HOP

 Hop: A packet switching network, a message is broken down into packets and transmitted over the network. This packet travels through several routers before reaching the destination node. The number of routers that the packet passes through is known as the hop count. This information is added to the packet header once it crosses a router. A packet with a higher hop count takes more time to reach its destination, and packets with extremely high hop counts are removed from the network, as it could be a stray packet wandering around the network. To optimize the performance of a network, network administrators use routing protocols to determine the best path for data to take from its source to its destination. These protocols take into account factors such as the number of hops, the load on each hop, and the reliability of each hop, to determine the optimal path for data to take. In conclusion, hops play a critical role in the communication process in computer networks. The number of hops required to reach a destination and the path that data takes determine the speed and reliability of the network. Network administrators use routing protocols to optimize the performance of the network by determining the best path for data to take.