NETWORK ROUTER

In an environment consisting of several network segments with different

protocols and architecture, a bridge may not be adequate for ensuring fast
communication among all of the segments. A complex network needs a
device, which not only knows the address of each segment, but also can
determine the best path for sending data and filtering broadcast traffic
to the local segment (called routing). Such device is called a Router.

Routers are physical devices that join multiple wired or wireless

networks together. Technically, a wired or wireless router is a Layer 3
gateway, meaning that the wired/wireless router connects networks and
that the router operates at the network layer of the OSI model.
Like switches, routers use a combination of software and hardware, but it
is used to route data from its source to its destination. Routers actually
have a sophisticated OS that allows them to configure various connection
ports.
One can setup a router to route data packets from different network
protocol stacks, which include TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and AppleTalk.
Routers do not look at the destination node address; they only look at the
network address. Routers will only pass the information if the network
address is known. This ability to control the data passing through the
router reduces the amount of traffic between networks and allows routers
to use these links more efficiently than other hardware devices.
Routers however can analyze the data being sent over a network, change
how it is packaged and send it to another network or over a different type
of network. For example, routers are commonly used in home networks
to share a single Internet connection with multiple computers.

 Home networkers often use an Internet Protocol (IP) wired or wireless

router, IP being the most common OSI network layer protocol.

In the above example of a home network there are two different examples
of a router, the router and the wireless router. As can be seen in the
example the router is what allows all the computers and other network
devices access the INTERNET.
Routers are also used to connect remote LANs together using different
WAN technologies. But, when a router has become large, the large
network is divided into logical segments called subnets. This division of
the network is based on the addressing scheme related to a particular
subnet is kept local. The router only forwards data that is meant for the
subnets on the extended network. This routing of network data helps
conserve network bandwidth.
Routers also help to decide how to forward data packets to their
destination based on the routing table. The protocols built into the
routers operating system are used to identify neighboring routers and
their network addresses. This allows routers to build a routing table.
A router has several network interfaces, with each one connected to a
different network. Therefore, it has one IP address for every network it is
connected to as shown in figure:

TYPES OF ROUTERS:

Core router
Edge router
Virtual router
Brouter

CORE ROUTER:
A core router is a router in a computer network that routes data within a
network but not between networks.
EDGE ROUTER:
An edge Router is a router in a computer network that routes data between
one or more networks.
VIRTUAL ROUTER:
A Virtual Router is a backup router used in a VRRP (Short for Virtual Router
Redundancy Protocol, is a protocol used with routers that helps prevent network
downtime. In the event of a router failing, the backup or virtual router would become the
master router) Setup.

BROUTER
Short for Bridge Router, a "Brouter" is a networking device that serves as
both a bridge (A computer bridge is a device that connects two local-area network
(LANs), or two segments of the same LAN. Unlike a router, bridges are

protocol-independent. They simply forward packets without analyzing and

re-routing messages and a router

ROUTING PROTOCOLS
There are two major types of routing protocols:

Distance vector:
Routers generate a routing table that calculates the "cost" (in terms of
the number of hops) of each route, and then sends that table to nearby
routers. Each time a connection request is made, the router chooses
the least costly route.

Link state:
Routers listen to the network continuously, in order to identify the
various elements surrounding it. With this information, each router
calculates the shortest pathway (in terms of time) to each neighboring
router, and sends this information in the form of update packets
Finally, each router builds its own routing table by calculating the
shortest pathways to all other routers (using algorithm).

Difference between Router and Hub:

A router has a lot more capabilities than other network devices such as a
hub or a switch or that are only able to perform basic network functions. For
example, a hub is often used to transfer data between computers or network
devices, but does not analyze or do anything with the data it is transferring.
Routers however can analyze the data being sent over a network, change
how it is packaged and send it to another network or over a different type of
network.