This book examines the fundamental concepts and design methods associated with switch/routers. It discusses the main factors that are driving the changing network landscape and propelling the continuous growth in demand for bandwidth and high-performance network devices. Designing Switch/Routers: Fundamental Concepts and Design Methods focuses on the essential concepts that underlie the design of switch/routers in general. This book considers the switch/router as a generic Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding device without placing an emphasis on any particular manufacturer's device. The underlying concepts and design methods are not only positioned to be applicable to generic switch/routers but also to the typical switch/routers seen in the industry. The discussion provides a better insight into the protocols, methods, processes, and tools involved in designing switch/routers. The author discusses the design goals and features switch/router manufacturers consider when designing their products as well as the advanced and value-added features, along with the steps, used to build practical switch/routers. The last two chapters discuss real-world 6 switch/router architectures that employ the concepts and design methods described in the previous chapters.

This book provides an introductory level discussion of switch/routers and is written in a style accessible to undergraduate and graduate students, engineers, and researchers in the networking and telecoms industry as well as academics and other industry professionals. The material and discussion are structured to serve as standalone teaching material for networking and telecom courses and/or supplementary material for such courses.