3.2. Basic Internetworking (IP)

In the previous section, we saw that it was possible to build reasonably large LANs using bridges and LAN switches, but that such approaches were limited in their ability to scale and to handle heterogeneity. In this section, we explore some ways to go beyond the limitations of bridged networks, enabling us to build large, highly heterogeneous networks with reasonably efficient routing. We refer to such networks as internetworks. We'll continue the discussion of how to build a truly global internetwork in the next chapter, but for now we'll explore the basics. We start by considering more carefully what the word internetwork means.

3.2.1. What is an Internetwork?

We use the term internetwork, or sometimes just ...

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