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Question
What is packet switching?
Answer
Data is cut into small packets, each sent independently across the network and joined back together at the destination. No line is reserved for a whole transfer, so many conversations share the network at once.
Question
What does a packet header contain?
Answer
The destination address, so routers know where to send it; the source address, so a reply or a request to resend can be sent back; and a sequence number saying where this piece belongs in the message.
Question
Why do packets arrive out of order?
Answer
Each packet is routed independently, and different routes take different times. This is expected behaviour, which is exactly why sequence numbers are in the header.
Question
What do switches and routers each do in packet switching?
Answer
A switch delivers a frame to the one device it is addressed to within a single network. A router reads the destination IP address and chooses the next network to forward the packet to, one hop at a time.
Question
Why is packet switching better than reserving a line?
Answer
A reserved line is wasted whenever nobody is talking, and a break in it ends the conversation. Packet switching fills the gaps with other traffic and routes around breaks, and a lost packet means resending one packet rather than everything.
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Topic 2.3 hub
Data transmissions
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Computer Science exam skills
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