CS407 Routing and Switching Assignment 1 for Fall 2026 is built around a Cisco Packet Tracer simulation. A student in a university computer laboratory watches data travel from a computer to a web server and observes how an HTTP request passes through the layers of the TCP/IP and OSI models, with HTTP, TCP, IP and Ethernet each doing a different job. Question 1 carries 10 marks and asks five questions: which layers handle the HTTP request, what TCP and IP each do, why encapsulation matters, which layer handles MAC addressing, and how Packet Tracer Simulation Mode helps students understand communication.
The solution file linked below answers all five parts. Each answer is short, direct and tied to the scenario, so you can study the reasoning and explain it in your own words.
What Does the Solution File Cover?
Which Layers Handle the HTTP Request?
HTTP requests are handled at the Application Layer of both models. In the OSI model, HTTP works at Layer 7 (Application Layer), while in the TCP/IP model it works at the Application Layer. This layer provides the services that let applications, such as web browsers, communicate with web servers and exchange web pages and other information. Networking basics like this also appear in the CS601 Assignment 1 solution on topologies and protocol data units.
What Do TCP and IP Each Do?
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) establishes a reliable connection between the source and destination. It divides data into segments, checks for errors, maintains the correct order of data, and retransmits lost segments. IP (Internet Protocol) provides logical addressing through IP addresses and determines the path packets take from the source computer to the destination server. Together, TCP and IP ensure reliable delivery of data across networks. A related diagnostic skill is covered in the CS610 Assignment 1 solution on network commands.
Why Is Data Encapsulation Important?
Data encapsulation matters because each network layer adds its own header containing necessary information before passing data to the next layer. These headers identify the source, destination and type of information. For example, TCP adds port information, IP adds IP addresses, and Ethernet adds MAC addresses. Without these headers, devices along the path would not know where data came from, where it must go, or how to handle it, so correct communication across a network would fail.
Which Layer Handles MAC Addressing?
The Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model is responsible for MAC addressing. It uses the MAC addresses of network devices to deliver data frames within a local network. Switches operate mainly at this layer and use MAC address tables to forward frames toward the correct destination device. That is why the laboratory switches in the scenario forward frames by MAC address, while routers handle the IP addressing between networks.
How Does Packet Tracer Simulation Mode Help?
Cisco Packet Tracer Simulation Mode lets students observe how data travels between network devices step by step. It displays the movement of packets through switches and routers and shows how different protocols, such as HTTP, TCP, IP and Ethernet, work at different layers. Students can inspect packet details and understand encapsulation and decapsulation processes. This turns an abstract layer diagram into something visible, which makes network communication much easier to understand.
How Do You Download the Solution File?
You can download the complete solution file from Google Drive using the link below. Read each of the five answers, then try the same steps in Packet Tracer yourself so you can describe the packet journey from memory. Also check your work against the exact assignment file on VULMS, since question wording can vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HTTP an Application Layer protocol in both models?
Yes. HTTP sits at Layer 7 (Application Layer) in the OSI model and at the Application Layer in the TCP/IP model. The layer number differs only because the two models group layers differently; the job of HTTP is the same in both.
What is the difference between TCP and IP?
TCP provides reliability: connection setup, segmentation, ordering, error checking and retransmission. IP provides addressing and routing: it puts logical source and destination addresses on packets and decides the path they take. TCP without IP would have no delivery addresses, and IP without TCP would have no reliability guarantees.
What is the difference between a MAC address and an IP address?
A MAC address is a physical hardware address used by the Data Link Layer to deliver frames inside a local network, and switches forward frames using MAC address tables. An IP address is a logical address used by the Network Layer to route packets between networks. Both are needed: IP gets the packet to the right network, and MAC gets the frame to the right device on that network.
What is decapsulation?
Decapsulation is the reverse of encapsulation. As data travels up the layers at the destination, each layer removes its own header and passes the remaining data upward, until the Application Layer delivers the original message, such as the web page, to the application.
Last updated: November 2026.
