What piece of network hardware is designed to pass information between multiple networks?
A. A switch
B. A hub
C. A network card
D. A router
D. A router
The correct answer is D. A router.
A router is a piece of network hardware that is specifically designed to pass information between multiple networks. It operates at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model and uses IP addresses to forward data packets from one network to another. Routers analyze the destination IP addresses of data packets and make decisions on the most efficient path for those packets to reach their intended destination.
To arrive at the correct answer, you can eliminate the other options:
A. A switch is a network device that connects multiple devices within a single network. It operates at the data link layer (Layer 2) and uses MAC addresses to forward data packets within the same network. Therefore, it does not pass information between multiple networks.
B. A hub is an older network device that also connects multiple devices within a single network. However, a hub operates at the physical layer (Layer 1) and simply broadcasts all incoming data to all connected devices. It does not make any decisions based on network addresses and does not pass information between multiple networks.
C. A network card, also known as a network interface card (NIC), is a piece of hardware that enables a device, such as a computer or a server, to connect to a network. It is not specifically designed to pass information between multiple networks but rather to send and receive data within a single network.
Therefore, the router is the only network hardware designed to pass information between multiple networks, making option D the correct answer.