etwork Device Configuration and Troubleshooting

Chapter 4:
‘‘Part I’’: Network Devices
‘‘Part II’’: Designing and Installing a
New Network
Introduction to Network Devices
➢Computer networking devices are units that mediate data in a
computer network and are also called network equipment.

➢Units that are the last receiver or generate data are called hosts
or data terminal equipment.
 Repeaters
➢When a signal travels through a medium its energy is lost, resulting in
decrease in the amplitude of the wave, for the wave to travel longer
distance there is a need to regenerate the signal which can be
transmitted forward.

➢ This is done using a repeater.

➢A repeater is a combination of a receiver, amplifier and a transmitter. A

repeater, receives the signal, amplifies it and then retransmits it
forward.
 CON’T
➢ The number of nodes on a network and the length of cable used

 Influence the quality of communication on the network

➢ Attenuation

 The degradation of signal clarity

Repeaters

 Work against attenuation by repeating signals that they

receive on a network
 Typically cleaning and regenerating the digital transmission in
the process 4
5
 CON’T

 Repeaters work in the Physical layer (layer 1)

 On optical networks, signal amplification is handled by
optical repeaters
 Some repeaters can be used to connect two physically
different types of cabling

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7
Hub
➢ Generic connection devices are used to tie several networking
cables together to create a link between different stations on a
network.

➢ The basic function of a hub is to take data from one of the

connected devices and forward it to all the other ports on the hub.

➢ That uses twisted-pair cabling to connect devices.

➢ A hub generally has a port designated as an uplink port that

enables the hub to be connected to another hub to create larger
networks.
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 Network segmentation
Segmentation
The breaking down of a single heavily populated network segment into
smaller segments, populated by fewer nodes or collision domains.
Segment
Part of a network that is divided logically or physically from the rest of the
network

When network administrators place too many nodes on the same network
segment causes the number of collisions to increase

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 Bridges
 Bridge is a product that connects a local area network (LAN) to another local area network
that uses the same protocol.

 Operate at the Data Link layer of the OSI model

 Filter traffic between network segments by examining the destination MAC address

 A MAC (Media Access Control) address, sometimes referred to as a hardware or physical

address, is a unique, 12-character alphanumeric attribute that is used to identify individual
electronic devices on a network

➢ Based on the destination MAC address, the bridge either forwards or discards the frame

➢ Reduce network traffic by keeping local traffic on the local segment

Broadcast frame: frame destined for all computers on the network
 Advantages and disadvantages of bridges
Advantages
 Can extend a network by acting as a repeater
 Can reduce network traffic on a segment by subdividing network
communications.

 Increase the available bandwidth to individual nodes because fewer nodes

share a collision domain.

 Reduce collisions
 Some bridges connect networks using different media types and architectures.
Disadvantages
✓ Slower than repeaters and hubs
 Extra processing by viewing MAC addresses
✓ Forward broadcast frames indiscriminately, so they do not
filter broadcast traffic

✓ More expensive than repeaters and hubs

 Switches
✓ Switches are the connectivity points of an Ethernet network.

✓ Devices connect to switches via twisted-pair cabling, one cable for each device.

✓ Whereas a hub forwards the data it receives to all of the ports on the device, a switch

forwards it only to the port that connects to the destination device.

✓ A switch must be able to read the MAC address of each frame it receives.

✓ This information allows switches to repeat incoming data frames only to the computer or

computers to which a frame is addressed.

 Switches
➢A network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, officially MAC
bridge) is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a
computer network, by using packet switching to receive, process and forward
data to the destination device.

➢ Unlike less advanced network hubs, a network switch forwards data only to
one or multiple devices that need to receive it, rather than broadcasting the
same data out of each of its ports.
 Switches
➢The main objective of switch is to connect various devices simultaneously.

➢While it works in data link layer.

➢While switch is used by only LAN.

➢A switch has many ports, to which computers are plugged in.

➢While through switch, data is sent in the form of packet and frame.

➢While there is no collision, take place in full duplex switch.

➢The types of switching are Circuit, Packet and Message Switching.

17
 Features of Switches
➢It is an intelligent network device that can be conceived as a
multiport network bridge.

➢It uses MAC addresses (addresses of medium access control

sublayer) to send data packets to selected destination ports.

➢It uses packet switching technique to receive and forward data

packets from the source to the destination device.

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 Features of Switches

➢It supports unicast (one-to-one), multicast (one-to-many) and broadcast

(one-to-all) communications.

➢Switches can also process data at the network layer (layer 3) by

additionally incorporating routing functionality that most commonly
uses IP addresses to perform packet forwarding;

➢Switches can perform some error checking before forwarding data to the
destined port.

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Types of Switches

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 Types of Switches
1. Unmanaged Switch − These are inexpensive switches commonly used
in home networks and small businesses.
✓ They can be set up by simply plugging in to the network, after which they
instantly start operating.

✓ When more devices needs to be added, more switches are simply added by
this plug and play method.

✓ They are referred to as unmanaged since they do not require to be

configured or monitored.

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 Types of Switches
2. Managed Switch − These are costly switches that are used in
organizations with large and complex networks, since they can be
customized to augment the functionalities of a standard switch.
✓The augmented features may be QoS (Quality of Service) like higher
security levels, better precision control and complete network management.

✓Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used for configuring

managed switches.

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 Types of Switches

3. LAN Switch − Local Area Network (LAN) switches connects

devices in the internal LAN of an organization.
✓They are also referred as Ethernet switches or data switches.

4. PoE Switch − Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches are used in

PoE Gogabit Ethernets.
✓ PoE technology combine data and power transmission over the same
cable so that devices connected to it can receive both electricity as well
as data over the same line.
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 Forwarding Frames
Using a Switch

Store-and-forward

Cut-through

Fast-forward

Fragment-free

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switching

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 Switch Forwarding Methods
1. Store-and forward:
• Receives the entire frame.
• Computes the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and checks the frame length.
• If valid, checks the switch table for the destination address and forward the frame.
• If invalid, the frame is dropped.
• Store-and forward is the only method used on current Cisco Catalyst switches.
• Needed for QoS on converged networks.

25
The method of switching dictates how the switch deals with the data it receives.

2. Cut-through: In a cut-through switching environment, the packet begins to be forwarded

as soon as it is received.

✓ This method is very fast, but creates the possibility of errors being propagated through
the network, as there is no error checking.
Forwards a frame before it is entirely received.
At a minimum, it must read the destination and source MAC addresses.
Faster than store-and-forward.
No error checking.
Any corrupt frames are still forwarded and consume network bandwidth
 Switch Forwarding Methods
Cut-through – Fast-forward:
• Typical method of cut-through.
• Forwards a frame immediately after it reads and finds the destination
address.

Cut-through – Fragment-free:
• Stores the first 64 bytes of the frame before forwarding.
• The first 64 bytes of the frame is where most network errors and
collisions occur.
• Checks for a collision before forwarding the frame.
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✓The upside of Store-and-forward method is that errors are not propagated through the
network.
✓The downside is that the error checking process takes a relatively long time, and store-and-
forward switching is considerably slower as a result.
Fragment Free: To take advantage of the error checking of store-and-forward switching, but
still offer performance levels nearing that of cut-through switching,
✓ In a Fragment Free, enough of the packet is read so that the switch can determine whether
the packet has been involved in a collision.
✓ As soon as the collision status has been determined, the packet is forwarded.
 CON’T
✓ Operate at the Data Link layer of the OSI model

✓ Increase network performance by reducing the number of frames transmitted to the rest
of the network

✓ Switch opens a virtual circuit between the source and the destination

✓ Forward only to the port that connects to the destination device

– knows MAC address

– Match the MAC address in the data it receives
 Advantages and disadvantages of switches
Advantages
✓ Switches increase available network bandwidth
✓ Switches reduce the workload on individual computers
✓ Switches increase network performance
✓ Networks that include switches experience fewer frame collisions
because switches create collision domains for each connection (a process
called micro segmentation)
✓ Switches connect directly to workstations
Disadvantages
❖ Switches are significantly more expensive than bridges
❖ Network connectivity problems can be difficult to trace through a switch
❖ Broadcast traffic may be troublesome
Switch Concepts and Configuration
Switch Management Configuration
Sample CLI for
Switch
configuration

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 Routers
✓ Operate at the Network layer of the OSI model
✓ Provide filtering and network traffic control on LANs and WANs
 Can connect multiple segments and multiple networks
Internetworks
➢ Networks connected by multiple routers
➢ Similar to switches and bridges in that they segment a network and filter traffic
➢ Routers use the logical address

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 Routers
➢Routers: are small electronic devices that join multiple computer networks together via
either wired or wireless connections.

➢Both Router and Switch are the connecting devices in networking.

➢ The main objective of router is to connect various networks simultaneously and it works in
network layer, whereas the main objective of switch is to connect various devices
simultaneously and it works in data link layer.
 Routers
➢A switch connects multiple devices to create a network; a router connects multiple
switches, and their respective networks, to form an even larger network.

➢These networks may be in a single location or across multiple locations.

 Routers
➢The main objective of router is to connect various networks simultaneously.

➢It works in network layer.

➢Router is used by LAN as well as MAN.

➢Through router, data is sent in the form of packet.

➢There is less collision take place in router.

➢Router is compatible with NAT.

➢The types of routing are: Adaptive and Non-adaptive routing.

Router
➢Routers have many of the same hardware and software components that
are found in other computers including:
✓ CPU
✓ RAM
✓ ROM
✓ Operating System

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Router
A hardware device designed to
• take incoming packets,
• analyze the packets,
• moving the packets to another network,
• converting the packets to another network interface,
• dropping the packets,
• directing packets to the appropriate locations

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Why Routing?
➢The router is responsible for the routing of traffic between
networks.
➢Routers can connect multiple networks.
➢Routers have multiple interfaces, each on a different IP
network.

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 Basic Settings on a Router

Configure Router Interfaces

To be available a router interface must be:
✓Configured with an address and subnet mask.
✓Activated – by default LAN and WAN interfaces are not
activated.

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A big WAN

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What’s Routing

Routing - path finding from one end to the other

• Routing occurs at layer 3
Application layer Application layer
Presentation layer Presentation layer
Session layer Session layer
Transport layer Transport layer
Network layer Network layer Network layer
Data link layer Data link layer Data link layer
Physical link Physical link Physical link

Network A Network B

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IP Routing
• IP performs:
• search for a matching host address
• search for a matching network address
• search for a default entry
• Routing done by IP router, when it searches the routing
table and decide which interface to end a packet out.

incoming

which interface ?

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Routing
Routing protocol
Goal: determine “good” path 5
(sequence of routers) thru 3
network from source to dest. B C 5
2
A 2 1 F
Graph abstraction for routing 3
1 2
algorithms: D
1
E
• graph nodes are routers
• graph edges are physical links  “good” path:
• link cost: delay, $ cost, or  typically means minimum cost
congestion level path
 other definitions possible

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Routing Component
• Three important routing elements :
• algorithm
• database
• protocol
• Algorithm : can be differentiated based on several key
characteristics
• Database : table in routers or routing table
• Protocol: the way information for routing to be gathered
and distributed

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Routing Tables
• Routing is carried out in a router by consulting routing
table.
• No unique format for routing tables, typically table
contains:
• address of a destination
• IP address of next hop router
• network interface to be used
• subnet mask for this interface
• distance to the destination

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 Routing Table Sources
Show ip route command is used to display the contents of the routing table
1. Link local Interfaces –Added to the routing table when an interface is
configured.
2. Directly connected interfaces -Added to the routing table when an
interface is configured and active.
3. Static routes - Added when a route is manually configured and the exit
interface is active.
4. Dynamic routing protocol - Added when EIGRP or OSPF are
implemented and networks are identified.

EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) and OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) are two common
Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP) specifying how routers or data switches communicate with each other48
 Routing Algorithm
Design goals
• Optimality - compute the best route
• Simplicity/low overhead - efficient with a minimum software and
utilization overhead
• Robustness/stability- perform correctly in the face of unusual
circumstances
• Rapid convergence- responds quickly when the network changes
• Flexibility- accurate adapt to a variety of network

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 Routing Protocols
• Routing protocol: protocol to exchange of information
between routers about the current state of the network

• Routing protocol jobs

• create routing table entries
• keep routing table up-to-date
• compute the best choice for the next hop router

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Routing Protocol Metrics
• How do we decide that one route is better than another?
Metric: the determining factor used by a routing algorithm to
decide which route to a network is better than another
Examples of metrics:
Bandwidth - capacity
Delay - time
Load - amount of network traffic
Reliability - error rate
Hop count - number of routers that a packet must travel
through before reaching the destination network
Cost - arbitrary value defined by the protocol or
administrator

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 How Routers Work
➢In technical terms, a router is a Layer 3 network gateway device, meaning that it connects
two or more networks and that the router operates at the network layer of the OSI model.

➢Routers contain a processor (CPU), several kinds of digital memory, and input- output (I/O)
interfaces. They function as special-purpose computers, one that does not require a
keyboard or display.

➢The router’s memory stores an embedded operating system (O/S). Compared to general-
purpose OS products like Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS, router operating systems
limit what kind of applications can be run on them and also need much smaller amounts of
storage space.
 Routing Mechanisms
➢ There are several routing mechanisms that may be used as input sources to
assist a router in building its route table.

➢Typically, routers use a combination of the following routing methods to build a

router’s route table:

➢ Directly connected interface

➢ Static

➢ Default

➢ Dynamic
 Static Routing
➢Static routing is a type of network routing technique.

➢Static routing is not a routing protocol; instead, it is the manual

configuration and selection of a network route, usually managed by the
network administrator.

➢ It is employed in scenarios where the network parameters and

environment are expected to remain constant. Static routing is only optimal
in a few situations.

➢Static routes are routes to destination hosts or networks that an

administrator has manually entered into the router’s route table.
 Default
➢In computer networking, the default route is a configuration of the Internet
Protocol (IP) that establishes a forwarding rule for packets when no specific
address of a next-hop host is available from the routing table or other routing
mechanisms.

➢The default route is generally the address of another router, which treats the
packet the same way: if a route matches, the packet is forwarded accordingly;
otherwise, the packet is forwarded to the default route of that router.
 Dynamic Routing
➢Dynamic routing is a networking technique that provides optimal data routing.

➢ Unlike static routing, dynamic routing enables routers to select paths

according to real-time logical network layout changes.

➢ In dynamic routing, the routing protocol operating on the router is

responsible for the creation, maintenance and updating of the dynamic
routing table.

➢In static routing, all these jobs are manually done by the system administrator.
 Dynamic Routing
➢Dynamic routing uses multiple algorithms and protocols. The most popular are
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).

Typically, dynamic routing protocol operations can be explained as follows:

1. The router delivers and receives the routing messages on the router
interfaces.
2. The routing messages and information are shared with other routers, which
use exactly the same routing protocol.
3. Routers swap the routing information to discover data about remote
networks.
4. Whenever a router finds a change in topology, the routing protocol
advertises this topology change to other routers.
 Dynamic Routing
➢Dynamic routing is easy to configure on large networks and is more intuitive
at selecting the best route, detecting route changes and discovering remote
networks.

➢However, because routers share updates, they consume more bandwidth

than in static routing; the routers’ CPUs and RAM may also face additional
loads because of routing protocols.

➢Finally, dynamic routing is less secure than static routing.

 Brouters
Brouter

➢ Hybrid device (a combination of router and bridge. )

➢ Functions as both a bridge for non-routable protocols and a router for

routable protocols

➢ Provides the best attributes of both a bridge and a router

➢ Operates at both the Data Link and Network layers and can replace
separate bridges and routers.

➢ A Brouter transmits two types of traffic at the exact same time: bridged
traffic and routed traffic.
 Gateways
✓ A gateway is a device used to connect networks using different protocols.
✓ Gateways operate at the network layer of the OSI model.
✓ Usually a combination of hardware and software
✓ Translates between different protocol suites
✓ Has the most negative effect on network performance
✓ Packets must be rebuilt not just at the lower levels but at the very upper levels
✓ So that actual data content can be converted into a format the destination can
process
✓ Creates the most latency
 NICs (Network Interface Card)
✓ NIC is a hardware card installed in a computer so it can communicate on a
network.
✓ The network adapter provides one or more ports for the network cable to
connect to.
✓ Every networked computer must also have a network adapter driver, which
controls the network adapter.
✓ Each network adapter driver is configured to run with a certain type of network
adapter.
 MODEM
✓ A modem, short for modulator/demodulator.
✓ Is a device that converts the digital signals generated by a computer into analog
signals that can travel over conventional phone lines.
✓ Because standard telephone lines use analog signals, and computers digital
signals,
✓ A sending modem must modulate its digital signals into analog signals.
✓ The computers modem on the receiving end must then demodulate the analog
signals into digital signals
 Firewalls

✓ A firewall is a networking device, either hardware or software based.

✓ That controls access to your organization’s network.
✓ Firewalls are typically placed at entry/exit points of a network.
✓ The firewall is configured on the server to allow or permit certain types of network traffic.
✓ In small offices and for regular home use, a firewall is commonly installed on the local
system and configured to control traffic.
 CON’T
✓ Hardware firewalls are used in networks of all sizes today.
✓ Hardware firewalls are readily available and often combined with other devices today.
✓ For example, many broadband routers and wireless access points have firewall
functionality built in.
 Wireless access points

Wireless access points

 Provide cell-based areas where wireless clients such as laptops and PDAs can
connect to the network

 By associating with the access point

 Operate at the Physical and Data Link layers of the OSI model

 In most respects, a wireless access point functions exactly like a hub

 Also, many APs provide firewall capabilities and DHCP service.

Wireless Standards And Organizations
 Wireless connectivity
➢ Access points typically broadcast their network name
➢ The Service Set Identifier (SSID)
 The network name
➢ When wireless clients are powered on, they begin scanning the airspace for
available access points

 They detect the broadcasted SSID of the various access points in the area

 Attempt to associate with the one that has the highest signal level and
the lowest error rate
Device Access Methods
Most common methods to access the Command Line Interface
❑ Console
❑ Telnet or SSH
❑ AUX port
 Console Access
Method
❑ Device is accessible even if no networking services have been
configured (out-of-band)

❑ Need a special console cable

❑ Allows configuration commands to be entered

❑ Should be configured with passwords to prevent

unauthorized access

❑ Device should be located in a secure room so console port can not

be easily accessed
 Telnet, SSH, and AUX Access Methods
Telnet
❑ Method for remotely accessing the CLI over a network

❑ Require active networking services and one active interface that is

configured
Secure Shell (SSH)
❑ Remote login similar to Telnet but utilizes more security
❑ Stronger password authentication
❑ Uses encryption when transporting data
Aux Port
❑ Out-of-band connection, Uses telephone line, and can be used like console
port
Part II: Designing and Installing a New Network

Physical Network Structure

What is the physical structure of a network?
• The physical network consists of the cables (coaxial cable, twisted pair,
fiber optic, and telephone lines) that connect the different hardware residing
on the network, the adapter used on computers connected to the network
(hosts), and any concentrators, repeaters, routers, or bridges used in the
network.
 Network Development Life Cycle
Analysis

Management Design

Simulation/
Prototyping
Monitoring

Implementation

CSE-550-T072 Lecture Notes - 1 74

Network Design: Achievable?

Response Time Cost

Reliability Business Growth

CSE-550-T072 Lecture Notes - 1 75

 Network Design and Implementation
1. Analyze requirements:
• Interviews with users and technical personnel
• Understand business and technical goals for a new or enhanced system
• Characterize the existing network: logical and physical topology, and network
performance
• Analyze current and future network traffic, including traffic flow and load,
protocol behavior, and QoS requirements

CSE-550-T072 Lecture Notes - 1 79

Network Design and Implementation Cycle (2/3)

2. Develop the logical design:

• Deals with a logical topology for the new or enhanced network
• Network layer addressing and naming
• Switching and routing protocols
• Security planning
• Network management design
• Initial investigation into which service providers can meet WAN and remote
access requirements

CSE-550-T072 Lecture Notes - 1 80

Network Design and Implementation Cycle (3/3)

3. Develop the physical design:

• Specific technologies and products to realize the logical design are selected
• The investigation into service providers must be completed during this phase

4. Test, optimize, and document the design:

• Write and implement a test plan
• Build a prototype or pilot
• Optimize the network design
• Document your work with a network design proposal

CSE-550-T072 Lecture Notes - 1 81

 Quiz 10%

1. List and Explain

Quiz 10% the type of Network Device?