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Packet switching
In computer networking and telecommunications, packet switching is a
communications paradigm in which packets (messages or fragments of messages)
are individually routed between nodes, with no previously established
communication path.
Packet switching was invented by Donald Davies and Paul Baran in the early 1960s.
A packet is a block of user data together with necessary address and
administration information attached, to allow the network to deliver the
data to the correct destination. One data connection will usually carry a
stream of packets of data that will not necessarily be all routed the same
way over the physical network.
Analogous to a physical packet sent through the post with the address
written on the outside, this provides the information the network (the
postal service) needs to get the packet to the correct destination.
Packets are routed to their destination through the most expedient route (as
determined by some routing algorithm). Not all packets travelling between
the same two hosts, even those from a single message, will necessarily
follow the same route.
The destination computer reassembles the packets into their appropriate
sequence. Packet switching is used to optimise the use of the bandwidth
available in a network and to minimise the latency. Ethernet, X.25 and Frame
relay are international standard layer 2 packet switching networks.
Notably, the Internet is a packet-switched network, running the Internet
protocol layer 3 protocol over a variety of other network technologies.
Also called connectionless. Opposite of circuit switched or
connection-oriented networking, although technologies such as MPLS are
beginning to blur the boundaries between the two.
This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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