Networks Protocols

Lecture - 4 part(1)
 Packet vs. circuit switching
• 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”
Introduction 1-4
 Packet vs. circuit switching
In telecommunication, a shared medium is a medium or channel of information
transfer that serves more than one user at the same time.

Circuit switching is a methodology of implementing a telecommunications

network in which two network nodes establish a dedicated communications
channel (circuit) through the network before the nodes may communicate.
The circuit guarantees the full bandwidth of the channel and remains connected
for the duration of the communication session.

The defining example of a circuit-switched network is the early analog

telephone network. When a call is made from one telephone to another, switches
within the telephone exchanges create a continuous wire circuit between the two
telephones, for as long as the call lasts.
In circuit switching, each user typically gets a fixed share of the channel capacity. A
multiplexing scheme divides up the capacity of the medium. Common multiplexing
schemes include time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing.
Channel access methods for circuit switching include time division multiple access,
frequency-division multiple access, etc.

In packet switching, the sharing is more dynamic — each user takes up little or
none of the capacity when idle, and can utilize the entire capacity if transmitting
while all other users are idle. Channel access methods for packet switching include
carrier sense multiple access, token passing, etc.
Example: Multiplexing in Circuit-Switched
Networks
A telephone voice transmission
circuit uses 4KHz bandwidth.
Suppose a physical link has
capacity to support 4 circuits:
• FDM approach:
– Bandwidth is divided into four
frequency bands
– Allocate a 4KHz circuit to one call
• TDM approach:
– Time is divided into frames
– Each frame has four slots
– Each circuit assigned same slot
in each frame
 Packet Switching: Statistical Multiplexing
10 Mbs
A Ethernet statistical multiplexing C

1.5 Mbs
B
queue of packets
waiting for output
link

D E

Sequence of A & B packets does not have fixed pattern 

statistical multiplexing ( communication link sharing) .
In TDM each host gets same slot in revolving TDM frame.
 Packet-switching: Store-and-Forward
L
R R R

• Takes L/R seconds to Example:

transmit (push out) packet • 3 hops (end plus 2
of L bits on to link at R bps routers)
• Store and forward: entire • L = 7.5 Mbits
packet must arrive at • R = 1.5 Mbps
router before it can be
• transmission delay
transmitted on next link
= 3 * 7.5 / 1.5
• delay = 3 L/R (assuming = 15 sec
zero propagation delay)
more on delay shortly …
 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!

Introduction 1-9
 Numerical Example: Solution
• 80 Kbytes is 640,000 Kbits
– NOTE: networks in bits, end systems in bytes
– NOTE: 1 Kbyte = 1024 bytes, 1Kbit = 1000 bits

• Each circuit has a rate of 1.536 / 24 = 64 Kbps

• So, it takes 640,000 bits / 64 Kbps = 10
seconds to transmit the file
• Need to add the circuit establishment time
(½ second)
• So, 10.5 seconds