Backbone Router

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What Does Backbone Router Mean?

A backbone router is a type of router that links separate systems in different meshes of a network with each other. As its name suggests, a backbone router plays the role of a backbone in any network connection and, as such, is part of the backbone network. It makes the connection of any independent system with outside networks possible.

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Techopedia Explains Backbone Router

A backbone is not an ordinary router; it must be high performing and reliable because it must handle hundreds of processes from dozens of systems at a time. A backbone router typically has a strong processing ability and a lot of memory. Its routing tables are huge in order to allow the steady flow of data from hundreds of machines. Depending on the protocol, a backbone router connects the major networks together. Backbone routers come with dedicated operating systems, such as Cisco Systems’ Internetwork Operating System (IOS).

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects 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 by 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 helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.