The complex problem of routing on large networks can be
simplified by breaking a network into a hierarchy of smaller
networks, where each level is responsible for its own routing.
The Internet has, basically, three levels: the backbones, the
mid-levels, and the stub networks. The backbones know how to
route between the mid-levels, the mid-levels know how to route
between the sites, and each site (being an autonomous system)
knows how to route internally. See also Exterior Gateway
Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol, transit network.
Nearby terms:
hierarchical file system « Hierarchical Music Specification Language « hierarchical navigation « hierarchical routing » hierarchy » high bit » High bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line
