Network Router User Manual

Fig.1.1: Network Layers
A network connector is a device that joins dierent parts of a network. Connectors have a specic
name that is dependent on the layer at which the connector operates. For example a router
operates at the network layer and a gateway at the application layer. Because higher layers of the
protocol do not have access to some of the information stripped away by lower layers, network
connectors operating at dierent layers have dierent capabilities. ere is also some abuse of
terminology so that the descriptions of network connectors from dierent manufacturers may be
confusing. For example, a repeating router may be called a repeater for short. Although a
repeating router acts similarly to a physical layer repeater, it operates at the network layer and is
not equivalent. It is usually best to nd out at which layer a network connector operates.
Fig.1.2: Network Connector Types and Associated Layers
e GRouter device is a more complex connector because is connects two dierent protocols and
also connects the protocols at dierent layers. On the IP side the GRouter device operates at the
application layer and so is appropriately called an IP Gateway. On the 709.1 side the GRouter
device operates at the network layer and is appropriately called a 709.1 router. So depending on
the user’s perspective the GRouter could be called a gateway or router or a router/gateway. (See
Figure 2.3)
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