Chapter 1 explained that routers pass packets across a logical path, composed of multiple data links, by reading and acting on the network addresses in the packets. The packets are passed across the individual data links by encapsulating the packets in frames, which use data link identifiers (MAC addresses, for example) to get the frame from source to destination on the link. One of the major topics of this book concerns the mechanisms by which routers discover and share information about network addresses so that routing may take place. Similarly, devices on a data link need a way to discover their neighbors' data link identifiers so that frames may be transmitted to the correct destination.
Several mechanisms can provide this information; ...
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