Data communication
Would you rather
Circuit or packet switching for your call?
Would you rather reserve a whole line, or share it with everyone?
Quick check · tap an answer to continue
Lesson notes
Key points
- Circuit switching reserves a dedicated path for the whole call, so delay is fixed but idle capacity is wasted.
- Packet switching shares links and suits bursty data, so the deciding factor is whether traffic is steady or bursty.
Definitions
- Bursty traffic
- Data sent in short irregular bursts with long idle gaps, like web browsing, ideal for packet switching
Takeaway: Steady traffic suits circuits; bursty traffic suits packets.
Quick check: Would you rather use circuit or packet switching for a network?
- Circuit switching
- Packet switching
- Depends on the case
Steady constant traffic favours circuits; bursty traffic favours packets.
Circuit switchingBursty traffic
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