• Cons • complexity of circuit setup/teardown • inefficient when traffic is bursty • circuit setup adds delay • switch fails → its circuit(s) fails Packet switching
switch
dst
Each packet contains destination (dst)
Each packet treated independently Packet switching
switch
dst
Each packet contains destination (dst)
Each packet treated independently
With buffers to absorb transient overloads
Packet Switching • Pros • efficient use of network resources • simpler to implement • robust: can “route around trouble”
• Cons • unpredictable performance • requires buffer management and congestion control • On-demand or reserve? Goals • What is a network made of? • How is it shared? - will assume packet switching from here on • How do we evaluate a network? Goals • What is a network made of? • How is it shared? • How do we evaluate a network? Performance Metrics • Delay • Loss • Throughput Delay • How long does it take to send a packet from its source to destination? Loss • What fraction of the packets sent to a destination are dropped? Throughput • At what rate is the destination receiving data from the source
