented and how they work to direct incoming data packets to their destinations.

Discussion

History of Routers

Invention of routers dates back to the early 1970s with the development of the Interface Message Protocol (IMP). IMPs were the packet-switching nodes used to interconnect different networks to the main data source from the late 1960s up until the late 1980s. The IMPs worked as today’s routers. IMPs were different from other network switches used earlier in two ways; they connected networks that were not similar, e.g. serial lines to LANs. Secondly, they were devices which could no t assure the user that data received was reliably delivered; this task was entirely left to the hosts. The idea of developing a router came about through an international body of networking researchers set up in 1972 to research on the technical issues involved in putting up networks.

Routers first came out of production in the mid 1970’s and followed by IP routers during the 1975-76 period. In 1981, the first multiprotocol routers applying the PDP-11 framework were produced by independent researchers working in American universities. Such routers were important as early computer networks used more than one protocol for connection unlike modern systems that only apply the TCP/IP protocol. During the mid-1970s and 1980s, minicomputers were used for routing, unlike modern computers which are highly specialised, these were general-purpose computers and generally worked well as routers.

How Routers Work

To know how the router works, it’s important to learn how the internet infrastructure functions. In a scenario whereby more than one computer is involved, the various interconnected computers are usually linked. This way, they are said to be involved in a conversation. In this kind of communication, iti is necessary to make use of backbones, NAPs and sometimes, routers. Backbones are fibre optic lines that are used for data transfer across the world while NAP is the Network Access Protection, a technology for regulating network access of a computer host in consideration of the identity and compliance to the rules and regulations put in place by the relevant authorities. Information can travel from one computer through thousands of miles and arrive at another computer in a very short time. Routers are specialized devices that send information from one internet user to their destinations many miles away. The routers determine the channel to use in sending this information. A router has three functions;

• It ensures that information goes to the right destination, this is important as it prevents large volumes of data from overloading the system.
• To ensure that information reaches the desired destination.
• The router also manages congestions that may occur as a result of forwarding a lot of data through communication channels. It does this by filtering traffic from one segment to another.

The router is therefore crucial when handling two separate computer networks, apart from joining these networks, it ensures the smooth flow of data, preventing traffic from one part of the network to hinder data movement from the other part. These functions also ensure that everyone on the internet is able to communicate to anyone on the planet.

Internet Protocol (IP)

The internet protocol is the communication language used by computers and a typical IP address is of the form 298.62.34.255

The router identifies the source of data it receives from the IP address and decides on the best channel to use in transferring this information to the desired destination. This address basically serves two functions; host identification and showing the origin of the data packet since each computer has a unique address (Warner, P. 2001).

Types of Routers

There are many different types of routers and these categories are base on the size of the network.

• Enterprise routers

This consists of routers found in enterprises; they are mostly used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), research centres or academic institutions. Enterprise routers are mostly of the three-layer type though not all layers will be used in smaller networks.

They interconnect all the smaller networks in a facility and when two or more of such routers are used, then an Ethernet is used to connect them.

• Access Routers

Access Routers are situated at customer sites such as residential places and offices, these routers generally have low-cost settings.

• Distribution routers

Distribution routers generally regulate traffic from numerous access routers located at a common point or spread over a wide area. They ensure quality of services across a Wireless Local Network (WAN) and may have a larger memory than the access routers, they also have a more advanced processing ability. With a distribution router, one is in a position to link several servers to an external network. When it connects servers to an external network, the security settings must be enhanced.

• Core routers

In most facilities like a research centre or a large enterprise, a core router interconnects numerous distribution routers and such routers are normally optimized for higher bandwidths. When the network is spread over a wide area without a central location, then these routers may not be used and the distribution routers become the highest in the rank (Techweb, 2010).

Conclusion

Routers are a very important component of a network connection. Many computer professionals recommend the use of a router since it also acts as a hardware firewall. This provides better protection from hackers than a software firewall.

This stems from the fact that the computer Internet Protocol address is never exposed to the internet directly. This renders port scans practically impossible. Besides, a router does not consume any resources as a software firewall does. A software firewall may only be needed if there is need to scan outgoing traffic. In additional, routers are quite valuable in that they enable sharing of a single printer by various computers. This is of direct economic benefit to an organisation because it does not have to incur the cost of purchasing an individual printer for each and every computer.

Reference List

1. SearchNetworking, 2010. Router. Web.
2. Techweb 2010. Router.
3. Warner, P, (2001). The Router Book: A Complete Guide to the Machine and its Accessories. The Taunton Press. (EBook).