How to Choose a Good Router for your Business Network

How to Choose a Good Router for your Business Network

The article describe How to Choose a Good Router that can meet the requirements of an enterprise network. If you want to about How to Choose a Good Switch for your Business Network you can visit here. The routing is needed in the distribution layer of an enterprise network. Without the routing process, packets cannot leave the local network.

Router Requirements

Routers play a very important role in the network, as they interconnect multiple sites within the business network, which provides redundant routes and connects ISPs on the Internet. Routers can also act as translators between different types of media and protocols. For example, a router can accept packets from an Ethernet network and re-encapsulate them for transport over a serial network.
Routers use the network part of the destination IP address to route packets to the correct destination. They select an alternative route if the link stops working or if there is a lot of traffic. All hosts on a local network specify the IP address of the local router interface in the IP configuration. This router interface is the default gateway .
Routers also fulfill other useful functions:

• They offer broadcast contention
• Connect remote locations
• Logically group users according to the application or department
• Provide enhanced security
  

With the company and the ISP, the ability to route efficiently and recover a network link failure is essential for the delivery of packets to their destination.

Cisco routers

As the network grows, it is important to select the appropriate routers to meet the requirements. As shown in the illustration, there are three categories of routers:

Branch Routers

Branch routers optimize branch services on a single platform, while providing an optimal application experience across all branch and WAN infrastructures. Maximizing service availability at the branch requires that the network be designed to be active every day, 24 hours a day (365 days a year).
High-availability branch networks must ensure rapid recovery of typical failures and, at the same time, minimize or eliminate the impact on the service and provide simple network configuration and administration.

Network perimeter routers

Network perimeter routers allow that perimeter to provide reliable high-performance, high-security services that link campus, data center and branch networks. Customers expect a high quality media experience and more types of content than ever. Customers seek interactivity, personalization, mobility and control for all that content. They also want to be able to access the content at any time and place of their choice, and with any device, either from home, from the office or when they go from one place to another. Network perimeter routers must provide improved quality of service and uninterrupted video and mobile technology capabilities.

Routers of service providers

These routers differentiate the service portfolio and increase profits by providing end-to-end scalable solutions and services that recognize subscribers. Operators must optimize operations, reduce costs and improve scalability and flexibility in order to provide state-of-the-art Internet experiences across all devices and locations.
These systems are designed to simplify and improve the operation and implementation of service delivery networks.

Router hardware

In addition, routers come in many form factors, as shown in the illustration. Network administrators in a business environment must be able to support a variety of routers, from a small desktop router to a rack-mounted or a blade model.

Routers can also be categorized as fixed or modular configuration . With the fixed configuration, the desired router interfaces are incorporated. Modular routers have several slots that allow the network administrator to modify the interfaces on the router. For example, the Cisco 1841 router has two built-in Fast Ethernet RJ-45 interfaces and two slots that can accommodate various network interface modules. Routers have a variety of different interfaces, such as Fast and Gigabit Ethernet, Serial and fiber optic.
In summary, the network designer must specify a router of the appropriate category, be it a branch router, a network perimeter router or a service provider router. It is also important to implement the appropriate switch type for a set of specific switch requirements, features and specifications and the expected traffic flow.