Yes this is a homework question, and my book hasn't come in yet and I've been trying to look it up online but I haven't found anything. I'm pretty sure it is simple, but I really don't know how to figure it out. If you could also offer a short explanation, or even point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.


The question is:


The source and destination hosts are separated by four networks. How many packets will there be?

bump

The question doesn't really make any sense (to me) as stated.

Is that really the verbatim statement from an assignment?

And you'll probably have more luck in the Urban Commandos part of ARFCOM

I THINK five... at least in only one direction, straight-through.

Source ---'pkt1'---> (Net1)---'pkt2'--->(Net2)---'pkt3'--->(Net3)---'pkt4'--->(Net4)---'pkt5'--->Destination


Make sense ?  Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please ?

Total "Packet" count is relative to the size of the item being transmitted.

Error, Division by Zero - the above is a null question.

How many packets there are entirely depends upon the type of communication.

Are you just talking about connecting to a host?  Then there would be at least the SYN and ACK, but I don't know how many packets are passed to accomplish that.  

This is probably wrong but I would say 6. This is based on my assumption on how the network is layed out.

Beginning -> N1 -> N2 -> N3 -> N4 -> End

One packet would be sent from the beginning to the end & in the process I believe that there would be an acknowledgement packet sent between each network & end PCs.

Send #1--------------------------------------->
Beginning -> N1 -> N2 -> N3 -> N4 -> End
Recieve            <---#2<---#3<---#4<---#5<---#6

P.S. - The smartass answer would be "Depends on the amount of data being transmitted."    

Those are hops, not packets!

I believe the protocal is TCP, but the question doesn't really mention, and it also mentions nothing about the type of data being transmitted and if it was a large file. So I am taking it to assume the minimum number of packets that would be necessary to send anything. However the chapter has been dealing with TCP, IP and HTTP. So, I have no clue.


Here are all the questions, maybe it might help.

3. a) What is reliability?
b) How does TCP implement reliability?
c) In TCP, what is the receiver’s role in reliability?
d) In TCP, what is the sender’s role in reliability?

5. a) What do the internet and transport layers do collectively?
b) Distinguish between what the internet and transport layer standards govern.
c) What errors does the transport layer usually fix?
d) What do application layer standards govern?

11. a) Is Ethernet connectionless or connection-oriented? Explain.
b) In a switched Ethernet network, are there timing constraints on when a station may transmit?

12. a) The source and destination hosts are separated by four networks. How many packets will there be?
b) How many frames will there be?
c) How many routers will there be along the route? (Hint: Draw a picture showing the hosts, networks, and routers.)
d) How many routes will there be?
e) How many data links will there be?
f) How many IP destination addresses will there be?
g) How many destination data link layer addresses will there be?
h) What will be the Layer 2 data link layer destination address in the frame in the first network?
i) What will be the destination IP address of the packet contained in that frame?


15. Two hosts are separated by ten routers.
a) How many internet layer processes will be active on the two hosts and the devices between them?
b) How many transport layer processes will be active?
c) Which layers are hop-by-hop layers?
d) Which layers are end-to-end layers? (The physical layer is not considered to be either.)

24. a) What is the standards agency for TCP/IP?

b) What are most of this agency’s documents called?

c) In which At what layers is TCP/IP dominant?
d) How dominant is TCP/IP today at these layers compared to OSI’s dominance at the physical and data link layers?
e) Which of the following is an architecture: TCP/IP, TCP, or IP?

f) Which of the following are standards: TCP/IP, TCP, or IP?

Yes!!!