Computer Networks 1 (CSE 231)

Lecture 2

Introduction about computer

networks and the internet
overview

Prepared by:
Computer Science and Engineering Department

1
 Lecture 2
Agenda

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Quick Review Internet views
 Lecture 2
Please answer the questions

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Network Core Packet/circuit
switching
 Lecture 2
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 local or
regional
one router to the next, across ISP
home network
links on path from source to content
provider
network
destination datacenter
network

enterprise
network

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 Lecture 2
Two key network-core functions

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

destination address in arriving

packet’s header

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 Lecture 2
routing

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 Lecture 2
forwarding
forwarding

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 Lecture 2
Packet-switching: store-and-forward

L bits
per packet
321
source destination
R bps R bps

◼ packet transmission delay: takes L/R

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

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 Lecture 2
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:

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 Lecture 2
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

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 Lecture 2
Advantages of Packet Switching

◼ Not expensive

◼ Packets are rerouted in case of any problems (reliable

communication)

◼ Faster -> Connectionless

◼ Use bandwidth efficiently (Bandwidth sharing)

◼ packet switching is widely used by applications such

as WhatsApp, Skype, Google Talk etc.

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 Lecture 2
Disadvantages of packet Switching

◼ Can not be used in applications requiring very little delay &

higher quality of service e.g. reliable voice calls.

◼ Require high initial implementation costs.

◼ Retransmission of lost packets by the sender often leads to

loss of critical information if errors are not recovered.

◼ not secured

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 Lecture 2
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 2
nd 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

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 Lecture 2
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
transmit at max rate of that narrow time
band
4 users
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)

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 Lecture 2
Advantages of Circuit Switching

1) Guaranteed bandwidth
◼ Predictable communication performance

◼ Not “best-effort” delivery with no real guarantees

2) Simple abstraction
◼ Reliable communication channel between hosts

◼ No worries about lost or out-of-order packets

3) Simple forwarding
◼ Forwarding based on time slot or frequency

◼ No need to inspect a packet header

4) Low per-packet overhead

◼ Forwarding based on time slot or frequency

◼ No IP (and TCP/UDP) header on each packet

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 Lecture 2
Disadvantages of Circuit Switching

1) Wasted bandwidth
◼ Bursty traffic leads to idle connection during silent period

2) Blocked connections
◼ Connection refused when resources are not sufficient

3) Connection set-up delay

◼ No communication until the connection is set up

◼ Unable to avoid extra latency for small data transfers

4) Network state
◼ Network nodes must store per-connection information

◼ Unable to avoid per-connection storage and state

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 Lecture 2
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: can you estimate how many users can use this network under circuit-switching and
packet switching?
▪ circuit-switching: 10 users
▪ packet-switching: with 35 users, probability > 10 active at same time is less
than .0004 (not covered by the course)

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 Lecture 2
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.

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 Lecture 2
Please answer the questions

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 Lecture 2
Review: Routing versus forwarding.

◼ Choose one the following two definitions that makes the correct
distinction between routing versus forwarding.

A. Forwarding is the local action of moving arriving packets from router’s

input link to appropriate router output link, while routing is the global
action of determining the source-destination paths taken by packets.
B. Routing is the local action of moving arriving packets from router’s input
link to appropriate router output link, while forwarding is the global action
of determining the source-destination paths taken by packets.

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 Lecture 2
Review: Packet switching versus circuit switching.

◼ Which of the characteristics below are associated with the technique of

packet switching? Select all correct answers. [Hint: more than one of
the answers is correct].
A. This technique was the basis for the telephone call switching during the 20th
century and into the beginning of this current century.
B. Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
are two approaches for implementing this technique.
C. Data may be queued before being transmitted due to other user’s data that’s
also queueing for transmission.
D. Congestion loss and variable end-end delays are possible with this technique.
E. This technique is used in the Internet.
F. Resources are used on demand, not reserved in advance.
G. Reserves resources needed for a call from source to destination.

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 Lecture 2
Review: Packet switching versus circuit switching.

◼ Which of the characteristics below are associated with the technique of

circuit switching? Select all correct answers. [Hint: more than one of
the answers is correct].
A. Congestion loss and variable end-end delays are possible with this technique.
B. Resources are used on demand, not reserved in advance.
C. Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
are two approaches for implementing this technique.
D. Reserves resources needed for a call from source to destination.
E. This technique was the basis for the telephone call switching during the 20th
century and into the beginning of this current century.
F. Data may be queued before being transmitted due to other user’s data that’s
also queueing for transmission.
G. This technique is used in the Internet.

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Internet Structure
 Lecture 2
Internet structure: a “network of networks”

mobile network
◼ hosts connect to Internet via national or global ISP
access Internet Service Providers
(ISPs)
◼ access ISPs in turn must be
local or
interconnected regional
◼so that any two hosts (anywhere!) ISP
home network
can send packets to each other content
provider
◼ resulting network of networks is network datacenter
network

very complex enterprise

◼evolution driven by economics, network

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

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 Lecture 2
Internet structure: a “network of networks”

Question: given millions of access ISPs, how to connect them together?

access access
net net
access
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

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 Lecture 2
Internet structure: a “network of networks”

Question: given millions of access ISPs, how to connect them together?

access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net

connecting each access ISP to

each other directly doesn’t
access
net scale: O(N2) connections. access
net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

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 Lecture 2
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 net
access
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

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 Lecture 2
Internet structure: a “network of networks”

But if one global ISP is viable business, there will be competitors ….

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

access
net
ISP B access
net

access ISP C
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

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 Lecture 2
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 net
access
net
access
access net
net
IXP access
access net
net ISP A

access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access ISP C
net
access
net

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

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 Lecture 2
Internet structure: a “network of networks”

… and regional networks may arise to connect access nets to ISPs

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

access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access ISP C
net
access
net

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

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 Lecture 2
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 net
access
net
access
access net
net
IXP access
access net
net ISP A

Content provider network

access
net
IXP ISP B access
net

access ISP C
net
access
net

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

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 Lecture 2
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

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 Lecture 2
Please answer the questions

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 Lecture 2
Review: What is a network of networks?

◼ When we say that the Internet is a “network of networks,”

we mean? Check all that apply (hint: check two or more).
A. The Internet is the largest network ever built.
B. The Internet is made up of a lot of different networks that are
interconnected to each other.
C. The Internet is made up of access networks at the edge, tier-1
networks at the core, and interconnected regional and content
provider networks as well.
D. The Internet is the fastest network ever built.

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 Lecture 2
Summary
◼ Network core: packet/circuit switching, routing, forwarding
◼ Internet structure and tiers.

◼ Reference:
◼ Ref1: Chapter 1 , 1.2 to 1.3

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