what exactly are routers and what is the function of the routing algorithm?

Answer 1

This is explain in the MANUAL that came with the Router. This is available at the manufacturer's website. I'm not sure why you would want us to WRITE A BOOK for you.

But here is a quick rundown.
- DHCP - manages and assigns IP addresses on a local area network or LAN
- connects to the internet for the LAN
- allows computers on the LAN to access the internet
- provides firewall protection between the LAN and Internet

Good luck and Happy Computing!

Answer 2

What is a router?
While switches connect multiple computers, a router is required to connect multiple networks, like your LAN to the Internet. Routers work by storing large tables of networks and addresses, then using algorithms to determine the shortest routes to individual addresses within those networks. In this way efficient routers not only facilitate intra-network communications, but also play a role in overall network performance. delivering the information faster.

A router acts as a junction between two or more networks to buffer and transfer data packets among them. A router is different from a switch. A switch connects devices to form a Local area network (LAN) (which might, in turn, be connected to another network via a router).

One easy illustration for the different functions of routers and switches is to think of switches as neighborhood streets, and the router as the intersections with the street signs. Each house on the street has an address within a range on the block. In the same way, a switch connects various devices each with their own IP address(es) on a LAN. However, the switch knows nothing about IP addresses except its own management address. Routers connect networks together the way that on-ramps or major intersections connect streets to both highways and freeways, etc. The street signs at the intersection (routing table) show which way the packets need to flow.

So for example, a router at home connects the Internet Service Provider's (ISP) network (usually on an Internet address) together with the LAN in the home (typically using a range of private IP addresses, see network address translation) and a single broadcast domain. The switch connects devices together to form the LAN. Sometimes the switch and the router are combined together in one single package sold as a multiple port router.

In order to route packets, a router communicates with other routers using routing protocols and using this information creates and maintains a routing table. The routing table stores the best routes to certain network destinations, the "routing metrics" associated with those routes, and the path to the next hop router. See the routing article for a more detailed discussion of how this works.

Routing is most commonly associated with the Internet Protocol, although other less-popular routed protocols are in use.


routing algorithm

Routing algorithms can be differentiated based on several key characteristics. First, the particular goals of the algorithm designer affect the operation of the resulting routing protocol. Second, various types of routing algorithms exist, and each algorithm has a different impact on network and router resources. Finally, routing algorithms use a variety of metrics that affect calculation of optimal routes.

Answer 3

well routers are basically one of the most fundamental devices on which our internet works.

routers -- as the name suggest theyy "route" the path for the packet (data) to reach it's destination (receiver).


working --

as internet is a network of networks.
so when a comp. wants to acess a file on a particular comp. it sends the request.
now if the computer lies in the same network as the sender computer then the router will send the request directly to that comp.
and if the detination computer lis in the other network then it will assign a patth for the destination computer . the path is designed on basis of a routing algorithnm which basiacally decides upon the priority , efficiency and many other factors.

the algorithms are very complex.

to know more about them go to " howstuffworks.com"

Answer 4

When a computer sends something out on the internet, it sends it out with its address, in small parts (called packets) and when those packets come back it comes to the computer, which assembles them and that's the "response" from the Internet.

What a router does is allow a number of computers on a network share one network connection. It sends out each request, and as the responses come back, it "routes" them to the machine on the network that sent them. So it can appear like one device (the router) is using the Internet, but that device re-routes all the requests to the machine that requested them, which allows all machines on the network to share the network connection.