A packet of data is sent across the internet to a web server. The packet has a header that stores information about the packet.
Identify the information in the packet header that a router uses to forward the packet towards its destination.
Mark scheme
- B The destination IP address (1)
- The only correct answer is B. The correct answer is the destination IP address.
- A is not correct because a domain name is converted to an IP address by a DNS server before routing begins
- C is not correct because the sender's MAC address is only used to deliver the packet on the local network
- D is not correct because the file name is not used to route packets
Example answers and how they were marked
B The destination IP address
Why: Correct option (1): a router reads the destination IP address in the header to forward the packet towards its destination.
A The destination domain name
Why: A domain name is converted to an IP address by a DNS server before routing begins, so it is not the routing information in the header (mark scheme line A); no mark.
C The MAC address of the sender
Why: The sender's MAC address is only used to deliver the packet on the local network, so it is not used by the router to forward the packet (mark scheme line C); no mark.