Chapter Goals This Chapter introduces the reader to TCP/IP routing and switching. The following topics are covered: | In Chapter 2, "Exploring the Network Layers," you learned how TCP segments, IP packets, and Ethernet frames are generated, encapsulated, and transmitted onto a network by TCP/IP devices.In this Chapter, you will learn how to design a network to efficiently translate, route, and switch the TCP segments, IP packets, and Ethernet frames that flow through your network. The following topics are discussed in this Chapter: Frame Switching and Virtual LANs Switching TCP/IP involves forwarding Layer 2 Ethernet frames within VLANs. IP Routing Static and dynamic routing protocols define the path that traffic takes from one end system to the other. Packet Switching Packets are switched within routers using process switching, fast switching, or Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF) Network Address Translation Packets' IP address fields are rewritten to conserve IP addresses, and hide internal IP addressing schemes and load balancing requests across groups of servers. |