The physical and data link layers of a network operate locally. These two layers are
jointly responsible for data delivery on the network from one node to the next, as shown
in Figure 20.1.
This internetwork is made of five networks: four LANs and one WAN. If host A
needs to send a data packet to host D, the packet needs to go first from A to Rl (a switch
or router), then from Rl to R3, and finally from R3 to host D. We say that the data packet
passes through three links. In each link, two physical and two data link layers are involved.
However, there is a big problem here. When data arrive at interface fl of Rl, how
does RI know that interface f3 is the outgoing interface? There is no provision in the
data link (or physical) layer to help Rl make the right decision. The frame does not
carry any routing information either. The frame contains the MAC address ofA as the
source and the MAC address of Rl as the destination. For a LAN or a WAN, delivery
means carrying the frame through one link, and not beyond.