The network layer:

• Moves information to the correct address.
• Assembles and disassembles packets.
• Decides which physical path the information should follow from its source to its destination. 
• The Network layer addresses messages and translates logical addresses and names into physical addresses.
• Manages data traffic and congestion involved in packet switching and routing.
• Enables the option of specifying a service address (sockets, ports) to point the data to the correct program on the destination computer.

Routing

Routers are devices that play a significant role by facilitating the flow of data between two or more networks.

One of the tools a router uses to decide where a packet should go is a configuration table. A configuration table is a collection of information, including:

* Information on which connections lead to particular groups of addresses
* Priorities for connections to be used
* Rules for handling both routine and special cases of traffic

A configuration table can be as simple as a half-dozen lines in the smallest routers, but can grow to massive size and complexity in the very large routers that handle the bulk of Internet messages.

A router, then, has two separate but related jobs:

* The router ensures that information doesn't go where it's not needed. This is crucial for keeping large volumes of data from clogging the connections of "innocent bystanders."
* The router makes sure that information does make it to the intended destination.

Internet data, whether in the form of a Web page, a downloaded file or an e-mail message, travels over a system known as a packet-switching network. Each of these packages gets a wrapper that includes information on the sender's address, the receiver's address, the package's place in the entire message, and how the receiving computer can be sure that the package arrived intact.

There are two huge advantages to the packet-switching plan.

* The network can balance the load across various pieces of equipment on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis.
* If there is a problem with one piece of equipment in the network while a message is being transferred, packets can be routed around the problem, ensuring the delivery of the entire message.

More information on addressing and routing is contained in the pages on TCP/IP under the functions of IP.

For more information on Networking Basics, the OSI Model and Server Administration:
Back to the Section Index

If you have used this section as a reference, please be aware that many pages have been updated, and some content of the individual pages has changed to better find the information.

For more information on E- Commerce Check out: Questy.com/zen

DISCLAIMER: Technology changes very rapidly. The information presented here as a study guide to illustrate concepts. No claim is made that this information is up to date, or that it represents the current technology used today.

This area is meant to be a study guide, not a comprehensive reference.
Support our website, and get the reference book you need, use this link to find all your tech book needs:
Check out our recommended reading list.

Welcome to the World of Questy

Welcome to the World of Questy -- The World of Questy Sites are currrently undergoing a major overhaul. Stay tuned for updated links and news in 2008!

Unless otherwise credited all photos and graphics are the copyrighted property of Questy aka Tom Peracchio. Unauthorized reproduction of any of the pages of this web site is illegal, not to mention rude.
- Copyright 1990 through 2008 -