Switching

Switching is the process of transferring data packets from one

device to another in a network, or from one network to another,
using specific devices called switches.
A computer user experiences switching all the time for example,
accessing the Internet from your computer device, whenever a
user requests a webpage to open, the request is processed
through switching of data packets only.
Switching takes place at the Data Link layer of the OSI Model.
This means that after the generation of data packets in the
Physical Layer, switching is the immediate next process in data
communication.
It is operated in full duplex mode.
Packet collision is minimum as it directly communicates between
source and destination.
It does not broadcast the message as it works with limited
bandwidth.
Why is Switching Concept required?
Switching concept is developed because of the following reasons:
Bandwidth: It is defined as the maximum transfer rate of a
cable. It is a very critical and expensive resource. Therefore,
switching techniques are used for the effective utilization of the
bandwidth of a network.
Collision: Collision is the effect that occurs when more than one
device transmits the message over the same physical media, and
they collide with each other.
To overcome this problem, switching technology is implemented
so that packets do not collide with each other.
Advantages of Switching:
✓ Switch increases the bandwidth of the network.
✓ It reduces the workload on individual PCs as it sends the
information to only that device which has been addressed.
✓ It increases the overall performance of the network by
reducing the traffic on the network.
✓ There will be less frame collision as switch creates the
collision domain for each connection.
Disadvantages of Switching:
✓ A Switch is more expensive than network bridges.
✓ A Switch cannot determine the network connectivity issues
easily.
✓ Proper designing and configuration of the switch are
required to handle multicast packets.
Switching techniques
In large networks, there can be multiple paths from sender to
receiver.
The switching technique will decide the best route for data
transmission.
Switching technique is used to connect the systems for making
one-to-one communication.
Classification Of Switching Techniques
Circuit Switching
✓ a dedicated path between sender and receiver.
✓ once the connection is established then the dedicated path
will remain to exist until the connection is terminated.
✓ operates in a similar way as the telephone works.
✓ A complete end-to-end path must exist before the
communication takes place.
✓ when any user wants to send the data, voice, video, a
request signal is sent to the receiver then the receiver sends
back the acknowledgment to ensure the availability of the
dedicated path.
✓ After receiving the acknowledgment, dedicated path
transfers the data.
✓ used in public telephone network. It is used for voice
transmission.
✓ Fixed data can be transferred at a time in circuit switching
technology.
Communication through circuit switching has 3 phases:
✓ Circuit establishment
✓ Data transfer
✓ Circuit Disconnect
Advantages Of Circuit Switching:
✓ the communication channel is dedicated.
✓ It has fixed bandwidth.
Disadvantages Of Circuit Switching:
✓ Once the dedicated path is established, the only delay
occurs in the speed of data transmission.
✓ It takes a long time to establish a connection approx 10
seconds during which no data can be transmitted.
✓ It is more expensive than other switching techniques as a
dedicated path is required for each connection.
✓ It is inefficient to use because once the path is established
and no data is transferred, then the capacity of the path is
wasted.
✓ In this case, the connection is dedicated therefore no other
data can be transferred even if the channel is free.
Message Switching
✓ a message is transferred as a complete unit and routed
through intermediate nodes at which it is stored and
forwarded.
✓ In Message Switching technique, there is no establishment of
a dedicated path between the sender and receiver.
 ✓ The destination address is appended to the message.
Message Switching provides a dynamic routing as the
message is routed through the intermediate nodes based on
the information available in the message.
✓ Message switches are programmed in such a way so that
they can provide the most efficient routes.
✓ Each and every node stores the entire message and then
forward it to the next node. This type of network is known
as store and forward network.
✓ Message switching treats each message as an independent
entity.

Advantages Of Message Switching

✓ Data channels are shared among the communicating devices
that improve the efficiency of using available bandwidth.
✓ Traffic congestion can be reduced because the message is
temporarily stored in the nodes.
✓ Message priority can be used to manage the network.
✓ The size of the message which is sent over the network can
be varied. Therefore, it supports the data of unlimited size.
Disadvantages Of Message Switching
✓ The message switches must be equipped with sufficient
storage to enable them to store the messages until the
message is forwarded.
✓ The Long delay can occur due to the storing and forwarding
facility provided by the message switching technique.
Packet Switching
✓ the message is sent in one go, but it is divided into smaller
pieces, and they are sent individually.
✓ The message splits into smaller pieces known as packets and
packets are given a unique number to identify their order at
the receiving end.
✓ Every packet contains some information in its headers such
as source address, destination address and sequence
number.
✓ Packets will travel across the network, taking the shortest
path as possible.
✓ All the packets are reassembled at the receiving end in
correct order.
✓ If any packet is missing or corrupted, then the message will
be sent to resend the message.
✓ If the correct order of the packets is reached, then the
acknowledgment message will be sent.
Advantages Of Packet Switching:
✓ Cost-effective: switching devices do not require massive
secondary storage to store the packets, so cost is minimized
to some extent.
✓ Reliable: If any node is busy, then the packets can be
rerouted.
✓ Efficient: does not require any established path prior to the
transmission, and many users can use the same
communication channel simultaneously, hence makes use of
available bandwidth very efficiently.
Disadvantages Of Packet Switching:
✓ cannot be implemented in those applications that require
low delay and high-quality services.
✓ The protocols used in a packet switching technique are very
complex and requires high implementation cost.
✓ If the network is overloaded or corrupted, then it requires
retransmission of lost packets.
✓ It can also lead to the loss of critical information if errors
are nor recovered.