Circuit Switching and Packet

Switching
Switching Networks
• Long distance transmission is typically done over
a network of switched nodes
• Nodes not concerned with content of data
• End devices are stations
—Computer, terminal, phone, etc.
• A collection of nodes and connections is a
communications network
• Data routed by being switched from node to
node
Nodes
• Nodes may connect to other nodes only, or to
stations and other nodes
• Node to node links usually multiplexed
• Network is usually partially connected
—Some redundant connections are desirable for
reliability
• Two different switching technologies
—Circuit switching
—Packet switching
Simple Switched Network
Circuit Switching
• Dedicated communication path between two stations
• Circuit switching was designed in 1878 in order to send telephone
calls down a dedicated channel.
• Three phases
— Establish
— Transfer
— Disconnect
• Must have switching capacity and channel capacity to establish
connection
• Must have intelligence to work out routing
• This channel remains open and in use throughout the whole call
and cannot be used by any other data or phone calls.
Circuit Switching - Applications
• Inefficient
—Channel capacity dedicated for duration of
connection
—If no data, capacity wasted
• Set up (connection) takes time
• Once connected, transfer is transparent
• Developed for voice traffic (phone)
Public Circuit Switched
Network
Telecomms Components
• Subscriber
— Devices attached to network
• Subscriber line
— Local Loop
— Subscriber loop
— Connection to network
— Few km up to few tens of km
• Exchange
— Switching centers
— End office - supports subscribers
• Trunks
— Branches between exchanges
— Multiplexed
Cont….
• The telephone message is sent all together; it is
not broken up.
• The message arrives in the same order that it
was originally sent.
• Circuit switching can be analog or digital.
• A circuit-switched network is excellent for data
that needs a constant link from end-to-end, for
example, real-time video.
Circuit Establishment
Circuit Switch Elements
Circuit Switching Concepts
• Digital Switch
—Provide transparent signal path between devices
• Network Interface
• Control Unit
—Establish connections
• Generally on demand
• Handle and acknowledge requests
• Determine if destination is free
• construct path
—Maintain connection
—Disconnect
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
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
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
Traditional Circuit Switching
Softswitch
Circuit Switching
Advantages
»Circuit is dedicated to the call – no
interference, no sharing
»Guaranteed the full bandwidth for the
duration of the call
»Guaranteed quality of service
Circuit Switching
Disadvantages
»Inefficient – the equipment may be unused for a
lot of the call; if no data is being sent, the
dedicated line still remains open.
»It takes a relatively long time to set up the
circuit.
»During a crisis or disaster, the network may
become unstable or unavailable.
»It was primarily developed for voice traffic rather
than data traffic.
Packet Switching Principles
• Circuit switching designed for voice
— Resources dedicated to a particular call
— Much of the time a data connection is idle
— Data rate is fixed
• Both ends must operate at the same rate
• In packet-based networks, the message gets broken into small
data packets.
• These packets are sent out from the computer and they travel
around the network seeking out the most efficient route to travel as
circuits become available.
• This does not necessarily mean that they seek out the shortest
route.
• Each packet may go a different route from the others.
Basic Operation
• Data transmitted in small packets
—Typically 1000 octets
—Longer messages split into series of packets
—Each packet contains a portion of user data plus
some control info
• Control info
—Routing (addressing) info
• Packets are received, stored briefly (buffered)
and past on to the next node
—Store and forward
 Packet Switching
 Each packet is sent with a ‘header address’
which tells it where its final destination is, so it
knows where to go.
 The header address also describes the
sequence for reassembly at the destination
computer so that the packets are put back into
the correct order.
 One packet also contains details of how many
packets should be arriving so that the recipient UDP =
computer knows if one packet has failed to
User
turn up.
Datagram
 If a packet fails to arrive, the recipient Protocol
computer sends a message back to the
computer which originally sent the data, asking
for the missing packet to be resent.
Use of Packets
Advantages
• Line efficiency
— Single node to node link can be shared by many packets over
time
— Packets queued and transmitted as fast as possible
• Data rate conversion
— Each station connects to the local node at its own speed
— Nodes buffer data if required to equalize rates
• Packets are accepted even when network is busy
— Delivery may slow down
• Priorities can be used
Packet Switching
Advantages
» Security
» Bandwidth used to full potential
» Devices of different speeds can communicate
» Not affected by line failure (redirects signal)
» Availability – no waiting for a direct connection
to become available
» During a crisis or disaster, when the public
telephone network might stop working, e-mails
and texts can still be sent via packet switching
Switching Technique
• Station breaks long message into packets
• Packets sent one at a time to the network
• Packets handled in two ways
—Datagram
—Virtual circuit
Datagram
• Each packet treated independently
• Packets can take any practical route
• Packets may arrive out of order
• Packets may go missing
• Up to receiver to re-order packets and recover
from missing packets
Datagram
Diagram
Virtual Circuit
• Preplanned route established before any packets
sent
• Call request and call accept packets establish
connection (handshake)
• Each packet contains a virtual circuit identifier
instead of destination address
• No routing decisions required for each packet
• Clear request to drop circuit
• Not a dedicated path
Virtual
Circuit
Diagram
Virtual Circuits v Datagram
• Virtual circuits
—Network can provide sequencing and error control
—Packets are forwarded more quickly
• No routing decisions to make
—Less reliable
• Loss of a node looses all circuits through that node
• Datagram
—No call setup phase
• Better if few packets
—More flexible
• Routing can be used to avoid congested parts of the
network
Event Timing