Chapter 3: Communicating

on a Local Network

Networking Essentials

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Chapter 3 - Sections & Objectives
▪ 3.1 Principles of Communications
• Explain the importance of standards and protocols in network
communications.

▪ 3.2 Talking the Language of Networking

• Explain how protocol model layers represent network functionality.

▪ 3.3 How do Ethernet Networks Work?

• Explain how communication occurs on Ethernet networks.

▪ 3.4 How are Networks Built?

• Explain why routers and switches are important in a network.

▪ 3.5 Routing Across Networks

• Configure devices on a LAN.

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 3.1 Principles of
Communications

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Principles of Communications
Establishing the Rules
▪ The Three Elements
• The source, the destination, and the transmission medium.

▪ Communication Protocols
• Before beginning to communicate
with each other, we establish rules
or agreements to govern the
conversation.

▪ Why Protocols Matter

• Networking protocols define the
rules of communication over the
local network.
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Principles of Communications
So Who Makes the Rules
▪ The Internet and Standards
• A standard is a set of rules that determines how something must be
done.
• Networking protocols and Internet standards make it possible for
different types of devices to communicate over the Internet.

▪ Network Standards Organizations

• Standards are developed, published,
and maintained by a variety of
organizations.

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Principles of Communications
Visualizing How Protocols Work
▪ Stacking Them Up
• Successful communication requires interaction between protocols.
• A protocol stack is used to help separate the function of each protocol.
• This enables each layer in the stack to operate independently of others.

▪ Using a Layered Model

• Layered models help us
visualize how the various
protocols work together to
enable network
communications

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Principles of Communications
Visualizing How Protocols Work
▪ Different types of Network Models
Protocol Model Reference Model
TCP/IP Model Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model

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 3.2 Talking the Language
of Networking

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Talking the Language of Networking
Working with the OSI Model
▪ Dividing the Tasks
• The OSI model divides communication into multiple processes.
o Each process is a small part of the larger task.

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Talking the Language of Networking
Working with the OSI Model
▪ Comparing the OSI and TCP/IP Models

Both models are commonly used; therefore, it is

wise to become very familiar with them.
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Talking the Language of Networking
Protocols for Wired Networks
▪ Why Ethernet?
• Ethernet has become the de facto standard
• This means it is used by almost all wired local area networks

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Talking the Language of Networking
Protocols for Wired Networks
▪ Ethernet is Constantly Evolving
• The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) maintains
Ethernet and wireless standards.
• They are responsible for maintaining the standards and for approving
new enhancements.

▪ Ethernet Addressing
• Each host connected to an Ethernet network is assigned a unique
physical address which identifies it on the network.
• The physical address is known as the Media Access Control (MAC)
address and is assigned to a NIC it when it is manufactured.

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 3.3 How do Ethernet
Networks Work?

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How do Ethernet Networks Work?
Preparing Data for Transmission
▪ Encapsulation
• The process of placing one message inside another message format is
called encapsulation.
o De-encapsulation occurs when the process is reversed.
• Before a network message is sent over the network, it is encapsulated
in a frame that identifies the destination and source MAC addresses.

▪ Framing the Message

IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Frame
7 bytes 1 6 6 2 46 to 1500 4

Start of Frame
Destination MAC Source MAC Type / 802.2 Header
Preamble Frame Check
Address Address Length and Data
Delimiter Sequence

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How do Ethernet Networks Work?
The Building Blocks of Ethernet Networks
▪ Why Networks Need Hierarchical Design
• A MAC address identities a specific host on a local network, but it
cannot be used to reach remote hosts networks.
• A hierarchical design is required.

▪ The Benefits of Hierarchical Design

• Enterprise networks are most often designed in hierarchical manner
using an access layer, distribution layer, and core layer.
• Hierarchical networks require a logical addressing scheme such as
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) or Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to
reach remote hosts.

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How do Ethernet Networks Work?
Logical Addressing
▪ Physical and Logical Addresses
• A MAC address is physically assigned to a NIC and never changes.
o The physical MAC address remains the same regardless of network.
• An IP address (network address) is logically assigned to a host NIC.
• The logical IP addresses contain two parts:
o Network portion: The left-hand portion of an IP address identifies the
network portion of the address. It is the same for all hosts connected to the
local network.
o Host address: The right-hand portion of an IP address that uniquely
identifies the individual host on the network.

▪ Both the physical MAC and logical IP addresses are required

for a computer to communicate on a hierarchical network.
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 3.4 How are Networks
Built?

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How are Networks Built?
Starting with a Good Design
Interconnects the
▪ Access, Distribution and Core smaller local networks.

Provides a high-
Provides speed connection
connections to between
hosts in a local distribution layer
Ethernet devices
network.

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How are Networks Built?
Starting with a Good Design
▪ Access Layer Devices
• Provides the first line of networking devices that connect hosts to the
wired Ethernet network.
• Typically connected using Layer 2 switches.

▪ Ethernet Hubs
• Legacy access layer device that broadcast frames to all ports.
• Created excessive collision domains.
• Hubs have been superseded by Layer 2 switches.

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How are Networks Built?
Building a Better Access Layer
▪ Ethernet Switches
• A switch accepts and decodes the frames to read the physical (MAC)
address portion of the message.
• The switch checks a table on the switch, called a MAC address table,
that contains a list of all of the active ports and the host MAC addresses
that are attached to them.
• The switch creates a circuit that connects those two ports, enabling the
switch to support multiple conversations between different pairs of ports.

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How are Networks Built?
Building a Better Access Layer
▪ MAC Address Tables

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How are Networks Built?
Containing Broadcasts
▪ What are Broadcasts Anyway?
• A broadcast message is simultaneously sent by a host to all other hosts.
• A broadcast MAC address in hexadecimal notation is FFFF.FFFF.FFFF

▪ Broadcast Domains
• A local area network, a network with one or more Ethernet switches, is
also referred to as a broadcast domain.
• When a broadcast message is sent, all switches forward the message
to every connected host within the same local network.

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How are Networks Built?
Containing Broadcasts
▪ Communicating at the Access Layer
• To send a message, a host needs the IP address and MAC address of
the destination host.
• The destination IP address is typically known; therefore, how does the
sending host determine the destination MAC address?
• The sending host can use an IPv4 protocol called address resolution
protocol (ARP) to discover the MAC address of any host on the same
local network.
o IPv6 uses a similar method known as Neighbor Discovery.

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How are Networks Built?
Containing Broadcasts
▪ How ARP Works
Send data to a device
The PC attempts to ping IP
address 10.1.1.1.

PC> ping 10.1.1.1

Is the MAC No
Send an ARP Request
address in my
to IP 10.1.1.1
ARP cache?
Dest MAC: FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF

Yes
The PC requires the destination
IP address and MAC address.

Receive ARP Reply from

Send ping packet 10.1.1.1 with its MAC
address

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How are Networks Built?
Distributing Messages to Other Devices
▪ Dividing the Local Network
• As networks evolve, it is
necessary to divide one access
layer network into multiple
access layer networks.
• There are many ways to divide
networks based on different
criteria.

▪ Now We Need Routing

• Routers and routing is required to reach remote hosts.
• Routing is the process of identifying the best path to a destination.

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 3.5 Routing Across
Networks

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Routing Across Networks
Keeping a Table
▪ Selecting a Path
• Every router creates a routing table containing all locally-connected and
remote networks and the interfaces that connect to them.
• Routers use their routing tables and forward packets to either a directly
connected network containing the actual destination host, or to another
router on the path to reach the destination host.

▪ Building the Tables

• Router build their routing tables by first adding their locally connected
networks, and then learning about other networks using routing
protocols.

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Routing Across Networks
Keeping a Table Type
C
Network
10.1.21.0/24
Outgoing Port
FastEthernet 0/0
C 172.16.1.0/24 FastEthernet 0/1

▪ How Routers Use Tables

• The router has added its two
directly connected networks
to the routing table.

▪ Sending to Remote Networks

• If H1 sent a packet to H7, the router would examine its routing table and
determine that to reach network 172.16.1.0/24 , it must forward the
packet out of its Fa0/1 interface.
• Because the outgoing network is a directly connected Ethernet network,
the router may also have to ARP the IP address.

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Routing Across Networks
Creating a LAN
▪ Local Area Networks
• Local Area Network (LAN) refers to a local network, or a group of
interconnected local networks that are under the same administrative
control.
• The term Intranet refers to a private LAN that belongs to an
organization, and is accessible only by the organization's members,
employees, or others with authorization.

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Routing Across Networks
Creating a LAN
▪ Assigning Hosts to a LAN

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