Circuit Switched Networks

A network is a set of connected devices. Whenever we have multiple devices, we have the problem
of how to connect them to make one-to-one communication possible. One solution is to make a
point-to-point connection between each pair of devices (a mesh topology) or between a central
device and every other device (a star topology). These are not practical and wasteful when applied
to very large networks.

A better solution is switching. A switched network consists of a series of interlinked nodes, called
switches. Switches are devices capable of creating temporary connections between two or more
devices linked to the switch. In a switched network, some of these nodes are connected to the end
systems (computers or telephones, for example). Others are used only for routing. The following
Figure shows a switched network.

The end systems (communicating devices) are labeled A, B, C, D, and so on, and the switches are
labeled I, II, III, IV, and V. Each switch is connected to multiple links.

There are three methods of switching

 Circuit Switching,
 Packet Switching,
 Message Switching.

Circuit Switched Network

A circuit-switched network consists of a set of switches connected by physical links. A connection

between two stations is a dedicated path made of one or more links. However, each connection uses
only one dedicated channel on each link. Each link is normally divided into n channels by using FDM
or TDM. The following figure shows a trivial circuit-switched network with four switches and four
links.
The end systems, such as computers or telephones, are directly connected to a switch. When end
system A needs to communicate with end system M, system A needs to request a connection to M
that must be accepted by all switches as well as by M itself. This is called the setup phase.

A circuit (channel) is reserved on each link, and the combination of circuits or channels defines the
dedicated path. After the dedicated path made of connected circuits (channels) is established, data
transfer can take place. After all data have been transferred, the circuits are tom down. Circuit
switching takes place at the physical layer.

The actual communication in a circuit-switched network requires three phases:

 connection setup
 data transfer
 connection teardown.

1. Setup Phase:

Before the two parties can communicate, a dedicated circuit needs to be established. The end
systems are normally connected through dedicated lines to the switches, so connection setup means
creating dedicated channels between the switches.

For example, in the above figure when system A needs to connect to system M, it sends a setup
request that includes the address of system M, to switch I. Switch I finds a channel between itself
and switch IV that can be dedicated for this purpose. Switch I then sends the request to switch IV,
which finds a dedicated channel between itself and switch III. Switch III informs system M of system
A's intention at this time. In the next step to making a connection, an acknowledgment from system
M needs to be sent in the opposite direction to system A. Only after system A receives this
acknowledgment is the connection established.

2. Data Transfer Phase:

After the establishment of the dedicated circuit (channels), the two parties can transfer data.

3. Teardown Phase:

When one of the parties needs to disconnect, a signal is sent to each switch to release the resources.

Efficiency and Delay

Although a circuit-switched network normally has low efficiency, the delay in this type of network is
minimal. During data transfer, the data are not delayed at each switch and the resources are
allocated for the duration of the connection.

Packet switching

Packet switching is a method of transferring data to a network in form of packets. In order to

transfer the file fast and efficiently manner over the network and minimize the transmission latency,
the data is broken into small pieces of variable length, called Packet. At the destination, all these
small parts (packets) have to be reassembled, belonging to the same file. A packet composes of a
payload and various control information

Packet switching is a technique used in computer networks to transmit data in the form of packets,
which are small units of data that are transmitted independently across the network. Each packet
contains a header, which includes information about the packet’s source and destination
Modes of Packet Switching
Datagram Networks (Connectionless Packet Switching)
In data communications, we need to send messages from one end system to another. If the message
is going to pass through a packet-switched network, it needs to be divided into packets of fixed or
variable size. The size of the packet is determined by the network and the governing protocol.

In packet switching, there is no resource allocation for a packet. This means that there is no reserved
bandwidth on the links, and there is no scheduled processing time for each packet. Resources are
allocated on demand. The allocation is done on a first come, first-served basis. When a switch
receives a packet, no matter what is the source or destination, the packet must wait if there are
other packets being processed.

In a datagram network, each packet is treated independently of all others. Even if a packet is part of
a multi packet transmission, the network treats it as though it existed alone. Packets in this approach
are referred to as datagrams.

The following figure shows how the datagram approach is used to deliver four packets from station
A to station X. The switches in a datagram network are traditionally referred to as routers.

In this example, all four packets (or datagrams) belong to the same message, but may travel
different paths to reach their destination. This is so because the links may be involved in carrying
packets from other sources and do not have the necessary bandwidth available to carry all the
packets from A to X. This approach can cause the datagrams of a transmission to arrive at their
destination out of order with different delays between the packets. Packets may also be lost or
dropped because of a lack of resources. In most protocols, it is the responsibility of an upper-layer
protocol to reorder the datagrams or ask for lost datagrams before passing them on to the
application. The datagram networks are sometimes referred to as connectionless networks.

Routing Table:

In this type of network, each switch (or packet switch) has a routing table which is based on the
destination address. The routing tables are dynamic and are updated periodically. The destination
addresses and the corresponding forwarding output ports are recorded in the tables. This is different
from the table of a circuit switched network in which each entry is created when the setup phase is
completed and deleted when the teardown phase is over.

Destination Address:
Every packet in a datagram network carries a header that contains, among other information, the
destination address of the packet. When the switch receives the packet, this destination address is
examined.

Efficiency:

The efficiency of a datagram network is better than that of a circuit-switched network. Resources
are allocated only when there are packets to be transferred. If a source sends a packet and there is a
delay of a few minutes before another packet can be sent, the resources can be reallocated during
these minutes for other packets from other sources.

Delay

There may be greater delay in a datagram network than in a virtual-circuit network.

Virtual Circuit Network( Connection-oriented Packet Switching )

A virtual-circuit network is a cross between a circuit-switched network and a datagram network. It

has some characteristics of both.

1. As in a circuit-switched network, there are setup and teardown phases in addition to the data
transfer phase.

2. Resources can be allocated during the setup phase, as in a circuit-switched network, or on

demand, as in a datagram network.

3. As in a datagram network, data are packetized and each packet carries an address in the header.
However, the address in the header has local jurisdiction (it defines what should be the next switch
and the channel on which the packet is being carried), not end-to-end jurisdiction. The reader may
ask how the intermediate switches know where to send the packet if there is no final destination
address carried by a packet.

4. As in a circuit-switched network, all packets follow the same path established during the
connection.

5. A virtual-circuit network is normally implemented in the data link layer, while a circuit-switched
network is implemented in the physical layer and a datagram network in the network layer. But this
may change in the future.

The following figure is an example of a virtual-circuit network. The network has switches that allow
traffic from sources to destinations. A source or destination can be a computer, packet switch,
bridge, or any other device that connects other networks.
Addressing:

In a virtual-circuit network, two types of addressing are involved: global and local (virtual-circuit
identifier).

Global Addressing:

A source or a destination needs to have a global address-an address that can be unique in the scope
of the network or internationally if the network is part of an international network.

Virtual-Circuit Identifier:

The identifier that is actually used for data transfer is called the virtual-circuit identifier (VCI).

Three Phases:

As in a circuit-switched network, a source and destination need to go through three phases in a

virtual-circuit network: setup, data transfer, and teardown.

In setup phase, the source and destination use their global addresses to help switches make table
entries for the connection.

In the teardown phase, the source and destination inform the switches to delete the corresponding
entry.

Data transfer occurs between these two phases.

Data Transfer Phase

To transfer a frame from a source to its destination, all switches need to have a table entry for this
virtual circuit. The table, in its simplest form, has four columns. This means that the switch holds four
pieces of information for each virtual circuit that is already set up. We show later how the switches
make their table entries, but for the moment we assume that each switch has a table with entries
for all active virtual circuits.

Setup Phase:

In the setup phase, a switch creates an entry for a virtual circuit. For example, suppose source A
needs to create a virtual circuit to B. Two steps are required: the setup request and the
acknowledgment.

Setup Request:

A setup request frame is sent from the source to the destination.

Acknowledgment:

A special frame, called the acknowledgment frame, completes the entries in the switching tables.

Teardown Phase:

In this phase, source A, after sending all frames to B, sends a special frame called a teardown
request. Destination B responds with a teardown confirmation frame. All switches delete the
corresponding entry from their tables.
Efficiency:

• Resource reservation in a virtual-circuit network can be made during the setup or can be on
demand during the data transfer phase

• The source can check the availability of the resources, without actually reserving it.

Connection Oriented and Connectionless Services

In order to establish a connection between two or more devices, there are services in Computer
Networks. There are two services that are given by the layers to layers above them. These services
are as follows:

 Connection-Oriented Service
 Connectionless Services

Connection-Oriented Services

There is a sequence of operations to be followed by the users of connection-oriented service. These

are:

1. The connection is established.

2. Information is sent.
3. The connection is released.

In connection-oriented service, we have to establish a connection before starting the

communication. When the connection is established, we send the message or the information and
then we release the connection.

Connection-oriented service is more reliable than connectionless service. We can send the message
in a connection-oriented service if there is an error at the receiver's end. An example of connection-
oriented is TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) protocol.

In the above diagram, a solid line between Device A and Device B indicates that there is a dedicated
link with which the stream of data travels between them. With the help of this link, a receiver can
send an acknowledgment to the sender about the status of the packet.
Advantages

 Connection-Oriented Services are reliable.

 There is no duplication of data packets.
 There are no chances of Congestion.
 These are Suitable for long connections.
 Sequencing of data packets is guaranteed.

Disadvantages

 Drawbacks of Connection-Oriented Service are as follows:

 This allocation of resources is mandatory before communication.
 The speed of connection is slower. As much time is taken for establishing and relinquishing
the connection.
 In the case of Network Congestion or router failures, there are no alternative ways to
continue with communication.

Connection Less Services

It is similar to the postal services, as it carries the full address where the message (letter) is to be
carried. Each message is routed independently from source to destination. The order of messages
sent can be different from the order received.

In connectionless the data is transferred in one direction from source to destination without
checking the destination is still there or not or if it prepared to accept the message. Authentication is
not needed in this. An example of a Connectionless service is UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
protocol.

Advantages

 There are usually low overheads.

 Connection-Oriented services help to broadcast or multicast messages to multiple
recipients.
 In this, there is no circuit setup. Thus it takes a fraction of a minute in order to establish
a connection.
  In the case of Network congestion or router failures, it has an alternative path of data
transmission.

Disadvantages

 These are susceptible to congestion in the network.

 It is not reliable as there is the possibility of a loss of data packets, wrong delivery of packets
or duplication is high.

 In this, each data packet needs lengthy fields because these are supposed to hold all the
destination addresses and the routing information.