• Network core: packet/circuit

switching, internet structure

Introduction: 1-1
The network core
mobile network
• mesh of interconnected routers
national or global ISP
• packet-switching: hosts break
application-layer messages into packets
• network forwards packets from one
router to the next, across links on local or
path from source to destination regional ISP

home network content

provider
network datacenter
network

enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-2
 Two key network-core functions

routing algorithm Routing:

 global action:
Forwarding: local forwarding table
header value output link determine source-
• aka “switching” 0100 3
destination paths
0101 2
• local action: move 0111
1001
2
1 taken by packets
arriving packets  routing algorithms
from router’s
1
input link to
appropriate router 3 2
output link 011
1

destination address in arriving

packet’s header
Introduction: 1-3
routing

Introduction: 1-4
 forwarding
forwarding

Introduction: 1-5
 Packet-switching: store-and-forward

L bits
per packet
3 2 1
source destination
R bps R bps

• packet transmission delay: takes L/R seconds to One-hop numerical example:

transmit (push out) L-bit packet into link at R bps  L = 10 Kbits
• store and forward: entire packet must arrive at  R = 100 Mbps
router before it can be transmitted on next link  one-hop transmission delay
= 0.1 msec

Introduction: 1-6
Packet-switching: queueing
R = 100 Mb/s
A C

D
B R = 1.5 Mb/s
E
queue of packets
waiting for transmission
over output link

Queueing occurs when work arrives faster than it can be serviced:

Introduction: 1-7
Packet-switching: queueing
R = 100 Mb/s
A C

D
B R = 1.5 Mb/s
E
queue of packets
waiting for transmission
over output link

Packet queuing and loss: if arrival rate (in bps) to link exceeds
transmission rate (bps) of link for some period of time:
• packets will queue, waiting to be transmitted on output link
• packets can be dropped (lost) if memory (buffer) in router fills up
Introduction: 1-8
Alternative to packet switching: circuit switching

end-end resources allocated to,

reserved for “call” between source
and destination
• in diagram, each link has four circuits.
• call gets 2nd circuit in top link and 1st
circuit in right link.
• dedicated resources: no sharing
• circuit-like (guaranteed) performance
• circuit segment idle if not used by call (no
sharing)
 commonly used in traditional telephone networks

Introduction: 1-9
Circuit switching: FDM and TDM
Frequency Division Multiplexing
(FDM) 4 users

frequency
• optical, electromagnetic frequencies
divided into (narrow) frequency bands

 each call allocated its own band, can

time
transmit at max rate of that narrow
band
Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

frequency
 time divided into slots
 each call allocated periodic slot(s),
can transmit at maximum rate of time
(wider) frequency band (only) during
its time slot(s) Introduction: 1-10
Packet switching versus circuit
switching
example:
 1 Gb/s link

…..
N
 each user: users 1 Gbps link
• 100 Mb/s when “active”
• active 10% of time
Q: how many users can use this network under circuit-switching and packet switching?

 circuit-switching: 10 users
 packet switching: with 35 users, Q: how did we get value 0.0004?
probability > 10 active at same time A: HW problem (for those with
is less than .0004 * course in probability only)

Introduction: 1-11
Packet switching versus circuit
switching
Is packet switching a “slam dunk winner”?
 great for “bursty” data – sometimes has data to send, but at other times not
• resource sharing
• simpler, no call setup
 excessive congestion possible: packet delay and loss due to buffer overflow
• protocols needed for reliable data transfer, congestion control
 Q: How to provide circuit-like behavior with packet-switching?
• “It’s complicated.” We’ll study various techniques that try to make packet
switching as “circuit-like” as possible.

Q: human analogies of reserved resources (circuit switching) versus

on-demand allocation (packet switching)?
Introduction: 1-12
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
mobile network
• hosts connect to Internet via access national or global ISP
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
• access ISPs in turn must be
interconnected
• so that any two hosts (anywhere!) local or
regional ISP
can send packets to each other
• resulting network of networks is home network content
provider
very complex network datacenter
network

• evolution driven by economics, enterprise

national policies network

Let’s take a stepwise approach to describe current Internet structure

Internet structure: a “network of networks”
Question: given millions of access ISPs, how to connect them together?

access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
…

…
access access
net net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-14
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
Question: given millions of access ISPs, how to connect them together?

access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access
net
… … net

access
access net
net

connecting each access ISP to

…

…
each other directly doesn’t scale:

…
O(N2) connections.
access access
…

net net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
… access
… … net
access
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-15
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
Option: connect each access ISP to one global transit ISP?
Customer and provider ISPs have economic agreement.

access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
…

…
global
access
net
ISP access
net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-16
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
But if one global ISP is viable business, there will be competitors ….

access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
ISP A
…

…
access
net ISP B access
net

access
net
ISP C
access
net

access
net
access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-17
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
But if one global ISP is viable business, there will be competitors …. who will
want to be connected
Internet exchange point
access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access net
net
IXP access
access net
net
ISP A
…

…
access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access
net
ISP C
access
net

access
net
peering link
access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-18
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
… and regional networks may arise to connect access nets to ISPs

access
… access
net
access
net …
net
access
access net
net
IXP access
access net
net
ISP A
…

…
access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access
net
ISP C
access
net

access
net
regional ISP access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-19
Internet structure: a “network of networks”
… and content provider networks (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Akamai) may
run their own network, to bring services, content close to end users
… access
… access
net
access
net

net
access
access net
net
IXP access
access net
net
ISP A
…

…
Content provider network
access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access
net
ISP C
access
net

access
net
regional ISP access
… net
access access …
net access net
net

Introduction: 1-20
 Internet structure: a “network of networks”

Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google

IXP IXP IXP
Regional ISP Regional ISP

access access access access access access access access

ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP

At “center”: small # of well-connected large networks

 “tier-1” commercial ISPs (e.g., Level 3, Sprint, AT&T, NTT), national & international coverage
 content provider networks (e.g., Google, Facebook): private network that connects its
data centers to Internet, often bypassing tier-1, regional ISPs
Introduction: 1-21