Switching Techniques

Prakasam P
School of Electronics Engineering
Vellore Institute of Technology
 Manual Switching

In a manual switching
system, the operator has full
control of a connection.
Operator enables the signalling
systems, performs switching
and releases a connection after
a communication.

Human operators intelligent & flexible

But expensive and not always discreet
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Circuit Switching
 Type of network configuration in which a physical path is obtained and
dedicated to a single connection between two endpoints in the
network for the duration of a dedicated connection.
 Patchcord panel switch invented in 1877
 Operators connect users on demand
◦ Establish circuit to allow electrical current to flow from inlet to
outlet
 Only N connections required to central office (CO)

N 1

N–1
2
3
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Three Phases of a Connection
1. Telephone Pick up phone
network

Dial tone.
2. Telephone
network
Connection
set up Dial number
3. Telephone
network
Network selects route;
4. Sets up connection;
Telephone
network Called party alerted

Information
transfer 5. Telephone
network Exchange voice
signals

Connection
6.
release Hang up.
Telephone
network
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Computer Connection Control
 A computer controls connection in telephone switch
 Computers exchange signaling messages to:
◦ Coordinate set up of telephone connections
◦ To implement new services such as caller ID, voice mail, . . .
◦ To enable mobility and roaming in cellular networks
 “Intelligence” inside the network
 A separate signaling network is required

Computer Signaling

Switch connects
Voice
...

Inlets to Outlets ...

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Elements of Telephone Network
Architecture
 Digital transmission & switching
◦ Digital voice; Time Division Multiplexing
 Circuit switching
◦ User signals for call setup and tear-down
◦ Route selected during connection setup
◦ End-to-end connection across network
◦ Signaling coordinates connection setup
 Hierarchical Network
◦ Decimal numbering system
◦ Hierarchical structure; simplified routing; scalability
 Signaling Network
◦ Intelligence inside the network

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What is a protocol?
 Communications between computers
requires very specific unambiguous rules
 A protocol is a set of rules that governs
how two or more communicating parties
are to interact
◦ Internet Protocol (IP)
◦ Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
◦ HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
◦ Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
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 A familiar protocol
Caller Dials 044
“What city”? System
Caller replies
replies “Chennai”

“What name?” System

Caller replies
replies “Simpson”
“Thank you, please hold” System
replies
Caller
waits “Do you have a first name or Operator
street?” replies
Caller
replies “Green ways road”

“Thank you, please hold” Operator

Caller replies
waits System replies
Caller with number
dials 12/15/2024 Prakasam/BECE401L/Winter 2024-25 8
Terminal-Oriented Networks
 Early computer systems were very expensive
 Time-sharing methods allowed multiple
terminals to share local computer
 Remote access via telephone modems

Terminal

...
Terminal

Telephone
Modem Modem Terminal
Host computer Network

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Medium Access Control
 Dedicated communication lines were expensive
 Terminals generated messages sporadically
 Frames carried messages to/from attached terminals
 Address in frame header identified terminal
 Medium Access Controls for sharing a line were developed
 Example: Polling protocol on a multidrop line

Polling frames & output frames

input frames

Terminal Terminal ... Terminal

Terminals at different locations in a city

Host computer
Must avoid collisions on inbound line
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 Statistical Multiplexing
 Statistical multiplexer allows a line to carry frames that
contain messages to/from multiple terminals
 Frames are buffered at multiplexer until line becomes
available, i.e. store-and-forward
 Address in frame header identifies terminal
 Header carries other control information

CRC Information Header Terminal

Terminal

...
Header Information CRC
Terminal

Host computer Multiplexer

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Computer-to-Computer Networks

 As cost of computing dropped, terminal-

oriented networks viewed as too inflexible and
costly
 Need to develop flexible computer networks
◦ Interconnect computers as required
◦ Support many applications
 Application Examples
◦ File transfer between arbitrary computers
◦ Execution of a program on another computer
◦ Multiprocess operation over multiple computers
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 Packet Switching
 Network should support multiple applications
◦ Transfer arbitrary message size
◦ Low delay for interactive applications
◦ But in store-and-forward operation, long messages
induce high delay on interactive messages
 Packet switching introduced
◦ Network transfers packets using store-and-forward
◦ Packets have maximum length
◦ Break long messages into multiple packets
 ARPANET ( U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network) testbed led to many innovations
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ARPANET Packet Switching
Host generates message
Source packet switch converts message to packet(s)
Packets transferred independently across network
Destination packet switch reassembles message
Destination packet switch delivers message

Packet
Switch
Message Packet 2 Message
Packet 2

Packet Packet
Switch Switch

Packet 1 Packet Packet 1

Packet
Switch Packet 1
Switch

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The Internet
 Different network types emerged for data
transfer between computers
 Each network has its protocols and is
possibly built on different technologies
 Internetworking protocols required to
enable communications between
computers attached to different networks
 Internet: a network of networks

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Internet Protocol (IP)

 Routers (gateways) interconnect different networks

 Host computers prepare IP packets and transmit
them over their attached network
 Routers forward IP packets across networks
 Best-effort IP transfer service, no retransmission

Net 1 Net 2

Router

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Addressing & Routing
 Hierarchical address: Net ID + Host ID
 IP packets routed according to Net ID
 Routers compute routing tables using distributed
algorithm
H

H
Net 3
G
Net 1 G
G
G
Net 5
Net 2 G Net 4
H G
H

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Elements of Computer Network
Architecture
 Digital transmission
 Exchange of frames between adjacent equipment
◦ Framing and error control
 Medium access control (MAC) regulates sharing of
broadcast medium
 Addresses identify attachment to network or
Internet
 Transfer of packets across a packet network
 Distributed calculation of routing tables
 Congestion control inside the network

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Elements of Computer Network
Architecture
 Internetworking across multiple networks using
routers
 End-to-end transport protocols for process-to-
process communications
 Applications that build on the transfer of
messages between computers.
 Intelligence is at the edge of the network

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