Advance Computer Network (315321) -
Practicals 4 to 6 (Detailed Answers)
Practical 4: Configure basic routing protocols using any relevant
software/virtual lab
Questions:
1. 1. What is the purpose of static routing in a network?
2. 2. Explain how the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) operates in network
environments.
3. 3. What are the key differences between RIP and OSPF protocols?
4. 4. How is BGP used in inter-domain routing across the Internet?
Answers:
1. What is the purpose of static routing in a network?
Static routing allows network administrators to manually configure routing paths between
networks. It is particularly useful in small or controlled environments where routes are
predefined and changes are infrequent. Static routes reduce overhead and are more secure,
but they lack the flexibility of dynamic routing.
2. Explain how the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) operates in network environments.
RIP is a distance-vector routing protocol that uses hop count as a routing metric. It
periodically broadcasts routing tables to neighbors every 30 seconds. Routes with a
maximum of 15 hops are considered reachable, and routes beyond that are treated as
unreachable. RIP is suitable for smaller networks due to its simplicity and limited
scalability.
3. What are the key differences between RIP and OSPF protocols?
RIP uses hop count as its only metric and limits routes to 15 hops, making it suitable for
small networks. OSPF, on the other hand, is a link-state protocol that uses cost based on
bandwidth and supports large, hierarchical networks. OSPF converges faster, supports
multiple paths, and is more scalable than RIP.
4. How is BGP used in inter-domain routing across the Internet?
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is used for routing between autonomous systems (AS)
across the Internet. It employs path-vector routing, exchanging network reachability
information, route policies, and path attributes. BGP helps prevent routing loops and selects
optimal paths based on business agreements and network policies.
Practical 5: Capture and Analyze ICMPv4 Packets using appropriate tool
Questions:
5. 1. Describe the structure of an ICMP packet used in network communication.
6. 2. What types of messages are typically sent using ICMP?
7. 3. How does packet analysis using Wireshark help in troubleshooting network issues?
8. 4. Explain how analyzing ICMP packets helps in optimizing network performance.
Answers:
1. Describe the structure of an ICMP packet used in network communication.
An ICMP packet consists of a header and payload. The header includes the Type field
indicating the message type, the Code field specifying the subtype, and the Checksum field
for error checking. The payload contains additional information such as the IP header and
the initial data segment that triggered the message.
2. What types of messages are typically sent using ICMP?
ICMP messages include Echo Request and Echo Reply for ping operations, Destination
Unreachable for unreachable targets, Time Exceeded for routing loops, and Redirect
messages to instruct hosts on preferred routes. These messages aid in error reporting and
diagnostics.
3. How does packet analysis using Wireshark help in troubleshooting network issues?
Wireshark captures live packets and allows in-depth analysis of protocols, headers, and
payloads. It helps administrators identify packet loss, network delays, incorrect
configurations, and security threats. By filtering ICMP packets, users can pinpoint routing
failures, latency issues, and verify reachability.
4. Explain how analyzing ICMP packets helps in optimizing network performance.
Analyzing ICMP packets helps identify bottlenecks, incorrect routing, or unreachable
devices. By reviewing response times, packet sizes, and frequency, network engineers can
adjust configurations, prioritize traffic, and implement failover routes to enhance overall
reliability and efficiency.
Practical 6: Configure, diagnose and troubleshoot TCP and UDP
connection issues using diagnostic tools like netstat, wireshark, iperf
Questions:
9. 1. What is the difference between TCP and UDP in terms of connection management?
10. 2. How does the 'netstat' tool assist in diagnosing network issues?
11. 3. Describe how the 'iperf' tool is used to measure network bandwidth.
12. 4. Explain how packet captures using Wireshark can reveal TCP retransmissions and
latency issues.
Answers:
1. What is the difference between TCP and UDP in terms of connection management?
TCP is connection-oriented and establishes a session through a three-way handshake before
transmitting data, ensuring reliability, error correction, and ordered delivery. UDP is
connectionless and transmits data without establishing a session, making it faster but less
reliable for applications where packet loss or order matters.
2. How does the 'netstat' tool assist in diagnosing network issues?
'netstat' displays current TCP/UDP connections, listening ports, routing tables, and
interface statistics. It helps identify open connections, diagnose port conflicts, and monitor
the status of network services.
3. Describe how the 'iperf' tool is used to measure network bandwidth.
'iperf' generates TCP and UDP traffic to measure network throughput between two hosts. It
helps evaluate bandwidth, jitter, packet loss, and connection quality under different
conditions, making it useful for performance benchmarking.
4. Explain how packet captures using Wireshark can reveal TCP retransmissions and latency
issues.
Wireshark allows users to inspect TCP segments for retransmissions, delays, and
acknowledgment failures. By analyzing packet timestamps and sequence numbers,
administrators can identify congestion, routing delays, or improper configurations affecting
data flow.
