Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A forwarding information base (FIB), also known as a forwarding table or MAC table, is most commonly used in network bridging, routing, and similar functions to find the proper output network interface controller to which the input interface should forward a packet. It is a dynamic table that maps MAC addresses to ports.
A network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, Ethernet switch, and, by the IEEE, MAC bridge [1]) is networking hardware that connects devices on a computer network by using packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.
Historically, the main reason for purchasing hubs rather than switches was their price. By the early 2000s, there was little price difference between a hub and a low-end switch. [11] Hubs can still be useful in special circumstances: For inserting a protocol analyzer into a network connection, a hub is an alternative to a network tap or port ...
The difference between a layer-3 switch and a router is the way the device is making the routing decision. Conventionally, routers use microprocessors to make forwarding decisions in software, while the switch performs only hardware-based packet switching (by specialized ASICs with the help of content-addressable memory).
A routing table usually consists of a list of possible destination networks or IP addresses for which the next hop is known. By only storing next-hop information, next-hop routing or next-hop forwarding reduces the size of routing tables. A given gateway only knows one step along the path, not the complete path to a destination.
If properly configured, the PC can also function as the router for a home LAN. An internal modem can be installed on a single PC (e.g. on a PCI card), also allowing that single PC to connect to a WAN. [7] Again, the PC can be configured to function as a router for a home LAN. A cellular wireless access point can function in a similar fashion to ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
If a router finds a match, it will forward the packet through that route; if not, it will send the packet to its own default gateway. Each router encountered on the way will store the packet ID and where it came from so that it can pass the response packet back to the sender. The packet contains source and destination, not all router hops.