Packet & Circuit switching

• What does circuit switching provide for traditional telephone networks?

  A temporary and dedicated link of fixed bandwidth between the source and destination
• How long does the dedicated link created by circuit switching last?

  Until the transmission is complete
• What is a key advantage of circuit switching?

  It guarantees the quality of the transmission through dedicated bandwidth
• Why is circuit switching considered excellent for real-time video transmission?

  Because it provides a constant link end to end
• What is a downside of circuit switching?

  A lot of the potential bandwidth can be wasted
• What does packet switching do with data?

  It breaks data into smaller blocks called packets
• How are packets sent in packet switching?

  Independently of one another via the least congested route
• What is a key advantage of packet switching over circuit switching?

  It maximizes bandwidth usage
• What can happen to packets in packet switching?

  They can take different routes and arrive out of order
• Why is packet switching considered more affordable and efficient?

  Because all bandwidth can be used at once
• How does packet switching respond to network failures?

  It can easily respond if certain nodes on the network fail
• What are the key differences between circuit switching and packet switching?

  Circuit Switching:

  • Physical path between source and destination
  • All packets use the same path
  • Reserves bandwidth in advance
  • Can cause bandwidth wastage
  • No store and forward transmission

  
  

  Packet Switching:

  • No one physical path
  • Packets travel independently
  • Does not reserve bandwidth
  • Very little bandwidth wastage
  • Supports store and forward transmissions