Computer networksLesson 1 of 2 in the course Network models and layering

Packet Switching: Forwarding, Service Models, and Internet Development

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Packet switching is the method used to move data through most modern computer networks. This lesson explains how data is divided into packets, how packets travel, and how packet switching differs from circuit switching.

A larger message or data stream is sent as a sequence of packets. Intermediate devices such as routers and switches receive packets, store them temporarily, and forward them toward their destinations. This process is called store and forward.

All flashcards

What is a packet?
A unit of data formatted for transmission across a network, typically containing a header and a payload.
What is the difference between a header and a payload?
The header carries control information used to handle and direct a packet; the payload is the data the packet carries.
What is store-and-forward?
The process in which a network device receives a packet, buffers it temporarily, and retransmits it toward its destination.
How does packet switching share capacity?
It allocates link capacity to packets as needed, allowing different traffic flows to use the same link at different times.
Name the four components of a packet switch.
Input ports, output ports, a routing processor, and a switching fabric.

Quiz questions

  1. What does statistical multiplexing mean in packet networks?Answer: Link capacity is shared among traffic flows as their demands change.
  2. When can packet routing help a network continue operating after a link or node failure?Answer: When another usable route exists around the failed part of the network.
  3. What is the routing processor's role in a packet switch?Answer: It makes or maintains decisions about where packets should go.
  4. What service does TCP provide when it runs over IP?Answer: Connection-oriented transport over a connectionless network-layer service.
  5. What is a trade-off of packet switching compared with circuit switching?Answer: It shares capacity dynamically but does not inherently guarantee a fixed rate or delay.

Based on the Wikipedia article Packet switching, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Computer networks

All Computer networks lessons
Computer networksComputer Networking Foundations: Media, Protocols, Topologies, and Security5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksBorder Gateway Protocol: Routing, Sessions, Policy, and Operations5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →