Question

Different network devices function at different network communication layers, depending on their purpose. Using the TCP/IP model, identify the highest layer accessed by each of the following devices:(A) Router(B) Unmanaged switch(C) Wireless access point(D) Firewall

Answer 1

Answer:

Router: layer 2

Unmanaged switch: layer 1

Wireless access point: layer 1

Firewall: layer 2

Explanation:

The TCP/IP networking model has four layers, namely,

- Application layer,

- Transport layer,

- Internet layer and

- Network access layer.

The network access layer is the equivalence of the physical and data-link layer in the OSI model. The unmanaged switch transmits frame in the collision domain and the wireless access point allows a collision free frame transfer between nodes. The frame and means of transmission are related to the network access layer of the TCP/IP model.

The Internet layer is an equivalence of the network layer in the OSI model, this is where the ip address is used to communicate within and to remote networks. The router is used to determine a path for packets to destination workstations. The firewall is used to stop unwanted packets from accessing a network. Packets are related to internet layer, so the router and firewall are operational in layer 2, internet layer.