Assignment NO: 1

Submitted To: Shanza Zaman

Name: Ali Shahid ID: F2021105161

Problem 1 :

a. Consider a packet switching architecture.

 Packet Switching Architecture: In a packet-switched network, data is divided into

small packets, each of which is transmitted independently over the network. Each
packet can take a different path based on current network conditions. Packet
switching is efficient for bursty data traffic, as multiple users can share the same
communication channels.

b. What are the main components of delay when we use packet switching?

 The main components of delay in a packet-switched network are:

1. Transmission Delay (T_trans): Time taken to push all bits of a packet into
the link. It depends on the packet size and the link's transmission rate.
Ttrans=Packet size (bits)Transmission rate (bits/second)T_{\text{trans}} = \
frac{\text{Packet size (bits)}}{\text{Transmission rate (bits/second)}}Ttrans
=Transmission rate (bits/second)Packet size (bits)

2. Propagation Delay (T_prop): Time it takes for a signal to travel across the
transmission medium from sender to receiver. It depends on the distance
between the sender and receiver and the speed of the signal in the medium.
Tprop=Distance (meters)Propagation speed (meters/second)T_{\text{prop}} =
\frac{\text{Distance (meters)}}{\text{Propagation speed
(meters/second)}}Tprop=Propagation speed (meters/second)Distance (meters)

3. Queuing Delay: Time spent waiting in queues at intermediate routers or

switches. This delay can vary depending on network traffic and congestion.

4. Processing Delay: Time spent by routers to examine packet headers and

forward the packets. It depends on the router's processing capability.

c. What is the difference between transmission delay and propagation delay?

 Transmission Delay refers to the time required to send all bits of a packet into the
network. It depends on the packet's size and the data rate of the link. Larger packets
and slower links lead to higher transmission delays.

o Formula: Ttrans=Packet size (bits)Link bandwidth (bits/second)T_{\

text{trans}} = \frac{\text{Packet size (bits)}}{\text{Link bandwidth
(bits/second)}}Ttrans=Link bandwidth (bits/second)Packet size (bits)

 Propagation Delay is the time it takes for a signal to travel from the sender to the
receiver. It depends on the distance between the two and the speed of the transmission
medium (e.g., fiber optic or copper wire).
 o Formula: Tprop=Distance (meters)Propagation speed (meters/second)T_{\
text{prop}} = \frac{\text{Distance (meters)}}{\text{Propagation speed
(meters/second)}}Tprop=Propagation speed (meters/second)Distance (meters)

d. How is propagation delay affected if the length of the packet is increased?

 Propagation delay is not affected by the length of the packet. It is only dependent on
the physical distance between the sender and receiver and the propagation speed of
the medium.

o Key point: Increasing the packet length increases the transmission delay
(because more bits need to be pushed into the link), but it does not change the
propagation delay.

Problem 2 :

Consider an application that transmits data at a steady rate (e.g., the sender generates an N-bit
unit of data every K time units).

a. Would a packet-switched network or a circuit-switched network be more appropriate

for this application? Why?

 Packet-switched network is more appropriate for this application for the following
reasons:

o In packet-switched networks, data is broken into packets, and users share

network resources dynamically. Since this application transmits data at a
steady rate, but without the need for continuous dedicated resources, a packet-
switched network is more efficient. It allows the application to send data
without reserving the entire link for its use, and multiple users can share the
same network links without wastage.

o In circuit-switched networks, a dedicated path is reserved for the entire

duration of the communication. This would be inefficient for applications that
don't continuously transmit data at a high rate, as it would waste bandwidth
during idle periods.

b. Suppose a packet-switched network is used and the only traffic in this network comes
from this application as described above. Furthermore, assume that the sum of the
application data rates is less than the capacities of each and every link. Is some form of
congestion control needed? Why?

 No, congestion control is not needed in this case. Since the total data rate from the
application is less than the capacity of each link, there is no risk of congestion. The
network has sufficient capacity to handle all the traffic without exceeding the
available bandwidth.
 o Congestion control typically becomes necessary when the traffic load
exceeds the network's capacity, causing delays, packet loss, and potential
network overload. Since there’s no chance of congestion in this scenario,
congestion control mechanisms are not needed.

Problem 3 :

a. Consider the difference between circuit switching and packet switching. Assume the
link’s rate is 2 Mbps and users are generating data at a rate of 100 Kbps when busy.
Users are busy only 1% of time.

 Circuit Switching: In circuit-switched networks, a dedicated path is established for

each communication session, and the bandwidth is reserved for the entire session,
whether or not the user is transmitting data.

o Bandwidth Efficiency: Even though users are only active 1% of the time, the
reserved bandwidth for each user is wasted during idle periods.

 Packet Switching: Data is broken into packets and transmitted independently over
the network. Users share the network bandwidth, and packets from different users
interleave based on available bandwidth.

o Bandwidth Efficiency: Packet switching allows for more efficient bandwidth

utilization, especially for bursty data traffic, because bandwidth is shared
dynamically.

b. What is the maximum number of users that a circuit switching architecture can
support simultaneously?

 Link's rate: 2 Mbps

 Bandwidth per user (when busy): 100 Kbps

 To calculate the maximum number of users that can be supported by the link:
Total available bandwidthBandwidth per user=2 Mbps100 Kbps=2,000 Kbps100
Kbps=20 users\frac{\text{Total available bandwidth}}{\text{Bandwidth per user}}
= \frac{2 \, \text{Mbps}}{100 \, \text{Kbps}} = \frac{2,000 \, \text{Kbps}}{100 \, \
text{Kbps}} = 20 \, \text{users}Bandwidth per userTotal available bandwidth
=100Kbps2Mbps=100Kbps2,000Kbps=20users Therefore, 20 users can be supported
simultaneously in a circuit-switched network.

c. Write down the formula to calculate the probability of having more than 5 active
users, assuming that we have 20 users in total.

 Assumption: Each user is independently active with a probability of 1% (0.01) and

inactive with a probability of 99% (0.99).
  The number of active users follows a binomial distribution: P(X=k)=(20k)
(0.01)k(0.99)20−kP(X = k) = \binom{20}{k} (0.01)^k (0.99)^{20-k}P(X=k)=(k20)
(0.01)k(0.99)20−k where XXX is the number of active users.

 To find the probability of having more than 5 active users: P(X>5)=1−P(X≤5)P(X >
5) = 1 - P(X \leq 5)P(X>5)=1−P(X≤5) You would sum the probabilities for X=0,1,2,
…,5X = 0, 1, 2, \dots, 5X=0,1,2,…,5, and then subtract that value from 1.

d. Explain the effects of having more users in a packet switching architecture with the
above characteristics.

 Increased user count in packet switching: As more users join the network, the
following effects can be expected:

1. Increased contention for resources: More users lead to more packets being
sent over the network, which can cause congestion and increased delays.

2. Increased queuing delay: More packets in the network mean more packets
waiting in buffers at routers and switches, which could increase queuing
delay.

3. Dynamic bandwidth allocation: Packet-switched networks dynamically

allocate bandwidth based on demand, so additional users sharing the link
could lead to reduced bandwidth availability per user, causing fluctuations in
performance.

4. Improved resource utilization: Despite the potential delays, packet switching

allows for more efficient use of the available bandwidth since users only
transmit when needed, and multiple users share the same resources.

Overall, packet-switched networks can handle more users, but the quality of service may
degrade as congestion increases due to higher demand.