Network Layer and Circuit

Switching

Networks provide for communication between

devices without direct connections. Circuit
Switching is the Oldest Networking Technology
1
Circuit-Switching
Definition: Communication in which a dedicated
communications path is established between two
devices through one or more intermediate
switching nodes
Oldest Networking Technology - more than a
hundred years old
Dominant in both voice and data communications
today
e.g. PSTN is a circuit-switched network
Relatively inefficient (100% dedication even
without 100% utilization)
2
Circuit Switching
 In circuit switching network any two stations wishing to
communicate first establish a connection by requesting to
the network.
 The network responds by arranging a connection in such a
way that a dedicated/physical path is established between
the two parties
 For the duration of the connection the path is dedicated to
the connection and cannot be used for other connections
 After the connection has been established the network
becomes pretty much transparent to the two parties. Data
can be exchanged transparently over the connection
 After the parties are done communicating the connection is
released by making a request to the network
 The network responds by de-allocating the resources of the
network that were dedicated to the connection
3
Circuit-Switching Stages
Circuit establishment
Transfer of information
point-to-point from endpoints to node
internal switching/multiplexing among nodes
Circuit disconnect

4
Circuit Switching Application
Circuit switching is well suited for analog
voice communications as in the telephone
network.
Circuit switching turns out to be rather in-
efficient for data networks due to its
resource allocation nature.
Circuit Switching is ill-suited to data
communication because data traffic is BAD

5
Examples of Circuit
Switching
Public Switched Telephone Network - PSTN
Private Automatic Branch Exchange - PABX
Integrated Services Digital Network - ISDN

6
Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN)
PSTN is short for Public Switched
Telephone Network, which refers to the
international telephone system based on
copper wires carrying analog voice data.
This is in contrast to newer telephone
networks base on digital technologies, such
as ISDN and FDDI.
Telephone service carried by the PSTN is
often called plain old telephone service
(POTS).
7
POTS
POTS is short for plain old telephone service,
which refers to the standard telephone service
that most homes use. In contrast, telephone
services based on high-speed, digital
communications lines, such as ISDN and FDDI,
are not POTS.
The main distinctions between POTS and non-
POTS services are speed and bandwidth. POTS is
generally restricted to about 33.6 kbps (33,600
bits per second) though several modem
manufacturers have developed technologies that
would enable rates of 56.6 kbps. 8
Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN) Elements
Subscribers Trunks
Local loop Connections between
Connects subscriber to exchanges
local telco exchange Carry multiple voice
circuits using FDM or
Exchanges synchronous TDM
Telco switching centers Managed by IXCs
Also known as end (inter-exchange
office carriers)
>19,000 in US

9
Telephone Network Structure

10
Telephone Network

11
Typical Circuit Route for
Medium Distance Calls-

12
Circuit Switching Connection

13
PSTN Connectivity

14
About the Local Loop
The local loop is still predominantly twisted pair
copper wire
Analog signaling is used on the local loop in PSTN
Digital signaling is used on the local loop in ISDN
Local loop is the bottleneck to high speed
connectivity
Several technologies have been developed to give
high speed data communication on the local loop

15
PABX
PBX = Private Branch Exchange
A Customer Premise Communication Switch
used to connect customer telephones (and
related equipment) to LEC central office lines
(trunks), and to switch internal calls within the
customer's telephone system. Modern PBXs
offer numerous software-controlled features
such as call forwarding and call pickup. A PBX
uses technology similar to that used by a
central office switch (on a smaller scale). (The
acronym PBX originally stood for "Plug Board
Exchange".)
16
ISDN
Abbreviation of integrated services digital
network, an international communications
standard for sending voice, video, and data over
digital telephone lines. ISDN requires special
metal wires and supports data transfer rates of
64 Kbps (64,000 bits per second). Most ISDN
lines offered by telephone companies give you
two lines at once, called B channels. You can use
one line for voice and the other for data, or you
can use both lines for data to give you data rates
of 128 Kbps, four or five times the data rate
provided by today's fastest modems. 17
B-ISDN
The original version of ISDN employs
baseband transmission. Another version,
called B-ISDN, uses broadband
transmission and is able to support
transmission rates of 1.5 million bits per
second and higher. B-ISDN requires fiber
optic cables and is not widely available.

18
Issues in Circuit Switched
Networks
Routing
Control Signalling

19
Alternate Routing
Possible routes between two end offices
are predefined
Originating switch selects the best route
for each call
Routes listed in preference order
Different sets of routes may be used at
different times
Routing paths can be fixed (1 route) or
dynamic (multiple routes, selected based
on current and historical traffic) 20
Alternate Routing

21
Adaptive Routing
Traffic reporting and analysis with new
paths computed periodically, adapts to net
load, events
Need to use algorithms to determine paths
dynamically, based on load/congestion
vectors

22
Control Signaling
Manage the establishment, maintenance,
and termination of signal paths
Includes signaling from subscriber to
network, and signals within network
In-channel Control Signalling
In-channel signaling uses the same channel
for control signals and calls
Common Channel Control Signalling
Common-channel signaling uses independent
channels for control (SS7)
23
Control Signaling Functions
Audible communication with subscriber
Transmission of dialed number
Call can not be completed indication
Call ended indication
Signal to ring phone
Billing info
Equipment and trunk status info
Diagnostic info
Control of specialist equipment 24
Location of Signaling
Subscriber to network
Depends on subscriber device and switch
DSS1
Within network
Management of subscriber calls and network
More complex
SS7

25
Control Signal Sequence
 Both phones on hook
 Subscriber lifts receiver (off hook)
 End office switch signaled
 Switch responds with dial tone
 Caller dials number
 If target not busy, send ringer signal to target subscriber
 Feedback to caller
Ringing tone, engaged tone, unobtainable
 Target accepts call by lifting receiver
 Switch terminates ringing signal and ringing tone
 Switch establishes connection
 Connection release when Source subscriber hangs up
26
Switch to Switch Signaling
Subscribers connected to different switches
Originating switch seizes interswitch trunk
Send off hook signal on trunk, requesting
digit register at target switch (for address)
Terminating switch sends off hook followed
by on hook (wink) to show register ready
Originating switch sends address

27
Control Signals

28
In Channel Signaling
Use same channel for signaling and call
Requires no additional transmission facilities
Inband
Uses same frequencies as voice signal
Can go anywhere a voice signal can
Impossible to set up a call on a faulty speech path
Out of band
Voice signals do not use full 4kHz bandwidth
Narrow signal band within 4kHz used for control
Can be sent whether or not voice signals are present
Need extra electronics
Slower signal rate (narrow bandwidth)
29
Drawbacks of In Channel
Signaling
Limited transfer rate
Delay between entering address (dialing)
and connection
Overcome by use of common channel
signaling

30
Common Channel Signaling
Control signals carried over paths independent of
voice channel
One control signal channel can carry signals for a
number of subscriber channels
Common control channel for these subscriber
lines
Associated Mode
Common channel closely tracks interswitch
trunks
Disassociated Mode
Additional nodes (signal transfer points)
Effectively two separate networks 31
Signaling System Number 7
SS7
Common channel signaling scheme
Used in ISDN and inside PSTN
Optimized for 64k digital channel network
Call control, remote control, management and
maintenance
Reliable means of transfer of info in sequence
Will operate over analog and below 64k
Point to point terrestrial and satellite links
Every element of the SS7 is replicated for resilience
32
SS7 Benefits
SS7 adds intelligence to a network
Basis of new end user services e.g.
800 and 900 services
Mobile Telephone Service
Mobile subscriber authentication
Caller identification
Charging calls to a credit card
Charging calls to a calling card
SS7 standards include a standard client/server
transaction protocol - Transaction Capabilities
Application Part - TCAP
33
SS7
Signaling Network Elements
Signaling point (SP)
Any point in the network capable of handling
SS7 control message
Signal transfer point (STP)
A signaling point capable of routing control
messages
Control plane
Responsible for establishing and managing
connections
Information plane
Once a connection is set up, info is transferred
in the information plane 34
Signaling Network Structures
STP capacities
Number of signaling links that can be handled
Message transfer time
Throughput capacity
Network performance
Number of SPs
Signaling delays
Availability and reliability
Ability of network to provide services in the
face of STP failures 35
Switching Techniques
Space-Division Time-Division
Switching Switching
Developed for analog Used in digital
environment, but has transmission
been carried over into Utilizes multiplexing to
digital communication place all signals onto a
Requires separate common transmission
physical paths for each path
signal connection Bus must have higher
Uses metallic or data rate than
semiconductor “gates” individual I/O lines

36