Computer networking device
A computer networking device is a component that helps in mediating data within a computer network. They may also be referred to as equipment, networking units or even intermediate systems. Some devices generate data and are known as data terminal equipment or hosts.
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These devices include:
Router
This is a component whose function is to determine the best route of a network to forward the packets of data to their respective destination. This computer networking device redirects traffic in the internet. It is a micro-processor-controlled device connecting two or more data lines from different networks. A packet of data is usually passed from one router to another through internet networks until it finally arrives to the destination computer. Routers also have other functions including translation of the data transmission protocol of a given packet to a protocol which is appropriate of the next protocol. If multiple routers are employed information about their respective addresses is exchanged among them, this is done by the use of a dynamic routing protocol.
Bridge
Bridge is another computer networking device that acts as a connection point for multiple network segments along the data link layer of the OSI model. Bridging is a technique of forwarding packets in a computer network. Bridging is different from routing because lacks assumption about the location of the address. Bridges also have functions similar to network hubs or repeaters but bridging apart from rebroadcast to adjacent network it also filters traffic. Bridges also perform functions of analyzing incoming data packets and determine its ability to send the packet to another segment of the network. A bridge use forwarding database in sending frames across the entire network segments. The entries are made to the initial empty forwarding database when the bridge receives them. This results to a transparent operation of the bridging operation.
Switch
A switch is a computer networking device whose function is allocating traffic from one network segment to specific lines that make a connection between the segments. Compared to a hub, a switch divides the traffic of the network sending it to different destinations rather than the entire network system. Switches operate on a number of OSI layers like the network, data link and even transport layers. There are some types of switches which operate simultaneously on more than one layer and are referred to as multilayer switch. The multilayer switch is mostly used in hybrid networks on the OSI layer 2 although it can operate like an ordinary switch but it offers more operations on higher OSI layers.
Hub
A computer network device that are used to connect multiple fiber optic Ethernet or twisted pair components together to make them behave like one network segment. A hub performs their functions at the physical layer of the OSI layer and acts like a multi-port repeater. Hubs usually come with an attachment user interface connector for allowing a connection to 10BASE5 or 5 network segments.
Repeater
This kind of computer network device are responsible for amplifying or generating digital signals while forwarding them from one network part to another. This allows the signal to travel for quite a longer distance.
