Router and Routing Basics - Essay Example

Insert Routers Routers are a specialized type of networking computers with special hardware that allow communication between two networks. The router is connected to two or many data wires from different computers or networks. When a data packet from one data line reaches a router, it reads the IP address information in the data and determines the best and shortest path for data packet forwarding in the network. Routers have configuration files that control the packet traffic in the network. Routers have two connection types: LAN connection and a WAN connection that is used to connect to Internet service providers (ISP). The operating system of traditional routers was created to offer networking services like basic routing and switching functions, secure and reliable access to resource and computers in a network and offer network scalability. Packet forwarding is achieved by routers through a process called routing. There are two types of routing processes, static routing and dynamic routing. Static routing is done through manual configuration where network addresses, subnet masks, and IP addresses of the next hop router or exit interface are specified manually. It is used when a network only has few routers, and there is only one ISP connected to the Internet. Dynamic routing is where IP addresses are added to the routing table by use of dynamic routing protocols. Dynamic routing allows router to share information of their reachability and status of other remote networks. Dynamic routers allow for network discovery, maintaining and updating routing tables. The advantage of dynamic routing is that there is less administrative tasking when adding and deleting a network address and allows more scalability. Components of a router • CPU – handles execution of operating systems instructions • RAM – acts as storage for data and instructions needed for central processing unit. • ROM – Boot instructions, this is the scaled-down version of router Operating system. • Flash – Stores router Operating system, copied into RAM during boot-up procedure. • NVRAM – Startup configuration file Traditional routers only performed one function, and that is packets forwarding, but advancements in technology have allowed the routers to do more than that. Advanced routers today are built to include applications that perform functions that deal with firewalls, voice monitoring, voice gateways, encryption services and virtual private network concentration. Cisco Integrated router Cisco integrated routers generation 2 are a technology that enables and improved performance in WAN connections and secure transition to cloud and virtualized network services. Cisco 3900 series The functions of the Cisco 3900 series router include: Advanced built-in security features that include Web security with Cisco ScanSafe, Cisco operating system Firewall, intrusion prevention system, content filtering SSL VPN and VPN internal service Module It is integrated with a lot of VPN tunnels It has a call manager called the Call Manager Express that processes up to 96 phone users Wireless LAN standards Wireless WAN standards Application acceleration SRST support that manages voice call services to keep them when connections are lost Support for built-in gigabyte Ethernet port Service virtualization There are built-in video capabilities Support for encrypted transport Support for public keys It provides for voice XML application services that enable the creation of web browsers that support vice and IVR applications Cisco virtual office offers solutions to workers outside the office settings. The solutions include data, video, voice and numerous applications Wireless area application services deliver WAN acceleration, high-quality video throughout the whole business enterprise There is an enhanced data protection that offers restore, disaster recovery, and reliable backup. This ensures business reliability and continuity Advantages Cisco 3900 series of routers have multiple benefits to user and businesses. The advantages include: Optimum protection without the need of acquiring additional hardware Ability to apply security features like IPS and firewalls to specified parts of the network and remote parts of the network Cisco 3900 reduces manageability costs due to the acquisition of lesser devices due to the integration of functions to one device Lower operational cost Disadvantages There are a lot of redundancies especially to small networks since most of the features will not be used. They are very expensive to acquire. Linksys ROUTER LRT214 Router Linksys ROUTER LRT214 router is a router developed by Linksys technologies. The core features of this router include: Support for open VPN that allows connection of devices like smart-phones, laptops and tablets to connect to the network using two-factor authentication. An integrated firewall SIP prevention and DoS prevention. It offers 50 IPsec site to site tunnels and VPN backups Support for URL filtering like block Java, cookies, ActiveX, HTTP proxy servers and traffic regulation rules for TCP/UDP ports and source destination addresses Provision of resource separation between several SSID/VLAN A web user interface that allows for seamless administrative management Support for SNMP, Syslog and E-mail Support for transition technologies for IPv4 and IPv6 to facilitate compatibility Aggregation of bandwidth from both WAN connections Integration with Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Applications that enables interaction with the network Advantages The Linksys ROUTER LRT214 has numerous advantages to businesses that deploy them. The advantages include: Easier user management is due to the intuitive web user interface Availability of multiple addresses pools for MAC filtering, DHCP relay, IP and MAC binding Remote access of the router to perform maintenance and monitoring There are enhanced productivity and efficiency due to less maintenance and troubleshooting due to the higher reliability of Linksys ROUTER LRT214. Disadvantages Acquiring an integrated router is expensive despite the reductions maintenance cost. Other service-integrated router by other technologies includes the juniper integrated service router like the MX Series 3D Universal edge router and T series IP/MPLS core. Cisco 2800 series, Cisco 400 series and the Cisco 800 series. Routers being used today are becoming more of complete computer than just routers for forwarding data packets. Routers are still routers despite the many functions they perform. This is because a routers default function is to create the link between the WAN and the organizations network or the LAN. The advancements in router technologies in both the hardware and router operating system needs routers to adopt a new name like integrated service routers instead of just a router. Despite this routers should still be called routers because a router is not a router is it cannot perform forwarding of packets. Works cited Cisco. Cisco 3900 Series Router. 2014. 21 OCT 2014 . Bornhager Malin ( 2012 ). Router and Routing Basics. Halmstad University. Linksys ROUTER LRT214. 2014 21 OCT 2014 . Read More