6.1 Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn about the architecture for addressing and routing. We will discuss some fundamental concepts about addressing and routing for IP networks and examine various mechanisms to provide flexible and comprehensive addressing within the network, as well as to manipulate routing flows through the network. As with the other component architectures, we will discuss possible interactions within this architecture (internal relationships) and between this and other component architectures (external relationships).

6.2 Preparation

To be able to understand and apply the concepts in this chapter, you should be familiar with addressing and routing concepts for TCP/IP networks. Although the addressing mechanisms discussed in this chapter are relatively straightforward, you should have some background in IP addressing; thus, a good addressing reference is provided here. In addition, you should have some background in routing protocols, particularly Routing Information Protocol (RIP)/RIP version 2 (RIPv2), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), and Border Gateway Protocol version 4 (BGP4). Some recommended sources of information include:

• Everything You Wanted to Know about IP Addressing, by Chuck Semeria, available from 3Com at www.3com.com

• Interconnections, 2nd edition, by Radia Perlman, Addison-Wesley Publishing, January 2000

• Routing in the Internet, by Christian Huitema, Prentice Hall, January 2000

• OSPF: Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol, by John...