SWITCHINGCONCEPTS

BY

N.V.D.MURALIDHAR
 SWITCHES

Problem

-Each user can potentially call any other user

-Cant have direct line

-Switches establish temporary circuits

-Switching systems come in two parts

Switch and switch controller
 Routing and Switching

Many connections will need path through more

Than one switch

Static routing uses same approach all the time

Dynamic routing allow for changes in routing

Depending on traffic

Switching is local connectivity between input

And output line
 Basic Concepts and Terminology

-Transfer medium- buses that deliver cells

-Queues- Memory locetions that temporarily

Store cells

-Switch element -building block for switch

-Switch fabric -the shape of the switches

 Basic Concepts and Terminology

Blocking:
-A network is unable to connect stations
because all paths are in use
-A blocking network allows this
-Used on voice systems
- short duration calls
Non Blocking
-Permits all stations to connect (in pairs)
At once
-Used for some data connections
SWITCHING
-When there are many devices, it is necessary to develop suitable
mechanism for communication between any two devices.

- One alternative is to establish point-to-point communication

between each pair of devices using mesh topology.

-However, mesh topology is impractical for large number of devices

because the number of links increases exponentially (n(n-1)/2 )
with the number of devices.

-A better alternative is to use switching techniques leading to

switched communication network.

-In the switched network methodology, the network consists

of a set of interconnected nodes, among which information is
transmitted from source to destination via different routes,
which is controlled by the switching mechanism.
Switching Networks

 Long distance transmission is typically done

over a network of switched nodes
 Nodes not concerned with content of data
 End devices are stations
 Computer, terminal, phone, etc.
 A collection of nodes and connections is a
communications network
 Data routed by being switched from node to
node
Nodes

 Nodes may connect to other nodes only, or to

stations and other nodes
 Node to node links usually multiplexed
 Network is usually partially connected
 Some redundant connections are desirable for
reliability
 Two different switching technologies
 Circuit switching
 Packet switching
Simple Switched Network
The switching performed by different
nodes can be categorized into the
Following three types:

*Circuit Switching

*Packet Switching

*Message Switching
 Circuit-Switching

 Circuit switching creates a direct physical

connection between two devices such as
phones or computers.
 We can use switches to reduce the number
and length of links.
 A circuit switch

 A circuit switch is a device with n inputs and m outputs

that creates a temporary connection between an input
link and an output link.
 The number of inputs does not have to match the
number of outputs.
 A folded switch
 An n-by-n folded switch can connect n lines in full-duplex
mode. For example, it can connect n telephones in such a
way that each phone can be connected to every other
phone.
 Circuit switching uses space-division switch [paths in the
circuit are separated from each other spatially] or time-
division switch.
Circuit switching uses three
technologies:

Space-division switching,

Time-division switching

or
combination of both
 Space division switching
-Developed for analog environment

-Separate physical paths

*Cross bar switch

- Number of cross points grows as square of
number of stations
-Loss of cross point prevents connection
Inefficient use of
-All stations connected only a few cross points
in use
-Non Blocking
Crossbar matrix
 Crossbar switches

-In the simplest form n input lines and n output lines feed to form n*n
electronic switches

-If all the lines are full duplex , half the number of switches are required

-A part from the number of number of I/O pins are also a problem
 Multistage switch

 Multistage switch combines crossbar switches in several stages.

 Design of a multistage switch depends on the number of stages
and the number of switches required (or desired) in each stage.
 Normally, the middle stages have fewer switches than do the
first and last stages.
 MULTIPLE Switching paths

 Multiple paths are available in multistage switches.

 Blocking refers to times when two inputs are looking for
the same output. The output port is blocked.
 Time-Division Switch
 Time-division switching uses time-division multiplexing to
achieve switching. Two methods used are:
 Time-slot interchange (TSI) changes the order of the slots based on
the desired connection.
 TDM bus

Figure 8.7 Time-division multiplexing, without and with a time-slot interchange

 Time-slot interchange
 TSI consists of random access memory (RAM) with several
memory locations. The size of each location is the same as
the size of a single time slot.
 The number of locations is the same as the number of inputs.
 The RAM fills up with incoming data from time slots in the
order received. Slots are then sent out in an order based on
the decisions of a control unit.
Packet Switching Principles

 Circuit switching designed for voice

 Resources dedicated to a particular call
 Much of the time a data connection is idle
 Data rate is fixed
 Both ends must operate at the same rate
Basic Operation

 Data transmitted in small packets

 Typically 1000 octets
 Longer messages split into series of packets
 Each packet contains a portion of user data plus
some control info
 Control info
 Routing (addressing) info
 Packets are received, stored briefly (buffered)
and past on to the next node
 Store and forward
Use of Packets
Advantages

 Line efficiency
 Single node to node link can be shared by many packets over
time
 Packets queued and transmitted as fast as possible
 Data rate conversion
 Each station connects to the local node at its own speed
 Nodes buffer data if required to equalize rates
 Packets are accepted even when network is busy
 Delivery may slow down
 Priorities can be used
Switching Technique

 Station breaks long message into packets

 Packets sent one at a time to the network
 Packets handled in two ways
 Datagram
 Virtual circuit
Datagram

 Each packet treated independently

 Packets can take any practical route
 Packets may arrive out of order
 Packets may go missing
 Up to receiver to re-order packets and
recover from missing packets
Datagram
Diagram
Virtual Circuit

 Preplanned route established before any

packets sent
 Call request and call accept packets establish
connection (handshake)
 Each packet contains a virtual circuit identifier
instead of destination address
 No routing decisions required for each packet
 Clear request to drop circuit
 Not a dedicated path
Virtual
Circuit
Diagram
Virtual Circuits v Datagram

 Virtual circuits
 Network can provide sequencing and error control
 Packets are forwarded more quickly
 No routing decisions to make
 Less reliable
 Loss of a node looses all circuits through that node
 Datagram
 No call setup phase
 Better if few packets
 More flexible
 Routing can be used to avoid congested parts of the
network