PUBLIC SWITCHED DATA NETWORK
Bulleted Summary
Public Switched Data Network
Also known as Packet Switched Data Network
• A switched communications network similar
to the public telephone network except that
it is designed for transferring data only.
• Transports data from source to destination
through a network of intermediate
switching nodes and transmission links.
• Designed for data rather than voice
• Site-to-site switching is handled for you
• You merely connect each site to the PSDN
“cloud”
Connect each site to the PSDN using one leased
line
• Only one leased line per site
• With N sites, you only need N leased lines,
not N* (N-1)/2 as with a full mesh
Access Device Needed at Each Site
• Connects each site to access line
• Often a router
• Sometimes a device specific to a particular
PSDN Technology
Point of Presence (POP)
• Place where you connect to the cloud
• May be several in a city
• May not have any POP close
• Need leased line to POP
• Separate from PSDN charges
In Perspective
• Simpler than Networks of Leased Line
- Less staffing
- Fewer leased lines to support
• Less Expensive than Networks of Leased
Lines
- PSDN prices are very low
- PSDN is less expensive overall
- PSDNs are replacing many leased line mesh
networks
Circuit-Switched PSDNs
• End-to-End Capacity is Guaranteed
- If you need it, it is always there
- When you don’t need it, you still pay for it
- Expensive for data traffic, which usually has
short bursts and long silences
Packet-Switched PSDNs
• Messages are divided into small units called
packets
- Short packets load switches more
effectively than fewer long messages
• Packet-Switched PSDNs Usually Operate at
Layer 2 (Data Link Layer for Single Subnets)
- Should be called frame-switched networks
- Still called packet-switched networks
Packets are multiplexed on trunk lines
• Cost of trunk lines is shared
• Packet switching lowers transmission costs
• Dominates PSDN service today
Packet Switched PSDNs: Virtual Circuits
 • All commercial packet switched PSDNs use
virtual circuits
- Eliminates forwarding decisions for
individual packets
- Reduces switching load, so reduces
switching costs
Unreliable PSDNs:
• Most commercial PSDNs are Unreliable
- (Only obsolete X.25 PSDN technology was
reliable)
- No error correction at each hop between
switches
- Reduces costs of switching
- Note that both virtual circuits and
unreliable service reduce switching costs
PSDN Cost Savings
• Packet Switching
- Reduces costs of transmission lines through
multiplexing
• Virtual Circuits
- Reduces costs of switches because they do
not have to make decisions for each frame
• Unreliability
- Reduces costs of switches because they do
not have to do error correction
VALUE ADDED NETWORK
• “Adds value” to the services or facilities
provided by a common carrier to provide
new types of communication services.
• Comprises an organization that leases
communications lines from common
carriers and adds new types of
communications services to those lines.
• Examples Value Added Services:
- Error Control, Enhanced Connection Reliability,
Dynamic Routing, Failure Protection, Logical
Multiplexing, and Data Format Conversion
Components of PSDN
• Stations/ End Stations
or sites
• Switching nodes
• Transmission links/
leased lines
PSDN Switching Techniques
 Circuit Switched Networks
- The switching technique used for making a
standard telephone call
- Involves establishing a call, information
transfer (in real time), and call
disconnection
- Blocking occurs due to a limited number of
circuits and switching paths
• Blocking is the inability to complete a call
because there are no facilities or switching
paths available between the source and the
destination
- A circuit switch is transparent to the data
- consists of a set of switches connected by
physical links.
- operates at the physical layer.
- creates a dedicated path to complete a link
between the sender and receiver.
 Packet Switched Networks
- Involves dividing data into smaller segments
called packets prior to transmission.
- Called a hold-and-forward network because
unlike messages in message switching that
are stored for a longer period, packets are
usually stored (held) for shorter periods.
- Hold time is generally quite short and
message transfer is near real time.
- It requires a complex and expensive
switching arrangements and complicated
protocols.
- divides the data into packets of fixed or
variable size.
- The size of the packet is determined by the
network and the governing protocol.
• Packet switched networks are classified as:
a.) Datagram Networks
b.) Virtual circuit Networks
 Datagram Networks
- each packet is treated
independently of all others.
- operates at the Network layer.
- Packets using this approach are
referred to as datagrams.
- Each packet of one message can
travel a different route towards their
final destination.
- All packets have a destination
address in the header.
- The destination address for each
datagram is used at a router to
forward the message towards its
final destination.
- A circuit switched network does not
require a header or destination
address for the data transfer stage,
the link is dedicated!
- The packet header contains a
sequence number in the header so it
can be ordered at the destination.
 Virtual-Circuit Networks
 a cross between a circuit-switched
network and a datagram network.
 it shares characteristics of both.
 operates at the data-link layer.
 The packets for a virtual circuit network
are known as frames.
 A virtual-circuit network uses a series of
special temporary addresses known as
virtual circuit identifiers (VCI).
 The VCI at each switch, is used to
advance the frame towards its final
destination.
 The switch has a table with 4 columns:
a) Inputs half
• Input Port Number
• Input VCI
b) Outputs half
• Output Port Number
• Output VCI
 Message-Switched Networks
- A store-and-forward network where data is
not transmitted in real time but rather
passes through transactional switches
capable of storing data and then
transmitting them when it is convenient to
do so or when the load on the network has
decreased.
• Transactional switches can store data or
change its format and bit rate, then convert
the data back to their original form or an
entirely different form at the receive end.
- Blocking cannot occur although delay time
from message transmission to reception
varies from call to call.
- Multiplexes data from different sources into
a common facility.
Examples of Networks that uses PSDN
 X25 protocol layer
- developed by ITU-T
- a packet switched wide area network
- a interface between DTE and DCE for
operation on public data network in packet
- Packet layer (PLP)
mode
- The network layer in X25 is called the
- an end to end protocol
packet layer protocol or PLP layer.
- defines procedures and protocols needed
- establishes the connection to transfer the
to establish, maintain and terminate the
data and to terminate the connection.
connections.
- creates virtual circuit and to negotiate
- defines services to provide functions such
network services between two DTEs
as reverse charge, call direct and delay
- PLP packets will have 3-4 bytes of header
control
and optional information fields.
- referred as subscriber networks protocol
- PLP Packet = Header + User data/control
- uses virtual circuit approach to packet
frame/No data
switching and uses asynchronous TDM to
- Header = GFI (4 bits) , LCN (12 bits), PTI (8
multiplex the packets
bits or 16 bits)
- GFI or General Format Identifier is a 4 bit
X25 Protocol Stack
field.
• consists of three layers:
- The first bit (Q bit, Qualifier) defined source
- Physical layer (X.21)
of control information. 0 for PLP and 1 for
- At this layer, X25 specifies X.21 protocol. It
upper layer protocol.
is similar to other physical layer protocols
- The D bit (Delivery) defines which device
such as EIA 232.
should acknowledge the packet 0 for local
DCE, 1 for remote DTE. The last two bits
- Frame layer (LAPB)
indicate size of sequence number fields.
- At this layer, X25 provides data link control
- LCN or Logical Channel Number is a 12 bit
using LAPB, which is subset of HDLC
field which identifies virtual circuit chosen
protocol.
for the transmission.
- LAPB is a bit oriented protocol
- PTI or Packet Type Identifier defines the
- The communication is point to point and in
type of packet, data packet or control
asynchronous balanced mode.
packet (RR, RNR, REJ etc.).
- Address for DTE: 00000001
- Address for DCE: 00000011
 Frame Relay Network
- a packet switched network consisting of
There are three types of frames:
DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) and DCE
I-frames are used to encapsulate PLP
(Data Circuit Terminating Equipment)
packets from the upper layer
- Developed for ISDN, but widely used in
S-frame is used for error control and flow
public and private non ISDN networks.
control
- Higher throughput compare to X.25
U-frame is used to set up and disconnect
protocol.
the connection between DTE and DCE
- No hop to hop flow control or error control.
Upper layer protocols should take care to
There are three phases to establish
detect and recover discarded frames.
communication between DTE and DCE:
- Multiplexing and switching of logical
Link setup
connections are taken care by layer 2 and
Transferring data
not layer-3.
Link Disconnect
- Control signals are carried out by separate
logical connection than user data.
- Supports multiple protocols such as
NetBIOS, ATM, TCP/IP, voice etc.
- Each connection is identified by unique
DLCI(Data link connection identifier).

Frame-Standard, LMI frame types

- The Data information to be transmitted
over frame relay network is encapsulated in
a frame which uses only 2-5 bytes of Topology
overhead • Peer (point-to-point),
- Standard frame relay frame consists of start • Star (hub and spoke),
flag, header, data (variable length up to • Partial mesh, and
16000 octets), FCS and end Flag. • Full mesh
- Start flag and end flag are used for frame
delimiters or as frame synchronization. Service
- FCS is used as checksum for detecting - provides user with multiple independent
errors. data links to one or more destination
stations
- provides service similar to leased line
- typically available at fractional and full
T1/E1 rates
- also offered at T3 rates by some of the
frame relay vendors

Switch, frame relay configuration and

FRAD device
- Ports are mapped with DLCI values
- two tables used in frame relay configuration
which is
frame relay map and frame relay switching
table

Frame relay map

- Consists of two fields the IP address and
DLCI values.
- a table stored in RAM which defines remote
interface
(IP address) to which specific DLCI number
is mapped.
- can be made automatically or manually
depending
upon frame relay topology.
 Frame switching table
- Consists of four fields the IN_Port, IN_DLCI,
OUT_Port, and OUT_DLCI.
Frame Relay Assembler and Disassembler
- a specialized device which is designed to
provide connection between LAN and
Frame Relay WAN (Wide Area Network).
Advantages
• As there is no error detection incorporated
in frame relay, greater speeds can be
achieved.
• It can dynamically allocate bandwidth on
need basis.
• Congestion control mechanism is
implemented in frame relay. This reduces
network overhead in the network. It
implements two congestion notification
mechanisms (FECN, BECN) as mentioned
above. During congestion condition, these
fields are set to '1'.
Disadvantages
• It does not perform flow control and error
control. This has to be taken care by upper
layers.
CCITT X.25 User-to-Network Interface
Protocol
• Designated by the CCITT in 1976 as the
international standard for packet network
access.
• Addresses the ISO physical, data-link, and
network layers.
• PHYSICAL LAYER STANDARDS:
- X.21, X.26, X.27
- EIA RS-232, RS-423A, RS-422A
Link Access Procedure Balanced (LAPB)
- A subset of HDLC that provides for two-way,
full-duplex communications between DTE
and DCE at the packet network gateway.
DATA-LINK LAYER STANDARDS:
- HDLC (High-Level Data Link Control
Protocol)
- ANSI 3.66 ADCP (Advanced Data
Communications Control Procedures)
• LAPB COMMANDS
• LAPB RESPONSES
CCITT X.25 Switching Service
 PERMANENT VIRTUAL CIRCUIT
– Logically equivalent to a two-point dedicated
private line circuit except slower because no
hardwired circuit is provided.
– Appropriate switches and circuits must be
established through the network to provide
interconnection
– Identifies the routing between two
predetermined network subscribers which will
be used for all subsequent messages.
 VIRTUAL CALL
– Logically equivalent to making a telephone
call
through the DDD network except no direct
endto-
end connection is made.
– Temporary virtual connections that use
common
usage equipment and circuits.
 – It is a one to many arrangement or point-to- ITU-T X Series of recommended standards
multipoint.
 DATAGRAM • X.1-X.39
– Consists of self-contained packets that travel – Deals with services and facilities, terminals, and
through the network independent of other
packets of the same message by whatever interfaces.
means
• X.40-X.199
possible.
– The network does not acknowledge the – Deals with Network architecture, transmission,
packets
signaling, switching, maintenance, and
nor ensure successful transmission.
– Reliable only when a message can fit into a administrative arrangements.
single
packet.
– Called a single-packet-per-segment protocol.

CCITT X.25 Packet Format

• CALL REQUEST PACKET

– Format Identifier

– Logical Channel Identifier (LCI)

– Packet Type

– Calling Address Length

– Called Address Length

– Called Address

– Calling Address

– Facilities Length Field Differences between PSTN, PSDN, and

– Facilities Field ISDN
– Protocol Identifier PSTN-Public Switched Telephone Network

– User Data Field

• DATA TRANSFER PACKET

– Similar to a call request packet except for

considerably less overhead and a much larger

user data field.

– Also includes two additional fields namely:
• Send Packet Sequence Field
• Receive Packet Sequence Field
• It uses circuit switching.
• Bandwidth is reserved in advance.
• Dedicated path is established between calling party
and called party.

• cost is based on distance and call duration or time.

PSDN-Public Switched Data Network
• It is designed and developed specifically for data
transmission rather than voice.
• Communication is shared i.e. many companies share
switching network.
• It uses packet switching.
• It acquires and releases bandwidth as needed.
• No dedicated path exists between sender and
receiver.
• Cost is not based on distance and time. It depends on
usage of the data. Cost of service is normally lower than
leased line.
ISDN-Integrated Services Digital Network
• BRI provides two number of 64 Kbps channel and
single 16 kbps control channel. Total data rate
supported by BRI is 144 Kbps.
• PRI provides 23 number of 64 kbps channel and single
64 kbps control channel. Total data rate supported by
PRI is 1.544 Mbps.
References:
ch14-forouzan.ppt
Ch_08new.ppt
https://avinetworks.com/glossary/packet-switching/
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series
https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/PSTN-vs-
PSDN-vs-ISDN.html.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Packet-
switched+data+network
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