|  | 11.1 | Routing Basics
| 11.1.1 | Path determination
Path determination, for traffic going through a network cloud, occurs at the network layer (Layer 3). The path determination function enables a router to evaluate the available paths to a destination and to establish the preferred handling of a packet. Routing services use network topology information when evaluating network paths. This information can be configured by the network administrator or collected through dynamic processes running in the network. The network layer provides best-effort end-to-end packet delivery across interconnected networks. The network layer uses the IP routing table to send packets from the source network to the destination network. After the router determines which path to use, it proceeds with forwarding the packet. It takes the packet that it accepted on one interface and forwards it to another interface or port that reflects the best path to the packet's destination. -