ESR Series Routers Operation Manual                                                          9 
2.2.4  Third-layer functions of OSI model 
Table 2.4 lists third-layer functions (OSI Layer 3).  
Table 2.4 —Third-layer functions description (OSI Layer 3) 
Administrator of the router can add or remove static records into/from the routing 
table. 
 With dynamic routing protocols, the device  will be able to exchange the routing 
information with neighbouring routers and automatically create a routing table. 
Router supports the following protocols: RIP, OSPFv2, OSPFv3, BGP. 
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol used for resolution of the network 
and  data-link  layer  addresses. ARP table contains  information  on  the  established 
correspondence.  
Correspondence  is  established  on  the  basis  of  the  network  device  response 
analysis; device addresses are requested with broadcast packets.  
DHCP  (Dynamic  Host  Configuration Protocol) protocol enables automation  of 
the network device management process. 
DHCP  client  allows  the  router  to  obtain  the  network  address  and  additional 
settings from the external DHCP server. As a rule, this method is used for obtaining 
network settings of a public network operator (WAN). 
DHCP  server  enables  automation  and  centralization  of  the  network  device 
configuration process.  
DHCP server allocated on a router allows for a complete solution for the local area 
network support. 
DHCP  server  integrated  into  the  router  assigns  IP  addresses  to  network  devices 
and transfers additional network settings, e.g. server addresses, network gateway 
addresses and other necessary settings. 
Network Address 
Translation 
(NAT) 
Network address translation is a mechanism that translates IP addresses and port 
numbers for transit packets.  
NAT  function  allows  to  minimize  the  quantity  of  IP  address  used  through 
translation of multiple internal network IP addresses into a  single external public 
IP  address.    NAT  conceals  local  area  network  internal  structure  and  allows  to 
enhance its security. 
Routers support the following NAT options: 
–  Source NAT (SNAT)—the network address and the source port number 
will be replaced, when packet is transferred forth, and the destination 
address will be replaced in the response packet. 
–  Destination NAT (DNAT)—external access is translated by the firewall to 
the user computer in LAN that has an internal address and thus directly 
inaccessible from outside the network.