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A router [a] is a computer and networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks, including internetworks such as the global Internet. [2] [3] [4] Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. A router is connected to two or more data lines from different IP networks.
In analogy, at the transport layer the communication appears as host-to-host, without knowledge of the application data structures and the connecting routers, while at the internetworking layer, individual network boundaries are traversed at each router. The most prominent component of the Internet model is the Internet Protocol (IP).
Routing is the process of selecting a path for traffic in a network or between or across multiple networks. Broadly, routing is performed in many types of networks, including circuit-switched networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and computer networks, such as the Internet.
To do this, a router needs to search the routing information stored in its routing table. The routing table contains network/next hop associations. These associations tell a router that a particular destination can be optimally reached by sending the packet to a specific router that represents the next hop on the way to the final destination.
Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet; data packets are forwarded through the networks of the internet from router to router until they reach their destination computer. Routing algorithms determine the specific choice of route. Each router has a prior knowledge only of networks attached to it directly.
L1/L2 routers act like area border routers (ABRs) between L1 routers and L2 routers by keeping two databases - L1 database and L2 database. Here is very important role of L1/L2 router - if it is connected to L2 router in another area, then it sets ATT (ATTached bit) in its L1 LSP.