IP Routing

Why Trust Techopedia

What Does IP Routing Mean?

IP routing is the process of transporting data from source to destination on a determined path across two or more networks. IP routing enables two or more devices on different TCP/IP networks to connect with each other. IP routing provides the path for reaching the destination device.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains IP Routing

IP routing is implemented, operated and managed by the router. It works when a device on a local network sends a packet toward a destination node that's external to the network. For IP routing, the external network is any network that requires the transmission of data through one or more routers before reaching the destination. Each network's router maintains a table of IP addresses and details of router or other networks to which it has previously been connected. Once it receives the packet from the local computer/network, it matches the destination IP address to its list of networks. If a match is found, the packet is routed to the corresponding router or list of routers, through which it must pass to reach the destination node.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.