Router

A router is a device that connects two or more networks and forwards IP packets between them based on a routing table. Each router decides only the next hop, and the path emerges from many such decisions.

Why it matters

Routers are what make the Internet a network of networks. Your home router joins your LAN to your provider; backbone routers exchange routes using protocols like BGP. A router also commonly performs NAT, runs a DHCP server and applies firewall rules, which is why one consumer box is sold as a router.

A misconfigured or overloaded router shows up as latency, packet loss or an unreachable destination.

Example

$ traceroute example.com
 1  192.168.1.1   1.2 ms   (home router)
 2  10.20.0.1     8.4 ms   (ISP)
 3  203.0.113.9   9.1 ms

Each line is one router that forwarded the packet and decremented its TTL.

Common mistakes

• Calling a switch or modem a router. They operate at different layers and do different jobs.
• Leaving factory-default admin credentials and remote management enabled.
• Running outdated firmware on an Internet-facing router.

Related

• Network switch
• Default gateway
• BGP
• Traceroute

यह पेज सामान्य जानकारी है, जिसे हमारी संपादकीय टीम ने लिखा है और दस्तावेज़ीकरण बदलने पर अपडेट किया जाता है। सर्वर और प्रदाता अलग-अलग होते हैं, इसलिए बदलाव पहले सुरक्षित तरीके से जाँचें। देखें: संपादकीय नीति और अस्वीकरण.