SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025

Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

UNIT – II

Transmission Media and Switching

Guided and Unguided Media – Circuit Switched Networks –Datagram Networks –

Virtual Circuit Networks. Error Detection and Correction: Introduction – Block Coding
– Linear Block Codes – Cyclic Codes – Check Sum. Multiple Access : Random
Access – Controlled Access – Channelization.

Switching
o Switching is process to forward packets coming in from one port to a port
leading towards the destination. When data comes on a port it is called
ingress, and when data leaves a port or goes out it is called egress.
A communication system may include number of switches and nodes.
o At broad level, switching can be divided into two major categories:
o Connectionless: The data is forwarded on behalf of forwarding tables. No
previous handshaking is required and acknowledgements are optional.
o Connection Oriented: Before switching data to be forwarded to destination,
there is a need to pre-establish circuit along the path between both endpoints.
Data is then forwarded on that circuit. After the transfer is completed, circuits
can be kept for future use or can be turned down immediately.

1. Circuit Switching

o When two nodes communicate with each other over a dedicated

communication path, it is called circuit switching.
o There 'is a need of pre-specified route from which data will travels and no
other data is permitted.In circuit switching, to transfer the data, circuit
must be established so that the data transfer can take place.
o Circuits can be permanent or temporary. Applications which use circuit
switching may have to go through three phases:
 Establish a circuit
 Transfer the data
 Disconnect the circuit

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

 Circuit switching was designed for voice applications.

 Telephone is the best suitable example of circuit switching.
 Before a user can make a call, a virtual path between caller and
called is established over the network.

2. Message Switching
o This technique was somewhere in middle of circuit switching and
packet switching. In message switching, the whole message is treated
as a data unit and is switching transferred in its entirety.
o A switch working on message switching, first receives the whole
message and buffers it until there are resources available to transfer it
to the next hop. If the next hop is not having enough resource to
accommodate large size message, the message is stored and switch
waits.

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

o This technique was considered substitute to circuit switching. As in circuit

switching the whole path is blocked for two entities only.
o Message switching is replaced by packet switching. Message switching has
the following drawbacks:
o Every switch in transit path needs enough storage to accommodate entire
message.
o Because of store-and-forward technique and waits included until resources
are available, message switching is very slow.
o Message switching was not a solution for streaming media and real-time
applications.
3. Packet Switching
o Shortcomings of message switching gave birth to an idea of packet switching.
o The entire message is broken down into smaller chunks called packets.
o The switching information is added in the header of each packet and
transmitted independently.
o It is easier for intermediate networking devices to store small size packets and
they do not take much resources either on carrier path or in the internal
memory of switches.

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

 Packet switching enhances line efficiency as packets from multiple

applications can be multiplexed over the carrier.
 The internet uses packet switching technique. Packet switching enables the
user to differentiate data streams based on priorities.
 Packets are stored and forwarded according to their priority to provide quality
of service.

Circuit Switching in Computer Network

o In circuit switching network resources (bandwidth) are divided into pieces

and bit delay is constant during a connection.
o The dedicated path/circuit established between sender and receiver provides
a guaranteed data rate.
o Data can be transmitted without any delays once the circuit is established.
o Telephone system network is one of the example of Circuit switching.
o TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and FDM (Frequency Division
Multiplexing) are two methods of multiplexing multiple signals into a single
carrier.
 Frequency Division Multiplexing : Divides into multiple bands
Frequency Division Multiplexing or FDM is used when multiple data signals
are combined for simultaneous transmission via a shared communication
medium.
It is a technique by which the total bandwidth is divided into a series of non-
overlapping frequency sub-bands,where each sub-band carry different
signal. Practical use in radio spectrum & optical fibre to share multiple
independent signals.

 Time Division Multiplexing : Divides into frames

Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a method of transmitting and receiving
independent signals over a common signal path by means of synchronized
switches at each end of the transmission line. TDM is used for long-distance
communication links and bears heavy data traffic loads from end user.
Time division multiplexing (TDM) is also known as a digital circuit switched.

Drawbacks:

Inefficient use of resources: Circuit switching requires the establishment of

a dedicated communication path between two nodes, which means that the
resources along that path, such as bandwidth and switch ports, are reserved
for the duration of the communication.

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

This can result in inefficient use of resources, as the resources may remain
unused during periods of low or no communication.
Limited scalability: Circuit switching is not well-suited for large-scale
networks with many nodes, as it requires a dedicated communication path
between each pair of nodes. This can result in a high degree of complexity
and difficulty in managing the network.
Vulnerability to failures: Circuit switching relies on a dedicated
communication path, which can make the network vulnerable to failures,
such as cable cuts or switch failures. In the event of a failure, the
communication path must be re-established, which can result in delays or
loss of data.
Delay and latency: Circuit switching requires the establishment of a
dedicated communication path, which can result in delay and latency in
establishing the path and transmitting data. This can impact the real-time
performance of applications, such as voice and video.
High cost: Circuit switching requires the reservation of resources, which can
result in a high cost, particularly in large-scale networks. This can make
circuit switching less practical for some applications.
Lack of flexibility: Circuit switching is not flexible as it only allows one type
of communication at a time, such as voice or data. This can limit the ability of
users to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
Limited mobility: Circuit switching is not well-suited for mobile devices or
nodes that move frequently, as it requires the establishment of a dedicated
communication path. This can result in communication disruptions or
dropped calls.
Limited capacity: Circuit switching can have limited capacity as it requires
the establishment of a dedicated communication path between two nodes.
This can limit the number of simultaneous communications that can occur.
High setup time: Circuit switching requires a significant setup time to
establish the dedicated communication path between two nodes. This can
result in delays in initiating communication.
No prioritization: Circuit switching does not provide any mechanism for
prioritizing certain types of traffic over others. This can result in delays or
poor performance for time-critical applications, such as voice or video.

Advantages of Circuit Switching:

It has the following advantages :

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

1. The main advantage of circuit switching is that a committed transmission

channel is established between the computers which give a guaranteed data
rate.
2. In-circuit switching, there is no delay in data flow because of the dedicated
transmission path.
3. Reliability: Circuit switching provides a high level of reliability since the
dedicated communication path is reserved for the entire duration of the
communication. This ensures that the data will be transmitted without any
loss or corruption.
4. Quality of service: Circuit switching provides a guaranteed quality of
service, which means that the network can prioritize certain types of traffic,
such as voice and video, over other types of traffic, such as email and web
browsing.
5. Security: Circuit switching provides a higher level of security compared to
packet switching since the dedicated communication path is only accessible
to the two communicating parties. This can help prevent unauthorized
access and data breaches.
6. Ease of management: Circuit switching is relatively easy to manage since
the communication path is pre-established and dedicated to a specific
communication. This can help simplify network management and reduce the
risk of errors.
7. Compatibility: Circuit switching is compatible with a wide range of devices
and protocols, which means that it can be used with different types of
networks and applications. This makes it a versatile technology for various
industries and use cases.
Disadvantages of Circuit Switching:

 It has the following disadvantages :

 It takes a long time to establish a connection.
 More bandwidth is required in setting up dedicated channels.
 It cannot be used to transmit any other data even if the channel is free as
the connection is dedicated to circuit switching.
 Limited Flexibility: Circuit switching is not flexible as it requires a dedicated
circuit between the communicating devices. The circuit cannot be used
Waste of Resources for any other purpose until the communication is
complete, which limits the flexibility of the network.

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

 Waste of Resources: Circuit switching reserves the bandwidth and network

resources for the duration of the communication, even if there is no data
being transmitted. This results in the wastage of resources and inefficient
use of the network.
 Expensive: Circuit switching is an expensive technology as it requires
dedicated communication paths, which can be costly to set up and maintain.
This makes it less feasible for small-scale networks and applications.
 Susceptible to Failure: Circuit switching is susceptible to failure as it relies
on a dedicated communication path. If the path fails, the entire
communication is disrupted. This makes it less reliable than other
networking technologies, such as packet switching.
 Not suitable for bursty traffic: Circuit switching is not suitable for bursty
traffic, where data is transmitted intermittently at irregular intervals. This is
because a dedicated circuit needs to be established for each
communication, which can result in delays and inefficient use of resources.

Formulas in Circuit Switching :

Transmission rate = Link Rate or Bit rate / no. of slots = R/h bps
Transmission time = size of file / transmission rate
= x / (R/h) = (x*h)/R second
Total time to send packet to destination =
Transmission time + circuit setup time

Example 1 : How long it takes to send a file of ‘x bits’ from host A to host B over a
circuit switched network that uses TDM with ‘h slots’ and have a bit rate of ‘R
Mbps’, circuit establish time is k seconds.Find total time?

Explanation :
Transmission rate = Link Rate or Bit rate / no. of slots = R/h bps
Transmission time = size of file/ transmission rate = x / (R/h) = (x*h)/R

Total time = transmission time + circuit setup time = (x*h)/R secs + k secs

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 SCHOOL OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Class: I MCA Batch: 2023-2025
Course code:23CAR208 Course Title: DATA COMMUNICATION
AND NETWORKS

Example 2 : If a link transmits F frames/sec and each slot has B bits then find the
transmission rate?

Explanation :
Since it is not mention how many slots in each frame we take one frame has one
slot.
The transmission rate is the amount of data sent in 1 second.
Transmission rate = F * B bits/sec

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