Unit 2
Introduction to Routing and Switching
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit, students must be able to:
1. Differentiate switching from routing.
2. Identify the different devices used in switching and routing.
3. Set-Up network devices for routing.
Difference Between Switching and Routing
Switching occurs at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. It involves forwarding data packets
within a single network segment LAN. Switches use MAC addresses to make forwarding decisions,
creating a table of MAC addresses and corresponding switch ports. It is typically used for local network
traffic and operates at high speeds. Examples of switching technologies include Ethernet and VLANS.
Routing occurs at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model. It involves forwarding data packets
between different networks or subnets. Routers use IP addresses to make forwarding decisions,
maintaining a routing table of network addresses and corresponding next-hop routers or interfaces. It is
essential for interconnecting multiple networks and enabling communication between them.
Figure. 1. Difference between Switching and Routing
Fig. 1. Difference between routing and switching
As shown in fig.1, the hub and switch communicates when they are connected with a router. This means
that when data packets is being forwarded to other networks or subnets, router must connect this two
networks.
Devices used in Switching and Routing
These are different device components used in switching and routing. It includes the Hub, Switch, Router
and Repeater.
Hub – receives data and sends to everyone connected to the hub. It is for the computers who receives
the data whether to accept it or reject it.
Image source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/h/hub.htm
Figure 2. Hub
Switch – is simply called a smart hub. This is a hardware device that connects devices on a local area
network and forwards data based on MAC addresses.
Image source: https://www.tp-link.com/ph/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg108-m2/
Figure 3. Switch
Repeater- is use for making a signal stronger. It can amplify (power only) and regenerate the signal
which means it cleans up the signal.
Image source: https://cherryshop.com.ph/products/cherry-home-r2-wi-fi-repeater-plus
Figure 4. Repeater
Figure 5. Repeater Application
Router- is a device that moves data across different networks. It manages the traffic flow (internal
network-to-public network). It has two IP’s, the public IP that the internet is seeing and private IP which
is used by the devices within the network. It has also a built-in firewall where firewall rules can be
managed (i.e. who’s allowed to connect and move packets from the internal network to the public).
Most routers have a built-in DHCP server.
Image Source: https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/6MyHXATC81C0nxzHIjB-XqBnxrg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/netgear-router-gaming-
5b2c15f6ff1b780037823ccd.jpg
Figure 6. Wireless Router
Image Source: https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/encyclopedia-terms/wired-router-_dsr250.fit_lim.size_1050x.jpg
Figure 7. Wired Router
Router Functions
Networks are relied on for web applications, IP telephony, video conferencing, interactive gaming, e-
commerce, and much more.
Let’s discuss the characteristics of a Network in routing.
The different characteristics include:
Topology
Physical Topology – these are arrangement of cables, network devices, and end systems. It
describes how the network devices are actually interconnected with wires and cables.
Logical Topology – this describes the path over which the data is transferred in a network and
how the network devices appear connected to network users.
Speed
This measure the data rate in bits per second (b/s) of a given link in the network.
Cost
The general expense for purchasing of network components as well as installation and
maintenance of the network.
Security
This indicates how protected the network is, including the information that is transmitted over
the network.
Availability
This refers to the likelihood that the network is available for use when it is required.
Scalability
This indicates how easily the network can accommodate more users and data transmission
requirements as they increase.
Reliability
This indicates the dependability of the components that make up the network including the
routers, switches, PCs, and servers; often measured as MTBF (mean time between failures).
Functions of the Router
The router connects one network to another network. It determines the best route to the destination
before forwarding traffic to the next router along the path. It is responsible for routing traffic between
the network. It uses a routing table to determine the most efficient path to reach the destination.
Components of a Router
A router is a specialized computer and requires the same components to operate as computers
including:
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Operating System (OS)
o A desktop computer might use the Windows Operating System, but Cisco Router uses
the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS).
Memory and Storage (RAM, ROM, NVRAM, Flash and Hard drive)
o Non-volatile vs volatile memory
Routers have specialized ports and network interface cards to interconnect devices to other networks
Figure 8. Router Ports
Memory Description
Random Access Memory (RAM) Volatile memory that provides temporary storage for various
applications and processes including:
Running IOS
Running configuration file
IP routing and ARP tables
Packet buffer
Read-Only Memory (ROM) Non-volatile memory that provides permanent storage for:
Boot-up instructions
Basic diagnostic software
Limited IOS in case the router cannot load the full
featured IOS
Non-Volatile Random Access Non-volatile memory that provides permanent storage for the:
Memory (NVRAM) Startup configuration file
Flash Non-volatile memory that provides permanent storage for:
IOS
Other system-related files
Router Connection
Router is responsible for forwarding packets from network to network, from the source to the
destination.
Multiple networks on a router require multiple interfaces that each belong to different IP network. This
interfaces are used to connect LANs and WANs. LANs are Ethernet networks that contain PCs, printers,
and servers (see figure below). WANs are used to connect networks over large geographical areas such
as to an ISP.
When packet arrives on a router’s interface, the router might be the final destination, or it may have to
send it to another router to reach its final destination.
Sample LAN and WAN Connection
Home office devices might connect as follows:
Laptops and tablets connect wirelessly to a home router.
A network printer connects using an Ethernet cable to the switch port on the home router.
The home router connects to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) cable modem using an Ethernet
cable.
The cable modem connects to the ISP network.
Figure 9. LAN and WAN Connections
Branch site devices might connect as follows:
Desktop PCs, VoIP phones, and corporate resources such as file servers and printers connect to
layer 2 switches using Ethernet cables.
Laptops and smartphones connect wirelessly to wireless access points (WAPs).
The WAPs connect to switches using Ethernet cables.
Layer 2 switches connect to an Ethernet interface on the edge router using Ethernet cables.
The edge router connects to a WAN service provider.
Central site devices might connect as follows:
Desktop Pcs and VoIP phones connect to Layer 2 switches using Ethernet cables.
Layer 2 switches connect redundantly to multilayer Layer 3 switches using Ethernet fiber-optic
cables.
Layer 3 multilayer switches connect to an Ethernet interface on the edge router using Ethernet
cables.
The corporate website server connects to the edge router interface.
The edge router connects to a WAN SP and also to an ISP for backup purposes.
Default Gateways
Devices need the following information for network access:
IP address – identifies a unique host on a local network.
Subnet Mask – identifies the host’s network subnet.
Default Gateway – Identifies the router address where packet is sent to when the destination is
not on the same local network subnet.
When a host sends a packet to a device that is on the same IP network, the packet is forwarded out the
host interface to the destination device. The router does not need to get involved.
When a host sends a packet to a device on a different IP network, the packet is forwarded to the default
gateway because the host device cannot communicate with devices outside of the local network.
The default gateway is the device that routes traffic from the local network to devices on remote
networks, such as devices on the internet.
Routers are usually configured with their own default gateway.
Figure 10. Default Gateway
Document Network Addressing
When designing a new network or mapping an existing one, the documentation should identify:
Device names
Interfaces used in the design
IP addresses and subnet masks
Default gateway addresses
The figure below shows two useful documents:
Topology diagram – provides a visual reference that indicates the physical and logical Layer 3
addressing.
An addressing table – captures device names, interfaces, IPv4 addresses, subnet masks, and
default gateway addresses.
Figure 11. Document Network Addressing
Exercise # 2:
Create the addressing table of the given topology in Figure 12.
PC 2
PC 1 192.168.20.2/24
192.168.10.2/24
Figure 12. For Addressing Table Topology
Device Interface IP Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway
R1
R2
R3
PC1
PC2
Write your answers in a ½ sheet of paper, to be pass next meeting.
Activity 2: Assigning IP Address to Routers
After designing the topology base on the given requirement to configure networks, we are now
going to assign IP addresses to the interfaces. And to ensure successful routing, these rules must
be present in the design topology.
Rules to Assign IP Address for Routers
1. All the LAN and WAN should be in different networks (or should not repeat the same
networks.
2. Router Ethernet IP and LAN network assigned should be in the same network.
3. Both the interfaces of router facing each other should be in the same network.
4. All the interfaces of routers should be in the different network.
Now to assign IP addresses to Routers, we have this commands (using the CLI-command-line-
interface) configured to your routers.
(config)# interface <interface type> <interface no>
(config-if) # ip address <ip address> <subnet mask>
(config-if) # no shutdown
Figure 13. Assigning IP Addresses to Interface
Consider the topology in the Figure above. Let us design this in the Packet Tracer Interface.
In the topology, we are going to connect 2 routers using a back-to-back cable, 2 switches, 4
computers connected with a straight through cable. After connecting the physical devices, we
can now assign IP addresses. Here, we take note on the rules on how to assign IP addresses to
have a successful connection.
Let us assign the IP addresses as shown in the figure.
In the Command Line Interface, we are now going to configure the interfaces.
(config)# interface <interface type> <interface no>
Here, <interface type> is if it is FastEthernet or Gigabit, and the <interface no> is whether it is Fa
0/0, Fa 0/1, Gigabit 0/0 or Gigabit 0/1. Interfaces are the connections in the device. Just like in
the figure, router 0 has 2 interfaces, and switch0 has 5 interfaces.
After configuring the interfaces, we enter the IP address for that interface and its subnet mask.
Using the command:
(config-if) # ip address <ip address> <subnet mask>
Then, issue a no shutdown command to keep the devices up.
(config-if) # no shutdown
Example if we are to configure router0 in the CLI, we issue these commands:
For the Fa 0/0:
For the Se 0/3/0
Same with other interfaces, we are going to configure the IP addresses for all the connections in our
topology.
Successful connection means that when we send packets from the packet should reach its destination
and back to its sender.
Do the following in your Packet tracer interface:
1. Prinscreen your topology for Figure 13.
2. Prinscreen your configuration for every interface in Figure 13:
Example:
For the Fa 0/0:
Do this with all the interface
3. Prinscreen your simulation subnet to subnet.
Note: Answers must be in a document form and to be pass online. (This is a group activity)
Reference:
https://www.javatpoint.com/computer-network-routing
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-routing/
