In Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) diploma programs, an elective subject is a course that students can choose from a set of options, in addition to the core curriculum. Elective subjects allow students to tailor their education to their interests and career goals by selecting topics that are not mandatory but are available as part of the broader curriculum. These subjects often provide specialized knowledge and skills that can enhance a student's expertise in a particular area of their field.
The "Advanced Computer Network" subject in a diploma or engineering program typically covers in- depth topics related to computer networking. The curriculum aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of advanced networking concepts, protocols, and technologies.
The Distance Vector Routing Algorithm is a method used by routers (devices that direct network traffic) to figure out the best path to send data across a network.
It is used in routing protocols like RIP (Routing Information Protocol).
How the Distance Vector Algorithm Works:
1. Routing Table: o Each router maintains a routing table. The table lists all the destinations it knows, the cost to reach each destination, and the next hop (the neighboring router to which it should forward the packet).
Ur Engineering Friend o The cost typically refers to the number of hops, but it could also be based on other metrics like delay, bandwidth, etc. 2. Initial Knowledge: o Each router only knows the distance to its directly connected neighbors at the beginning (cost of 1 hop to each neighbor). 3. Periodic Updates: o Periodically, each router shares its routing table with its neighbors. o When a router receives an update from a neighbor, it checks if it can improve its own routes using the information from the neighbor’s table. o It will add the cost of the link to the neighbor to the neighbor's reported distances. 4. Bellman-Ford Algorithm: o The distance vector algorithm relies on the Bellman-Ford algorithm to update the routing table. o After receiving new information, the router recalculates its routing table based on this formula:
Distance to Destination = Distance to Neighbor + Distance from Neighbor to
Destination
• If the newly calculated distance is shorter than the current distance in the routing table, the router updates its table.
Convergence:
• Over time, routers will exchange enough information that every router knows the best route to every destination. This is known as the network converging.
Example of the Distance Vector Algorithm
Let’s consider a simple network of 4 routers: A, B, C, and D, connected as follows:
Ur Engineering Friend • B <-> D (cost = 1) • C <-> D (cost = 1)
At the start, each router only knows the cost to its directly connected neighbors:
Step-by-Step Update Process:
1. A sends its routing table to B and C:
o B learns that A can reach C in 3 hops. So, B adds this to its table: C via A with a cost of 4. o C learns that A can reach B in 1 hop, so it adds B via A with a cost of 4. 2. B sends its routing table to A and D: o A learns from B that D can be reached via B with a cost of 2 (1 hop to B, and 1 hop from B to D). o D learns that A can be reached via B with a cost of 2. 3. C sends its routing table to A and D: o A already knows the cost to C, so no update happens for A. o D learns that A can be reached via C with a cost of 4 (1 hop to C, and 3 hops from C to A). 4. D sends its routing table to B and C: o B learns that C can be reached via D with a cost of 2 (1 hop to D, 1 hop from D to C). Since this is shorter than B’s current route to C (which was 4 via A), B updates its table to show C via D with a cost of 2.
After the exchange of routing tables, the final routing tables would look like this:
1. Slow Convergence: o It takes time for the routers to exchange enough information to ensure all routes are updated, especially in larger networks. 2. Count-to-Infinity Problem:
Ur Engineering Friend o In some failure cases, routers may mistakenly keep increasing the cost to a destination in a loop (this is called "counting to infinity"). o Solutions like split horizon and route poisoning are used to prevent such loops. 3. Scalability: o This algorithm can work well for smaller networks, but in very large networks, it becomes inefficient due to the slow convergence and frequent updates.
Improvements and Alternatives:
• Split Horizon: A technique to prevent a router from sending information back to the router from which it learned it, helping to prevent loops. • Route Poisoning: A router marks a route as unreachable by setting the distance to infinity if a link goes down, which helps other routers quickly learn that the route is no longer available. • Link State Routing: An alternative approach where each router has a complete map of the network and calculates the shortest path using algorithms like Dijkstra’s.
