14.

2 Circuit & Packet Switching

Objective:
 Show understanding of circuit switching. Benefits, drawbacks and where it is applicable.
 Show understanding of packet switching. Benefits, drawbacks and where it is applicable.
 Show understanding of the function of a router in packet switching.
 Explain how packet switching is used to pass messages across a network, including internet.
Switching refers to method used to route or direct data through a network between
communicating devices.
Circuit Switching
Circuit Switching uses a dedicated channel which lasts throughout connection: the
communication line is effectively ‘tied up’. Circuit switching method is used in traditional
telephone system, private telephone networks and private data networks.
Scenario where use of Circuit Switching is suitable: P31 May 23
✓ Circuit switching is used in scenarios where a dedicated communication path is
necessary throughout duration of communication session.
✓ Circuit switching is beneficial for applications requiring real-time communication and
consistent quality of service, as it reserves entire bandwidth for duration of session.
✓ Circuit Switching application is standard voice communications, video streaming ,
private data networks.

To Send Data Across A Network, There Are following Stages:

➢ Sender provides identity of intended receiver.
➢ System checks whether or not receiver is ready to accept data.
➢ A circuit/channel between sender and receiver must be established.
➢ Data transfer then takes place (which can be analogue or digital); transmission is
usually bidirectional.
➢ After data transfer is complete, connection is terminated.
Example: Dedicated route from ‘A’ to ‘B’ is first of all established. Following connections are
then partially implemented: A–R2, R2–R5, R5–R8, R8–R7, R7– R10 and finally R10–B. All
packets (frames) follow this single route and communication will take place, provided ‘B’ is
not busy.

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 CS Made Easy

Benefits and Drawback of Circuit Switching P31 May 23

Benefits Drawbacks
Circuit used is dedicated to single Nobody else can use circuit even when it is idle
transmission only.
Whole of bandwidth is available. Need to establish a dedicated path for each
connection can have cost implications.
Data transfer rate is faster than with packet If there is a fault on dedicated line, there is no
switching alternative routing available.
Packets of data (frames) arrive at destination Dedicated channels require whole bandwidth
in same order as they were sent. and bandwidth cant be shared.
Packet of data cannot get lost since all Prior to actual transmission, time required to
packets follow on in sequence along same establish a link can be too long.
single route.
It works better than packet switching in real It is not very flexible (it will send empty frames
time applications. and it has to use a single, dedicated line)
Packet Switching
Packet Switching is method of transmission in which a message is broken up into a number of
packets that can be sent independently to each other from start point to end point. A packet
consists of a header which contains instructions for delivery plus data body. This method
allows data transmission without a circuit being established. Data packets will need to be
reassembled into their correct order at destination.
Use of packet switching to transfer messages O/N/21/P31
 A large message is divided up into a group of smaller chunks of same size called packets.
 The packet has a header and a payload.
 Header contains a source IP address, destination IP address (and sequence number)
 Each packet is dispatched independently and may travel along different routes.
 Packets may arrive out of order and are reassembled into original message at destination.
 If packets are missing / corrupted a re-transmission request is sent.

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 14.2 Circuit & Packet Switching

Scenario where Packet switching is Suitable: P32/M/J/23

 Packet switching is commonly used on data networks such as internet to send large data
files that don't need to be live streamed.
 Packet switching is used when it is necessary to be able to overcome faulty lines by
rerouting.
 Packet switching is used when it is necessary for communication to be more secure.
 Packet switching is used for high volume data transmission.
 Packet switching is used when it isn't necessary to use all bandwidth.
 Specific examples e.g. email, text messages, documents, VOIP etc..
Role of Router in Packet Switching O/N/21/P31
 The router examines the packet's header
 It reads the IP address of the destination (from the packet header).
 A router has access to a routing table containing information about, e.g., available hops/
netmask / gateway used and the status of the routes along the route.
 the router decides on the next hop / best route ... and sends the packet on its next hop.

Benefits and Drawback of Packet Switching May 22/P31

Benefits Drawbacks
No need to tie up a communication line Protocols for packet switching can be more
complex than those for circuit switching
It is possible to overcome failed or faulty lines If a packet is lost, the sender must re-send
by simply re-routing packages the packet (which wastes time)
it is easy to expand the traffic usage Does not work well with real time data
streams
High data transmission is possible with There is a delay at the destination while
packet switching packets are reassembled

Sometimes it is possible for packets to get lost and keep ‘bouncing’ around from router to
router and never actually get to their destination. Eventually, network could grind to halt as
number of ‘lost’ packets mounts up and clogs up system.
To overcome this, method called hopping is used. A hop number is added to header of each
packet. Each packet is only allowed to hop a finite number of times (Hop number is
determined by network protocol and routing table being used). Each time a packet passes
through a router, hop number is decreased by 1. If packet has not reached its destination
and hop number = 0, then it will be deleted when it reaches next router.
Error Detection Method:
Each packet contains an error checking technique such as a checksum
or parity check. If a checksum is used, this value is calculated for each packet and is added to

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 CS Made Easy

header. Checksum for each package is recalculated at Destination to ensure no errors have
occurred. If checksum values are different, then a request is made to re-send the packet.
Routing Tables
Routing tables contain information necessary to forward a package along
shortest/best route to allow it to reach its destination. As soon as packet reaches a router,
packet header is examined and compared with routing table. Table supplies router with
instructions to send packet to next available router.
Routing Tables Include;
➢ Number of hops: This represent number of intermediate router or "hops" a packet
needs to pass through to reach destination. Fewer hops mean a shorter, faster route.
➢ Metrics (a cost is assigned to each available route so that most efficient route is found)
➢ Network destination (network ID):
This is destination network or IP address range that router can reach. It
identifies where packet should be sent based on destination IP address.
➢ Gateway: This points to next hop router (or gateway) that a packet should be
forwarded to, to eventually reach its destination.
➢ Netmask (Subnet Mask): Netmask is used to define size or range of network. It helps
in identifying portion of IP address that corresponds to network and part that
identifies host.
➢ Interface: This specifies the local network interface (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi) through
which the router should send the packet to reach the gateway.

Differences between circuit switching and packet switching. P32 May 23

Circuit switching uses a dedicated channel to make communication, whereas packet
switching forms data into packets to transmit over a digital network.
Dedicated path for circuit switching must be established before transfer of data can
commence, which is not case with packet switching (as it doesn't require a dedicated path).
Data in packet switching is split into packets, in circuit switching data is transmitted as a
continuous stream without being split into packets.
All of transmission in circuit switching follows same path whereas different packets in packet
switching can take different routes.
Message is received in same order in which it is sent with circuit switching, but with packet
switching, packets can be received out of order (for assembly at the destination).
Circuit switching use whole bandwidth of channel used, packet switching can share
bandwidth.
Circuit switching communication ends with an error but packet switching allows packets to be
re-sent.
Circuit switching is a simpler process than packet switching.

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 14.2 Circuit & Packet Switching

Exam Style Question

ESQ: Suppose we are carrying out video conferencing using packet switching as the
method of routing data. The performance of the communication is not very good.
a) Describe some of poor performance you might expect. Give a reason for this poor
performance.
Ans: Picture and sound may not be in synchronisation (packets arriving at different times);
video not continuous – pauses (time delay in reassembling the packets of data); degraded
quality of sound and video (possibly caused by competing traffic in communication lines);
possible drop out (packets take different routes, so it is possible for packets to be lost).

b) What features of circuit switching could potentially improve the performance?

Ans: Only one route used in circuit switching; therefore, all packets arrive in correct order;
dedicated communication channel with circuit switching; therefore, full bandwidth
available; there is no loss of synchronisation with circuit switching.

ESQ: How would packet switching be used to download a page from a website?
Ans:
➢ Web page is divided up into data packets
➢ Each packet has a header, which includes the IP address of the destination
➢ Router checks the header against values stored in the routing table to determine
which router the packet needs to be sent to next (hopped) the MAC address of the
next router is added to the package header
➢ The hop value is checked to see if it equals zero
➢ Each packet may go by a different route
➢ The destination computer reassembles the packets building up the final web page.

***************
Do You Know ?
✓ Mobile networks (like 4G LTE and 5G) use packet switching for voice communication in
services like VoLTE (Voice over LTE), where voice data is transmitted as IP packets.
✓ Telephony systems, such as VoIP (e.g., Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp calls), use packet
switching.
✓ Some older networks or parts of PSTN still use circuit switching, particularly in regions
where older infrastructure is in place. However, these systems often connect to newer
packet-switched networks for long-distance or international calls.

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