Fundamental concepts of switching

 SW is a means to pass information between

teminal devices selected by the source or
guiding rules.
 Long distance transmission is typically done
over a network of switched nodes
 Nodes not concerned with content of data
 A collection of nodes and connections is a
communications network
 Data routed by being switched from node to
node

Nodes may connect to other nodes only, or to
stations and other nodes

Network is usually partially connected

Some redundant connections are desirable for
reliability

Two different switching technologies

Circuit switching

Packet switching
 Elements of Switching systems
 Terminal devices
 Transmission system
 Switching system
 Signaling
 Terminal devices: are transmitters, Receivers
or any devices that encode or decode or invert
received information into intelligible message.
 Example: Mobile station, Fixed phone, Fax, PC, …
 Transmission systems: Conveys the
message and control signals between the
terminals and switching centers
 Examples: Twisted pair cables, coaxial calbes,
Fiber optics, MW repeaters, Satellite links,....
 Signalling systems: Provides the interface
between communicating systems/terminals.
 Switching systems: Setup communication
path between any distant points.
 Change the connectivity among terminals/users
in a dynamic way.
 Helps in reducing number of transmission lines
 Two switching techhniques:
 Circuit switching (creat a direct physical connection
between two terminals)
 Packet switching (pkts are stored and forwarded)
 Examples: step-by-step, cross barred, relay
system, digital swtiching systems, etc
Design criteria for Switching system

 Design for telephone switching centers are

determined on the basis of the traffic intensity of
the busy hour.
 Traffic intersity is defined as the product of the calling
rate and the average holding time.
 Busy hour is defined as that continuous period during
which the traffic intersity is highest.
 Measure of performance:
 Grade of Service: measure of congestion expressed
as probability that a call will be blocked or delayed.
 Blocking criteria: For new call and ongoing calls,
the system is based on minimizing the fraction of
calls blocked
 Delay criteria: waiting time longer than maximum
length is equilavent to drop. Minimize the waiting
time.
 Congestion. Busy time where subscriber can not
obtain connection to the wanted subscriber
immediately.
 Intellegent Networks (IN)

 IN is a service-independent telecommunication
network
 Universally embraced by telecom suppliers and
operators
 Independent of SW and distributed throughout
the network
 Contributes for flexible way of adding
sophisticated services to the existing network.

 Intellegent Networks (IN)

 IN is a service-independent telecommunication
network
 Universally embraced by telecom suppliers and
operators
 Independent of SW and distributed throughout
the network
 Contributes for flexible way of adding
sophisticated services to the existing network.

 Examples:
 Televoting, Call screening, Telephone number
portability, Toll free calls/Freephone, Prepaid
calling, Account card calling, Virtual private
networks (such as family group calling),
 Private-number plans (with numbers remaining
unpublished in directories)
 Universal Personal Telecommunication service (a
universal personal telephone number)
 Mass-calling service, Prefix free dialing from
cellphones abroad, Seamless MMS message
access from abroad.
 Examples.....
 Reverse charging, Home Area Discount,
Premium Rate calls,
 Call distribution based on various criteria
associated with the call
 Location Based Routing
 Time-based routing
 Proportional call distribution (such as between two
or more call centres or offices).
 Call queueing, Call transfer
Circuit Switching and Packet
Switching
1. Circuit Switching
• Dedicated communication path between two
stations
• Three phases
—Establish
—Transfer
—Disconnect
• Must have switching capacity and channel
capacity to establish connection
• Must have intelligence to work out routing
Circuit Switching - Applications
• Inefficient
—Channel capacity dedicated for duration of
connection
—If no data, capacity wasted
• Set up (connection) takes time
• Once connected, transfer is transparent
• Developed for voice traffic (phone)
Public Circuit Switched Network
Communication Components
• Subscriber
— Devices attached to network
• Subscriber line
— Local Loop
— Subscriber loop
— Connection to network
— Few km up to few tens of km
• Exchange
— Switching centers
— End office - supports subscribers
• Trunks
— Branches between exchanges
— Multiplexed
Circuit Establishment
Circuit Switch Elements
Circuit Switching Concepts
• Digital Switch
—Provide transparent signal path between devices
• Network Interface
• Control Unit
—Establish connections
• Generally on demand
• Handle and acknowledge requests
• Determine if destination is free
• construct path
—Maintain connection
—Disconnect
Blocking or Non-blocking
• Blocking
—A network is unable to connect stations because all
paths are in use
—A blocking network allows this
—Used on voice systems
• Short duration calls
• Non-blocking
—Permits all stations to connect (in pairs) at once
—Used for some data connections
Packet Switching Principles
• Circuit switching designed for voice
—Resources dedicated to a particular call
—Much of the time a data connection is idle
—Data rate is fixed
• Both ends must operate at the same rate
• Each packet is sent with a ‘header address’.

tells its final destination

where to go.
• The header address also describes the sequence
for reassembly at the destination computer so
that the packets are put back into the correct
order.
• Contains details of how many packets should be
arriving so that the recipient computer knows if
one packet has failed to turn up.
• If a packet fails to arrive, the recipient computer
sends a message back to the computer which
originally sent the data, asking for the missing
packet to be resent.
Basic Operation
• Data transmitted in small packets
—Typically 1000 octets
—Longer messages split into series of packets
—Each packet contains a portion of user data plus
some control info
• Control info
—Routing (addressing) info
• Packets are received, stored briefly (buffered)
and past on to the next node
—Store and forward
Use of Packets
Advantages
• Line efficiency
— Single node to node link can be shared by many packets over
time
— Packets queued and transmitted as fast as possible
• Data rate conversion
— Each station connects to the local node at its own speed
— Nodes buffer data if required to equalize rates
• Packets are accepted even when network is busy
— Delivery may slow down
• Priorities can be used
Switching Technique
• Station breaks long message into packets
• Packets sent one at a time to the network
• Packets handled in two ways
—Datagram
—Virtual circuit
Datagram
• Each packet treated independently
• Packets can take any practical route
• Packets may arrive out of order
• Packets may go missing
• Up to receiver to re-order packets and recover
from missing packets
Datagram
Diagram
Virtual Circuit
• Preplanned route established before any
packets sent
• Call request and call accept packets establish
connection (handshake)
• Each packet contains a virtual circuit identifier
instead of destination address
• No routing decisions required for each packet
• Clear request to drop circuit
• Not a dedicated path
Virtual
Circuit
Diagram
Virtual Circuits v Datagram
• Virtual circuits
—Network can provide sequencing and error control
—Packets are forwarded more quickly
• No routing decisions to make
—Less reliable
• Loss of a node looses all circuits through that node
• Datagram
—No call setup phase
• Better if few packets
—More flexible
• Routing can be used to avoid congested parts of the
network
Circuit v Packet Switching
• Performance
—Propagation delay
—Transmission time
—Node delay