An overview of packet-switching communications

A brief introduction is provided to an alternative computer-based technique for connecting a source to a destination, one which is not an evolutionary improvement in circuit switching but a radical departure from traditional techniques, namely packet switching. It is noted that this mechanism is becoming firmly established as a method for communicating digital data. Advances are also being made rapidly in the transmission of voice by this means, and packet switching may in fact be ideal for some future systems in which voice and data are fully integrated. The distinguishing feature of a packet-switched system is that a computer organizes outgoing digital information into segments which make their way independently to the receiving stations. Here, other computers reassemble them into replicas of the original message. One of the objectives conveniently achieved by packet systems is robustness with respect to blockage on particular links in the network. It is pointed out that two significant limitations affect the design and use of packet-switched systems; one is the need for substantial computer processing and bit manipulation at the network nodes, the other is accumulation of delay for real-time traffic.