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ƥ Circuit switching designed for voice
ƜResources dedicated to a particular call
ƜMuch of the time a data connection is idle
ƜData rate is fixed
ƥ Both ends must operate at the same rate
 
  

ƥ Data transmitted in small packets

ƜTypically 1000 octets
ƜLonger messages split into series of packets
ƜEach packet contains a portion of user data plus
some control info
ƥ Control info
ƜRouting (addressing) info
ƥ Packets are received, stored briefly (buffered)
and past on to the next node
ƜStore and forward
_|

v

 
ƥ Line efficiency
Ɯ Single node to node link can be shared by many packets over
time
Ɯ Packets queued and transmitted as fast as possible
ƥ Data rate conversion
Ɯ Each station connects to the local node at its own speed
Ɯ Nodes buffer data if required to equalize rates
ƥ Packets are accepted even when network is busy
Ɯ Delivery may slow down
ƥ Priorities can be used





ƥ Station breaks long message into packets
ƥ Packets sent one at a time to the network
ƥ Packets handled in two ways
ƜDatagram
ƜVirtual circuit
   
ƥ Each packet treated independently
ƥ Packets can take any practical route
ƥ Packets may arrive out of order
ƥ Packets may go missing
ƥ Up to receiver to re-order packets and recover
from missing packets
   
  
 

ƥ Preplanned route established before any
packets sent
ƥ Call request and call accept packets establish
connection (handshake)
ƥ Each packet contains a virtual circuit identifier
instead of destination address
ƥ No routing decisions required for each packet
ƥ Clear request to drop circuit
ƥ Not a dedicated path
 


  
 

   
ƥ Virtual circuits
ƜNetwork can provide sequencing and error control
ƜPackets are forwarded more quickly
ƥ No routing decisions to make
ƜLess reliable
ƥ Loss of a node looses all circuits through that node
ƥ Datagram
ƜNo call setup phase (Does not need handshake)
ƥ Better if few packets
ƜMore flexible
ƥ Routing can be used to avoid congested parts of the
network
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ƥ Performance
ƜPropagation delay
ƥ The time it takes a signal to propagate from one node to the
next node. This time is generally negligible. The speed of
electromagnetic signal through wire-medium is typically
3X108 m/s.
ƜTransmission time
ƥ The time it takes for a transmitter to send-out a block of
data. Ex: it takes 1 s to transmit 10,000 bit of data into 10-
kbps line.
ƜNode delay
ƥ The time it takes for a node to perform necessary processing
as it switches data.
þ



ƥ Circiut switching
Ɯ Dedicated trasnmition path
Ɯ Need call set-up
Ɯ Continuous transmission of data
Ɯ Best for long message.
ƥ Virtual circuit packet switching
Ɯ Need call-request packet
Ɯ Each packet experience node-delay
ƥ Datagram packet switcing
Ɯ Does not require a call-setup
Ɯ Each individual datagram is routed independently: processing
time for each datagramm may be longer than Virtual circuit
packet switching.
ƥ See table 9.1 comparison of comm switching technique
ß

ƥ Protocal standard, approved in 1976
ƥ Interface between host and packet switched
network
ƥ Almost universal on packet switched networks
and packet switching in ISDN
ƥ Defines three layers
ƜPhysical
ƜLink
ƜPacket
ß






 


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 "

   

 

|


 

   |


 
 

 
 
   

ß
 | 
 
ƥ Interface between attached station and link to
node
ƥ Data terminal equipment DTE (user equipment)
ƥ Data circuit terminating equipment DCE (node)
ƥ Uses physical layer specification X.21
ƥ Reliable transfer across physical link
ƥ Sequence of frames
ß
 
 
ƥ Link Access Protocol Balanced (LAPB)
ƜSubset of HDLC
Ɯsee chapter 7 (Data Link Control)
ß
 |
 
ƥ External virtual circuits
ƥ Logical connections (virtual circuits) between
subscribers
ß
_ 

 



ƥ Logical connection between two stations
ƜExternal virtual circuit
ƥ Specific preplanned route through network
ƜInternal virtual circuit
ƥ Typically one to one relationship between
external and internal virtual circuits
ƥ Can employ X.25 with datagram style network
ƥ External virtual circuits require logical channel
ƜAll data considered part of stream
ß


ƥ User data passes to X.25 level 3
ƥ X.25 appends control information
ƜHeader
ƜIdentifies virtual circuit
ƜProvides sequence numbers for flow and error control
ƥ X.25 packet passed down to LAPB entity
ƥ LAPB appends further control information
_  
ß
|



 

¬  
ƥ Designed to be more efficient than X.25
ƥ Developed before ATM
ƥ Larger installed base than ATM
ƥ ATM now of more interest on high speed
networks
¬  

 ß

ƥ Call control packets, in band signaling
ƥ Multiplexing of virtual circuits at layer 3
ƥ Layer 2 and 3 include flow and error control
ƥ Considerable overhead
ƥ Not appropriate for modern digital systems with
high reliability
¬   


ƥ Call control carried in separate logical
connection
ƥ Multiplexing and switching at layer 2
ƜEliminates one layer of processing
ƥ No hop by hop error or flow control
ƥ End to end flow and error control (if used) are
done by higher layer
ƥ Single user data frame sent from source to
destination and ACK (from higher layer) sent
back
v

 


 
ƥ Lost link by link error and flow control
ƜIncreased reliability makes this less of a problem
ƥ Streamlined communications process
ƜLower delay
ƜHigher throughput
ƥ ITU-T recommend frame relay above 2Mbps
|
v



|

ƥ Between subscriber and network
ƥ Separate logical channel used
ƜSimilar to common channel signaling for circuit
switching services
ƥ Data link layer
ƜLAPD (Q.921)
ƜReliable data link control
ƜError and flow control
ƜBetween user (TE) and network (NT)
ƜUsed for exchange of Q.933 control signal messages
_|

ƥ End to end functionality
ƥ Transfer of info between ends
ƥ LAPF (Link Access Procedure for Frame Mode
Bearer Services) Q.922
ƜFrame delimiting, alignment and transparency
ƜFrame mux and demux using addressing field
ƜEnsure frame is integral number of octets (zero bit
insertion/extraction)
ƜEnsure frame is neither too long nor short
ƜDetection of transmission errors
ƜCongestion control functions
_  

ƥ One frame type
ƜUser data
ƜNo control frame
ƥ No inband signaling
ƥ No sequence numbers
ƜNo flow nor error control
  

ƥ Stallings Chapter 10
ƥ ITU-T web site
ƥ Telephone company web sites (not much
technical info - mostly marketing)
ƥ X.25 info from ITU-T web site
ƥ Frame Relay forum