IP Routing Fundamentals

Chapter 1. An Introduction to Internetworking

Internetworking is the functional interconnection of two or more networks; the resources of each individual network become available to the users and machines connected to the other networks. Internetworking requires a combination of technologies, addressing, and communications protocols. All these must be understood and adhered to universally throughout the internetwork. Many different devices can be used to build internetworks, including switches, bridges, and routers. Although the boundaries between these devices had historically been very distinct, technological advances have blurred these distinctions. Routers offered the unique capability to discover paths (or routes) through large and complex ...