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Circuit and Packet Switching

The document discusses the differences between circuit switching and packet switching in network communications. Circuit switching reserves dedicated resources for calls, ensuring guaranteed performance, while packet switching sends data in discrete packets without reservations, allowing for more efficient bandwidth usage but potentially leading to delays and packet loss. It also highlights the concept of statistical multiplexing and store-and-forward techniques, emphasizing the trade-offs between the two switching methods based on data usage patterns and quality of service requirements.

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19 views8 pages

Circuit and Packet Switching

The document discusses the differences between circuit switching and packet switching in network communications. Circuit switching reserves dedicated resources for calls, ensuring guaranteed performance, while packet switching sends data in discrete packets without reservations, allowing for more efficient bandwidth usage but potentially leading to delays and packet loss. It also highlights the concept of statistical multiplexing and store-and-forward techniques, emphasizing the trade-offs between the two switching methods based on data usage patterns and quality of service requirements.

Uploaded by

amanuelfbefike
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Circuit and Packet switching

The Network Core

• Mesh of interconnected routers


• The fundamental question: how
is data transferred through net?
• circuit switching: dedicated circuit per
call: telephone net
• packet-switching: data sent thru net in
discrete “chunks”
Circuit switching
End-end resources reserved for “call”
• link bandwidth, switch capacity

• dedicated resources: no sharing

• circuit-like (guaranteed) performance

• call setup required dividing link


bandwidth into
“pieces”
Network resources (e.g., bandwidth)
 frequency
divided into “pieces”
division
• pieces allocated to calls  time division

• resource piece idle if not used by


owning call (no sharing)
Bandwidth division into
Packet switching “pieces”
Dedicated allocation
• Data is in packets, not streams - Must be digital
Resource reservation
• Each packet has an address

• A switch/router reads the whole packet, then reads the address and forwards the packet – store and forward

• No reservations are needed - each packet uses full link bandwidth -resources used as needed First come first
serve.

• Major benefit:
• If you need more bandwidth, then you can get it, it you don’t need it, then maybe someone else can use it.

• Major drawback:
• What happens if two packets arrive at a switch and both need to go to the same output interface ?
* One packet is either dropped, or is placed in a buffer. Either way, something bad has happened, the packet is gone or is
delayed. This would never happen on a circuit switched network.
 queuing delay and packet loss 
Statistical Multiplexing

• Statistical multiplexing is a method of sharing a communication channel among multiple users or data
streams.
• It dynamically allocates bandwidth to different users or data streams based on their demand and traffic
patterns.
• Rather than allocating fixed resources to each user, statistical multiplexing allows users to share the
available bandwidth as needed.
• It is commonly used in packet-switched networks, such as the Internet, where packets from different
sources compete for transmission on the same link.
• Statistical multiplexing can lead to more efficient utilization of network resources compared to
techniques like time-division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM)
Store-and-Forward
• Store-and-forward is a transmission technique where the entire data packet is received and
stored at each intermediate node (switch or router) before being forwarded to the next node.

• In store-and-forward switching, the receiving node checks the integrity of the entire packet
before forwarding it.

• This technique ensures that the entire packet is received correctly and can be retransmitted
if errors are detected.

• Store-and-forward switching introduces some delay in the transmission process since the
entire packet must be received before forwarding can begin.

• It is used in various types of networks, including Ethernet networks and wide area networks
(WANs), where reliable packet delivery is essential.

Data Integrity - ensures the accuracy, completeness,


consistency, and validity
Packet Switching vs. Circuit Switching
• If loss and delay are permissible and usage is random, then packet switching is better than circuit switching.
• If usage is very regular (e.g. TV!), circuit switching is best.
• If losses and delay are not permissible, then circuit switching is best (e.g., remote controlled surgery).
• With packet switching, congestion control is required. Also, there is more overhead for each packet.
• For circuit switching, once the circuit is setup, it can be very efficient. But circuits must be set-up.
• So, for short file transfer, packet switching is good but for long file transfers, circuit switching might be
better.
• The choice between packet switching and circuit switching depends on factors such
as the nature of the data, the desired quality of service, and the characteristics of
the network.
Numerical example

• How long does it take to send a file of 640,000 bits from host A to
host B over a circuit-switched network?
• All links are 1.536 Mbps
• Each link uses TDM with 24 slots/sec
• 500 msec to establish end-to-end circuit

Let’s work it out!


• 640K / (1536K/24) + .5 = 10.5 sec

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