Le 15.10.2013 15:36, Jerry Stuckle a écrit :
If you want to confuse things by getting into the OSI model, modems are Layer 1 (Physical). Routers are Layer 3 (Network).
Thanks for precision.
I stayed away from this because it's mainly of interest to engineers and network programmers; the only thing most programmers have to worry about is Layer 7 (Application).
Honestly, I think that it is often a good idea to know what is around your domain. Programmers nowadays do not have to manage computer's memory too, but it seem that when they know how low level works they write more robust programs. Sure, I am a programmer, and do not care at all about all those layers. But knowing that they exist allows me to have a better understanding about why something could have problems, and to speak with other people with different interests.
By example, in my last job, I was able to speak with the sysadmins, because I have knowledge about stuff that I do not need to know: linux, networking, firewalls (hardware and software), active directory, and that kind of stuff that programmers do not need. But it always helps to have knowledge you do not need, and if I did not liked that idea when I was younger, I now love it. It is named general culture I think (if that translation from the French expression is correct).
In my opinion, programmers which only cares about their stupid languages and paradigms are doing a big error. You can learn as much high level stuff as you want. It you do not have a basic understanding of what allows you to stay so high, you take the risk of falling, and the higher you are, the more dangerous the fall is. I would really like that teachers teach asm x86 at school. It is useless nowadays, right. Except that thanks to that, I had no problem to understand C pointers. Still thanks to that, I was very good in my electronic lessons, which in turns have helps me a lot in my programming, because I know why some operations are faster than others. Yes, it is useless, in the end. But it makes so many things damn easier to learn and tinker.
Plus, here, we are not discussing about programming, but about networking, so I think minimal knowledge of network stuff and some electric basis can be useful ;)
Calling a router which include a modem a modem, would be the same ascalling modem a computer. Because computers includes modems (it is not mandatory, but I think that nowadays, every computer includes a sound card able to have both input and output, right? So, to convert analog signals to numeric ones, and vice versa, which is the work of modems). Modems are not networking stuff, they are electrical stuff, which aresometimes used by some networking stuff.True. Except it's normally the other way around. Companies don't design routers then add a modem to them; they design the modem then decide if they need to add a router. A small, but significant difference. Jerry
I think that this way is strange, but conception can be made in so many ways... The only important point in conception is, imho, that in the end, you should have good results. Companies can build my netbook by creating cells and putting stuff around (random words, it is for the example. Plus, that would make sense since the cell determine how many power you can use), but I won't name my computer a cell.