Routing

 

• Router is a process of selecting path along which the data can be transferred from source to the destination. Routing is performed by a special device known as a router.
• A Router works at the network layer in the OSI model and internet layer in TCP/IP model
• A router is a networking device that forwards the packet based on the information available in the packet header and forwarding table.
• The routing algorithms are used for routing the packets. 
• The routing algorithm is nothing but a software responsible for deciding the optimal path through which packet can be transmitted.
• The routing protocols use the metric to determine the best path for the packet delivery. The metric is the standard of measurement such as hop count, bandwidth, delay, current load on the path, etc. used by the routing algorithm to determine the optimal path to the destination.
• The routing algorithm initializes and maintains the routing table for the process of path determination.

Routing schemes differ in how they deliver messages

• Unicast
• Multicast
• Broadcast
• Anycast