How to broadcast over network ?

[manishrathi]

If I want to use internet, I can just type in IP address and particular website is opened.
Now , if I want a message to stay within network only and all networks hosts should receive the message then I have to broadcast it.. How can I broadcast ? What different do I need to do in order to broadcast message, rather than sending over internet ?

thanks

[compwizpro]

Can you explain in a bit more detail exactly what you are trying to do?

[manishrathi]

I was trying to understand, how default gateway works and in that I came across this term broadcast address.
I dont understand how broadcast address works ? how doies it broadcast to many recipient at the same time ? How is the traffic contained witin network only (I think its through the routers), but if I want to broadcast, how do I do that ? If I want to visit website, I type in website address or I click on messanger to commnicate witjh some one. In broadcast, do I need some applicatio to broadcast the message ?
Is "net meeting" , an example of broadcasting ?

thanks

[Insane Scyth]

Thats a lot to answer but I'll try and hit a few of the points.

how doies it broadcast to many recipient at the same time ?

A broadcast packet has the ip destination 255.255.255.255, and when a switch receives it, it knows that it is a broadcast packet and forwards it to all of devices the switch is connected to.

How is the traffic contained witin network only (I think its through the routers)

When a broadcast packet reaches a router, it just drops it. Routers don't forward them.

If you know exactly what you want to do we can give you more specific help.

If I want to visit website, I type in website address or I click on messanger to commnicate witjh some one.

When you type in an IP address to a website in your browser, the packet you are sending has a destination of that website. You first send the packet to your gateway which then sends it through a string of routers until it reaches the web server. This packet is never broadcast as it has only one destination.

If you want to see the route your packet takes to get to the web server, in command prompt on windows type

tracert google.com

Is "net meeting" , an example of broadcasting ?
Net meeting and other programs where you talk to several people at once are not a type of broadcast packet since a broadcast targets everyone. It could be a type of multicast but I don't really know on that one.

If we know exactly what you would like to do we can give you more specific help.

[Drew@PSU]

Broadcast packets are usually done automatically, to get a DHCP IP address, to resolve a website name (www.google.com) to an IP (1.2.3.4), or other special cases. I'm sure there is a way to send all the broadcast packets you want, but they won't travel past your router. As Scythe and compwiz said, what are you trying to do?