Hard routing and soft routing
Soft routing refers to using a desktop or server Cooperating with software to form a routing solution, it mainly relies on software settings to achieve the functions of a router;
hard routing is based on special hardware equipment, including processors, power supplies, and embedded software , providing configured router functions.
Under normal circumstances, soft routing is usually a computer. Hardware routing can be classified differently according to different standards. For example, it can be divided into high, medium and low-end in terms of performance, and it can be divided into fixed configuration in terms of structure. and modularity, etc.
There are many benefits of soft routing. For example, using a cheap desktop computer and using free Linux software, soft routing is more flexible, and the desktop processor is powerful, so the processing performance is good and it is easier to expand. But correspondingly, it also requires technicians to master more professional knowledge such as setting methods and parameter design. At the same time, the setting is also relatively complicated, and technicians need to have certain adaptability and technical ability. At the same time, if the hardware configuration of the desktop computer is poorly selected or unreasonable, and if it functions as a router for a long time, the probability of failure will be high. The cost of building it with a desktop computer is not low, but if you want to use a server, the cost is higher, and the learning process for technicians is also more cumbersome.
The method of hard routing is to configure a dedicated machine. Like a PC, a hard router includes a power supply, internal bus, main memory, flash memory, processor and operating system. It is specially designed for routing functions and has low cost. . The software in the router is deeply embedded in the hardware, including optimization of various device drivers, different optimization strategies for CPUs of different systems, etc. This software is not application software, but system software, and cannot be separated from the hardware.
The following is a more comprehensive and accurate analysis of the comparisons of soft and hard routing for readers’ reference.
1. Conceptual aspects. Soft routing is usually performed by an ordinary computer and uses a general operating system, such as Linux or Windows, so the routing settings are actually the settings of Windows or Linux, or the configuration of the computer. The PC can be a very old 486 or a more advanced PC/server. Software and hardware are independent; hardware routers are mostly based on embedded system architecture, using self-developed or off-the-shelf embedded operating systems such as Vxworks, Montavista, uClinux, etc. as the operating system, and then cooperate with system manufacturers to develop their own Routing software, software and hardware cooperate with each other. Hardware routers use a specialized operating system, so a HyperTerminal (computer) is used to manage the router through the console. The management of hardware routers is usually implemented using dedicated command lines, graphical interfaces or network management software.
2. Hardware architecture specificity. The hardware architecture of software routers is universal and suitable for the installation and use of various application software. It is not designed just for routers; while the hardware architecture of hardware routers is specially designed for routers, and some CPUs are developed for network applications.
3. Hardware assembly. Software router users may have to assemble their own hardware. A typical PC may not have a network card (such as a very old 486) or only have one network card. Users must install additional network cards by themselves to meet the routing function. Hardware may have compatibility issues, which users must solve by themselves; users of hardware routers do not need to assemble the hardware themselves. The hardware matching design has been completed by the system manufacturer and has undergone rigorous testing, so there will be no incompatibility.
4. Software installation. Users of software routers must install the software themselves, some of which are free, and some require payment of royalties. Users of hardware routers do not need to install the software themselves, as the software is included in the flash memory of the product.
5. Software maintenance. Software routers provide free software that is usually non-commercial open program code, and is usually developed and modified by experts scattered around the country out of interest. Functional integrity and debugging cannot be guaranteed; the software functions of hardware routers are developed by the system manufacturers who launch the products themselves, and have high consistency. The addition of functions and debugging are maintained by the system manufacturer. Users only need to upgrade the software. There are reliable channels to obtain the upgraded software, and after-sales service is guaranteed.
6. Compatibility of software, hardware and operating system. Software router software must adapt to off-the-shelf hardware (such as PC) and off-the-shelf operating systems (such as Windows and Linux). Neither the hardware nor the operating system are designed specifically for network/routing functions. Stability cannot be generalized. Users must pay relative costs, time, energy, and money. The software and hardware of hardware routers use embedded operating systems and match each other, so the overall design is streamlined and efficient. It is not only stable, but also It is easy to set up, and the product cost plus the cost paid by the user are relatively low.
7. Using the interface. In software routers, different software has different methods, some are window screens, and some are command line instructions. Not necessarily easy to understand. Some require very professional knowledge; while hardware routers mostly use Web GUI to set up, emphasizing user-friendliness and making simple and easy-to-understand settings based on specific functions.
8. In terms of level differences. There is no difference between software routers, and performance depends on the PC and software chosen by the trial user. So it may not be applicable to various network/routing applications. The more advanced application environments require more professional knowledge to cope with them; hardware routers will develop different levels of routers for different levels of network/routing applications to achieve better cost performance.
9. Working environment. Software routers can only work on Ethernet networks to realize interconnection between LANs. Hardware routers have rich interface types, so they are suitable for various types of networks. They can be used for interconnection of local area networks, wide area networks and the Internet. In addition, the efficiency of the two is also different. Soft routing can be applied to small/low communication efficiency networks, while hardware routing can be applied to large, medium and small networks with high communication efficiency.
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