4.

Network Devices Comparison

Network Switch
A networ k switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments. The ter m commonly refers to a network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Switches that additionally process data at the network layer (layer 3 and above) are often referred to as Layer 3 switches or multilayer switches. The term network switch does not generally encompass unintelligent or passive network devices such as hubs and repeaters. The first Ethernet switch was introduced by Kalpana in 1990. Function The network switch, packet switch (or just switch) plays an integral part in most Ethernet local area networks or LANs. Mid-to-large sized LANs contain a number of linked managed switches. Small off ice/home office (SOHO) applications typically use a single switch, or an all-purpose converged device such as a gateway access to small office/home broadband services such as DSL router or cable Wi-Fi router. In most of these cases, the end-user device contains a router and components that inter face to the particular physical broadband technology, as in Linksys 8port and 48-port devices. User devices may also include a telephone interface for VoIP. A standard 10/100 Ethernet switch operates at the data-link layer of the OSI model to create a different collision domain for each switch port. If you have 4 computers ( e.g., A, B, C, and D) on 4 switch por ts, then A and B can transfer data back and forth, while C and D also do so simultaneously, and the two "conversations" will not interfere with one another. In the case of a "hub," they would all shar e the bandwidth and run in half duplex, resulting in collisions, which would then necessitate retransmissions. Using a switch is called microsegmentation. This allows you to have dedicated bandwidth on point-to-point connections with ever y computer and to therefore run in Full duplex with no collisions. Role of switches in networks Switches may operate at one or mor e OSI layers, including physical, data link, network, or transport (i.e., end-to-end). A device that operates simultaneously at more than one of these layers is known as a multilayer switch. In switches intended for commercial use, built- in or modular interfaces make it possible to connect different types of networks, including Ethernet, Fibre Channel, ATM, ITU-T G.hn and 802.11. This connectivity can be at any of the layers mentioned. While Layer 2 functionality is adequate for bandwidth-shifting within one technology, interconnecting technologies such as Ethernet and token ring are easier at Layer 3.

Interconnection of different Layer 3 networks is done by routers. If there are any features that characterize "Layer -3 switches" as opposed to general-purpose routers, it tends to be that they are optimized, in larger switches, for high-density Ethernet connectivity. In some service provider and other environments where there is a need for a great deal of analysis of network performance and secur ity, switches may be connected between WAN routers as places for analytic modules. Some vendors provide firewall, network intrusion detection, and perfor mance analysis modules that can plug into switch ports. Some of these functions may be on combined modules. In other cases, the switch is used to create a mirror image of data that can go to an external device. Since most switch port mirroring provides only one mirrored stream, network hubs can be useful for fanning out data to several read-only analyzers, such as intrusion detection systems and packet sniffers.

Typical switch management features

Tur n some particular port range on or off Link bandwidth and duplex settings Priority settings for ports MAC filter ing and other types of "port security" features which prevent MAC flooding Use of Spanning Tree Protocol SNMP monitoring of device and link health Port mirroring (also known as: port monitoring, spanning port, SPAN port, roving

analysis port or link mode port)

Link aggregation (also known as bonding, trunking or teaming) VLAN settings 802.1X network access control IGMP snooping

Router
A router is an electronic device that interconnects two or more computer networks, and selectively interchanges packets of data between them. Each data packet contains address infor mation that a router can use to deter mine if the source and destination are on the same network, or if the data packet must be transferred from one network to another. Wher e multiple routers are used in a large collection of interconnected networks, the routers exchange infor mation about target system addr esses, so that each router can build up a table showing the prefer red paths between any two systems on the interconnected networks. A router is a networking device whose software and hardware are customized to the tasks of routing and forwarding infor mation. A router has two or more network interfaces, which may be to different physical types of network (such as copper cables, fiber, or wireless) or different network standards. Each networ k interface is a specialized device that converts electric signals from one form to another. Routers connect two or more logical subnets, each having a different network address. The subnets in the r outer do not necessarily map one-to-one to the physical interfaces of the router. The term "layer 3 switching" is often used interchangeably with the term " routing". The term switching is generally used to refer to data forwarding between two networ k devices with the same network address. This is also called layer 2 switching or LAN switching. Conceptually, a router operates in two operational planes (or sub- systems):
Control plane: wher e a router builds a table (called routing table) as how a packet should

be forwarded through which inter face, by using either statically configured statements (called static routes) or by exchanging infor mation with other routers in the network through a dynamical routing protocol; ingress (incoming) interfaces to an egress (outgoing) inter face that is appropriate for the destination address that the packet carries with it, by following rules der ived from the routing table that has been built in the control plane.

Forwarding plane: where the router actually forwards traffic (called packets in IP) from

Types of routers Routers may provide connectivity inside enter prises, between enterpr ises and the Internet, and inside internet service pr oviders (ISPs). The largest routers (for example the Cisco CRS-1 or Juniper T1600) interconnect ISPs, are used inside I SPs, or may be used in ver y large enterprise networks. The smallest routers provide connectivity for small and home offices. Routers for Internet connectivity and internal use Routers intended for ISP and major enterprise connectivity almost invar iably exchange routing infor mation using the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). RFC 4098 defines several types of BGPspeaking routers according to the routers' functions:

Edge router (ER): An ER is placed at the edge of an ISP network. The router speaks Subscr iber edge router (SER): An SER is located at the edge of the subscr iber's network,

external BGP (EBGP) to a BGP speaker in another provider or lar ge enterpr ise Autonomous System (AS) . This type of router is also called PE (Provider Edge) routers. it speaks EBGP to its provider's AS(s). It belongs to an end user (enterprise) organization. This type of router is also called CE (Customer Edge) routers. maintains BGP sessions with other BGP speaking routers in other providers' ASes. between edge routers.

Inter-provider border router: Interconnecting ISPs, this is a BGP-speaking router that Core router: A core router is one that r esides within an AS as back bone to carry traffic

Within an ISP: Internal to the provider's AS, such a router speaks internal BGP (IBGP) to that provider's edge routers, other intr a-provider core routers, or the provider's interprovider border routers. "Internet backbone:" The I nternet does not have a clearly identifiable backbone, as did its predecessors. See default- free zone (DFZ). Nevertheless, the major ISPs' routers make up what many would consider the core. These ISPs operate all four types of the BGPspeaking routers descr ibed here. In ISP usage, a "core" router is internal to an ISP, and used to interconnect its edge and border routers. Core router s may also have specialized functions in virtual private networks based on a combination of BGP and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). Routers are also used for port forwarding for private ser vers.

Forwarding plane (a.k.a. data plane) For pure Internet Protocol (IP) forwarding function, a router is designed to minimize the state infor mation on individual packets. A router does not look into the actual data contents that the packet carries, but only at the layer 3 addresses to make a forwarding decision, plus optionally other information in the header for hint on, for example, QoS. Once a packet is forwarded, the router does not retain any historical information about the packet, but the for war ding action can be collected into the statistical data, if so configured.

Forwarding decisions can involve decisions at layers other than the IP internetwork layer or OSI layer 3. A function that forwards based on data link layer, or OSI layer 2, information is properly called a bridge or switch. This function is referred to as layer 2 switching, as the addresses it uses to forward the traffic are layer 2 addresses in the OSI layer model. Besides making decision as which interface a packet is forwarded to, which is handled pr imarily via the r outing table, a router also has to manage congestion, when packets arr ive at a rate higher than the router can process. Three policies commonly used in the Inter net are tail drop, random early detection, and weighted random early detection. Tail drop is the simplest and most easily implemented; the router simply drops packets once the length of the queue exceeds the size of the buffers in the router. Random early detection (RED) probabilistically drops datagr ams early when the queue is about to exceed a pre-configured size of the queue. Weighted random early detection requires a weight on the average queue size to act upon when the traffic is about to exceed the pre-configured size, so that short bur sts will not trigger random dr ops. Another function a router performs is to decide which packet should be processed first when multiple queues exist. This is managed through QoS (Quality of Ser vice) , which is cr itical when VoIP (Voice over I P) is deployed, so that delays between packets do not exceed 150ms to maintain the quality of voice conversations. Yet another function a router per forms is called " policy based routing" where special rules are constr ucted to over ride the rules der ived from the routing table when packet forwarding decision is made. These functions may be per formed through the same internal paths that the packets tr avel inside the router. Some of the functions may be per for med through an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to avoid overhead caused by multiple CPU cycles, and others may have to be perfor med through the CPU as these packets need special attention that cannot be handled by an ASIC.

Ethernet hub
An Ethernet hub, active hub, network hub, r epeater hub or hub is a device for connecting multiple twisted pair or fiber optic Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment. Hubs work at the physical layer (layer 1) of the OSI model. The device is a form of multiport repeater. Repeater hubs also participate in collision detection, forwarding a jam signal to all ports if it detects a collision. Hubs also often come with a BNC and/or Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) connector to allow connection to legacy 10BASE2 or 10BASE5 network segments. The availability of low-priced network switches has largely rendered hubs obsolete but they are still seen in older installations and more specialized applications.

Technical information Uses Historically, A network hub the is main a fairly reason unsophisticated for purchasing broadcast hubs rather device. thanHubs switches do not was manage their price. any of This the traffic thathas motivator comes largely through beenthem, eliminated and any by packet reductions entering in the any price port ofis switches, regenerated but and hubs broadcast can still be out oninall useful special othercircumstances: ports. Since every packet is being sent out through all other ports, packet collisions resultwhich greatly impedes the smooth flow of tr affic. The need network for hosts tap to orbe port able mirroring. to detect collisions limits the number of hubs and the total size of a network built using hubs (a network builtusers using does not have these limitations). For When a switch is accessible for end toswitches make connections, for example, in a confer ence room, an inexperienced or car eless saboteur) up can down the 10 Mbit/s networks built using repeater hubs, the 5-4-3 ruleuser must(or be followed: tobring 5 segments network by connecting twotwo ports together, causing a loop. This can be the prevented using (4 hubs) are allowed between any end stations. For 100 Mbit/s networks, limit isby reduced a hub, where a loop will break other users on the hub, but not the rest of the network. to 3 segments ( 2 hubs) between any two end stations, and even that is only allowed if the hubs This hazard can also be avoided by Some using switches that can detect and deal stack with loops, for are of the a delay variety.[citation needed] hubs have manufacturer specific ports allowing example by implementing the spanning tree protocol. them to be combined in a way that allows mor e hubs than simple chaining thr ough Ethernet A hub a 10BASE2 portfast can be used to network connect devices that only supportswitches 10BASE2to avoid the cables, but with even so, a large Ethernet is likely to require to limits a modern network. The same goes for linking in an old 10BASE5 network segment chaining of hubs. using an AUI port on a hub (individual devices that were intended for thicknet can be Most hubs detect typical problems, suchan as excessive collisions and jabbering on individual linked to modern Ethernet by using AUI-10BASE-T transceiver). ports, and partition the port, disconnecting it from the shar ed medium. Thus, hub-based Ethernet is generally more robust than coaxial cable- based Ethernet (e.g. 10BASE2), where a misbehaving device can adversely affect the entire collision domain. Even if not partitioned automatically, a hub simplifies troubleshooting because they remove the need to troubleshoot Conclusion faults on a long cable with multiple taps; status lights on the hub can indicate the possible problem Thus we sour havece studied or, as the a last various resort, network devicesswitching can be disconnected devices like from switch, a hub router one and at a hub. time much more easily than from a coaxial cable. Hubs are classified as Layer 1 (physical layer) devices in the OSI model. At the physical layer, hubs support little in the way of sophisticated networking. Hubs do not read any of the data passing through them and are not aware of their source or destination. A hub simply receives incoming Ethernet frames, regenerates the electr ical signal, and broadcasts these packets out to all other devices on the network.
For inserting a protocol analyzer into a network connection, a hub is an alternative to a