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Packet Switching

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8 views3 pages

Packet Switching

Uploaded by

VengaiChiseva
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PACKET SWITCHING

Example 1:

To transmit the message “This is a message :)” over the internet, the TCP might break the
message down into 4 packets

 Each packet in diagram contains a source IP address, destination IP


address, payload (the data) and a packet number. Error checking and end
of packet notifications have not been included in this example.
 Error checks make sure that when a packet is received there is minimal or
no corruption of the data.
 Corruption is where packet data is changed or lost in some way, or data
is gained that originally was not in the packet.
 A parity bit checks that no bits have been flipped from 0 to 1 or vice
versa.
 A checksum performs a calculation and compares the result to the
checksum value. If the values are different then the data has been
corrupted.

How are packets sent across the internet? Packet Switching

 Sending packets over the internet is called packet switching and is more
efficient than circuit switching
 Packet switching involves:
 Routers know which nearby router is closer to the destination device,
 Data traffic builds up on the internet, and routers can see this and
decide to send a packet down a different route that avoids traffic.
 Packets from the same message can take different routes from the
sender to the receiver, and may arrive in different orders.
 The receiver's computer reassembles the message by reordering the
packets using the packet numbers.
 Packet Switching involves breaking down a file into packets and sending
these packets down different routes over the internet (via routers) from a
source to a destination and reassembling them at the end.
 Packet numbers allow for the original message, which has been broken
down into smaller parts, to be re-assembled in the correct order, or
assembled together, once all of the packets have been received.
 Routers contain routing tables which keep track of nearby routers like a
map or contacts list
 If a packet does not reach its destination the receiver can send a resend
request to the sender to resend the packet

Figure 2: Packets take different routes across a network from the


source address to reach the destination address as shown by the green,
blue and red routes taken

The advantages of packet switching are:

 Interference and corruption are minimal as individual packets can be resent if


they are lost or damaged.
 The whole file doesn’t need to be resent if a corruption occurs, only the
individual packets that were corrupted need to be resent to save time and
internet bandwidth.
 Packet switching is quicker than sending a large packet as each packet finds
the quickest way around the network.
 It's harder to hack an individual's data as each packet contains minimal data,
and travels through the network separately.
Worked example
A local market shop wishes to arrange a delivery of goods from a supplier. Anna,
the shop owner, decides to send an email to request the delivery of the goods at
a certain date and time.

Describe how packet switching is used to send this email and how it can be
protected from corruption. [8]

 The business email is first broken down into packets which are given a
source address (where it’s come from) and a destination address (where
it’s going to)
[1]
 Each packet receives a packet number so that the email can be
reassembled when it reaches its destination [1]
 Each packet also receives an error check such as a parity bit. A parity bit
checks whether any bits have been flipped due to corruption [1]
 Each packet is sent over the internet via routers. Routers contain routing
tables that determine the next closest router to the destination [1]
 Packets may take different routes depending on internet traffic and arrive
at their destination in any order [1]
 Packets are checked for errors using the error checks and missing packets
can be requested to be resent [1]
 Once all packets have been received then they can be put together in
order using the packet numbers
[1]
 Once assembled the original email can be read by the other business [1]

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