Network Routing Architecture

RoutingRouting architecture is a network-layer (layer-3) function in ISO’s seven-layer network architecture. It involves the process of finding a communication path, typically from multiple options, to deliver network traffic from its source to the intended destination. Routing decisions are made within a network, such as an enterprise network, spanning multiple networks like campus networks in a university, or across the Internet. Through these decisions, network packets are routed from their source nodes to their destination nodes, passing through intermediate nodes like gateways, routers, and firewalls. These intermediate nodes have routing protocols installed and executed to handle traffic routing and packet forwarding. Each routing device responsible for traffic routing and packet forwarding maintains a dynamic routing table, which keeps a record of routes to various network destinations. If a specific destination does not have a route listed in the routing table, the routing protocol installed on the device will search for it by communicating with other routers, typically neighboring ones.