Scribd
Upload
34 views

Computer Networks

The document summarizes key concepts of network layer design including: 1) Store-and-forward packet switching where packets are stored at routers until fully received before being forwarded. 2) Services provided by the network layer including independence from router technology and uniform network addressing. 3) Implementation of connectionless service where packets are routed independently without setup and may be called datagrams.

Uploaded by

Yashwanth Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
34 views

Computer Networks

The document summarizes key concepts of network layer design including: 1) Store-and-forward packet switching where packets are stored at routers until fully received before being forwarded. 2) Services provided by the network layer including independence from router technology and uniform network addressing. 3) Implementation of connectionless service where packets are routed independently without setup and may be called datagrams.

Uploaded by

Yashwanth Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

UNIT-III

Network Layer Design Issues


1. Store-and-forward packet switching
2. Services provided to transport layer
3. Implementation of connectionless service
4. Implementation of connection-oriented service
5. Comparison of virtual-circuit and datagram networks

1 Store-and-forward packet switching

A host with a packet to send transmits it to the nearest router, either on its own LAN or
over a point-to-point link to the ISP. The packet is stored there until it has fully arrived
and the link has finished its processing by verifying the checksum. Then it is forwarded
to the next router along the path until it reaches the destination host, where it is
delivered. This mechanism is store-and-forward packet switching.

2 Services provided to transport layer


The network layer provides services to the transport layer at the network layer/transport layer
interface. The services need to be carefully designed with the following goals in mind:
1. Services independent of router technology.
2. Transport layer shielded from number, type, topology of routers.
3. Network addresses available to transport layer use uniform numbering plan
– even across LANs and WANs

3 Implementation of connectionless service

If connectionless service is offered, packets are injected into the network individually
and routed independently of each other. No advance setup is needed. In this context,
the packets
are frequently called datagrams (in analogy with telegrams) and the network is called a
datagram network.

A’s table (initially) A’s table (later) C’s Table E’s Table

Let us assume for this example that the message is four times longer than the
maximum packet size, so the network layer has to break it into four packets, 1, 2, 3,
and 4, and send each of them in turn to router A.
Every router has an internal table telling it where to send packets for each of the possible
destinations. Each table entry is a pair(destination and the outgoing line). Only directly
connected lines can be used.
A’s initial routing table is shown in the figure under the label ‘‘initially.’’
At A, packets 1, 2, and 3 are stored briefly, having arrived on the incoming link. Then
each packet is forwarded according to A’s table, onto the outgoing link to C within a
new frame. Packet 1 is then forwarded to E and then to F.
However, something different happens to packet 4. When it gets to A it is sent to router
B, even though it is also destined for F. For some reason (traffic jam along ACE path),
A decided to send packet 4 via a different route than that of the first three packets.
Router A updated its routing table, as shown under the label ‘‘later.’’
The algorithm that manages the tables and makes the routing decisions is called the
routing algorithm.
4 Implementation of connection-oriented service

A’s table C’s Table E’s Table

If connection-oriented service is used, a path from the source router all the way to the
destination router must be established before any data packets can be sent. This
connection is called a VC (virtual circuit), and the network is called a virtual-circuit
network

When a connection is established, a route from the source machine to the destination
machine is chosen as part of the connection setup and stored in tables inside the routers.
That route is used for all traffic flowing over the connection, exactly the same way that
the telephone system works. When the connection is released, the virtual circuit is also
terminated. With connection-oriented service, each packet carries an identifier telling
which virtual circuit it belongs to.

As an example, consider the situation shown in Figure. Here, host H1 has established
connection 1 with host H2. This connection is remembered as the first entry in each of
the routing tables. The first line of A’s table says that if a packet bearing connection
identifier 1 comes in from H1, it is to be sent to router C and given connection identifier
1. Similarly, the first entry at C routes the packet to E, also with connection identifier 1.
Now let us consider what happens if H3 also wants to establish a connection to H2. It
chooses connection identifier 1 (because it is initiating the connection and this is its
only connection) and tells the network to establish the virtual circuit.
This leads to the second row in the tables. Note that we have a
conflict here because although A can easily distinguish
connection 1 packets from H1 from connection 1 packets from
H3, C cannot do this. For this reason, A assigns a different
connection identifier to the outgoing traffic for the second
connection. Avoiding conflicts of this kind is why routers need
the ability to replace connection identifiers in outgoing packets.
In some contexts, this process is called label switching. An
example of a connection-oriented network service is MPLS
(Multi Protocol Label Switching).

5 Comparison of virtual-circuit and datagram networks

You might also like