ABSTRACT
Computer networking can be a very confusing field. Terms such as network, subnetwork, domain, local area network (LAN), internetwork, bridge, router, and switch are often ill-defined. Taking the simplest view, we know that the data-link layer of a network delivers a packet of information to a neighboring machine, the network layer routes through a series of packet switches to deliver a packet from source to destination, and the transport layer recovers from lost, duplicated, and out-of-order packets. But the bridge standards choose to place routing in the data-link layer, and the X.25 network layer puts the onus on the network layer to prevent packet loss, duplication, or misordering.
