A ........... uses logical addresses.

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (2):
A Router is fundamentally a Layer 3 device in the OSI model, which means its primary function is to work with the logical addressing scheme, specifically the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (both IPv4 and IPv6). A router's main job is to examine the destination IP address in the header of a data packet, look up this address in its internal routing table, and then use that information to intelligently forward the packet along the most efficient path toward its ultimate destination, which is often across different networks or the global Internet. Logical addresses are necessary precisely because they allow for hierarchical, routable addressing that functions across vast, disparate network segments.

The incorrect option is (1):
A Bridge operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. Its primary forwarding decisions are based on physical addresses, specifically the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. A bridge's function is to connect two different segments of the same network and filter traffic within that local area network (LAN) by learning which MAC addresses reside on which segment. It is completely unaware of the logical IP addresses for its core function of filtering and forwarding frames. Therefore, it does not use logical addresses to perform its main operation.

The incorrect option is (3):
A Repeater is the simplest networking device, operating only at the Physical Layer (Layer 1) of the OSI model. Its sole function is to receive an electrical signal, regenerate it to its original strength to overcome distance limitations, and transmit it again. Because it operates at Layer 1, it only deals with raw bits (the electrical pulses or signals) and has no mechanism to read, interpret, or use any addresses—neither logical addresses (Layer 3) nor physical addresses (Layer 2).

The incorrect option is (4):
The option "All options are wrong" is incorrect because Option 2, the Router, is definitively the device that uses logical addresses. This is a core concept of the Network Layer (Layer 3) in networking. The router's ability to read the destination IP address and use a routing table to forward the packet is the definition of using a logical address for communication.