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In a large network, the efficient management of communication is difficult due to the high volume of data traffic in the network. The network administrator can work around this problem by dividing a large network into network segments. Network segments are smaller networks that, when combined, form a large network.
Within a network, data can be transferred from one network segment to another using any of the different paths available. The transfer of data between network segments is called routing. However, routing is not supported by every protocol. Protocols are categorized as routable or non-routable based on their ability or inability to support routing.
The ability of protocols to support routing allows data to be transferred between computers on different network segments.
There are different types of data transmission. The type of data transmission determines which computers in a network receive the transmitted data. Since not all computers on the network need to receive the transmitted data, you can control to some extent which computer receives and processes the transmitted data by controlling the type of transmission.
Routing-capable protocols enable data transmission between computers in different network segments. However, a high volume of certain types of network traffic, such as the provision of multimedia applications, can affect the efficiency of the network by reducing transmission speed.
The amount of network traffic generated varies and depends on the three types of data transmission: Unicast, Broadcast or Multicast. To understand the impact of each type of transmission on network traffic, you need to be familiar with the characteristics of each type of transmission.
In a multicast transmission, a single copy of the data is sent only to the client computers that request it. Multiple copies are not sent over the network. This reduces network traffic and allows multimedia applications to be deployed on the network without unnecessarily burdening the network. Many Internet services use multicasting to communicate with client computers.
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