Packet switching

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Introduction

WAN connections are used to connect various locations that are geographical apart in order to facilitate the flow of information and other kinds of data .Switching techniques have been widely used to provide the necessary connection that are required. The two widely used switching technologies in various WAN networks are circuit switching and packet switching. Circuit switching is a connection technology that is designed to use a single channel or connection to facilitate the flow or data or information from one point to another. This type of switching technology has been widely used.

The other switching skills is the packet switching technology. Packetswitching refers to a technology that is employed to transfer data by dividing the data into virtual packets before transmitting it from one point to another (Laudon, 2002). WAN System is for connecting the Three Offices at New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The task at hand is to connect three local offices that are located in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. The group of engineers working on this project settled on the use of Packet switching technology. This was after proper analysis of each of the technology to determine the advantages as well as other implications associated with each.

Packet Switching

As mentioned earlier, packet switching involves dividing the data that is to be transmitted into small packets that are virtual and the transmitting it to the destination that is preferred.The group of engineers settled on this technology basically because of the various advantages that the use of the packet switching technology has over the circuit switching system as well as the needs of the company.

The first reason whythis technology was settled on is because this type of technology is stable and efficient and can allow for real time transmission of audio and even video information from one office to another. This technology allows each and every packet to find its own transmissionpath and does not require the use of a dedicated path for transmission. This makes the use of this technology very stable and efficient.

The second reason why this kind of technology was settled on is because packet data switching technology will provide a suitable networking system for the organization. Thereliability of this system is due to the fact that in a case where one of the packets that was sent is missing, the receiving device will be able to detect this and it will request the missing information to be resent. This is unlike the circuit switching system that cannot resend missing data. This therefore makes the packet switching technology very reliable. Packet switching technology is also very resilient. The packet data switching will use rooters to facilitate transmission of data. The routers are the ones that will use their knowledge to send any traffic of data through the channel that it will see as the most efficient. If there is any kind of network link failure, these routers that are used will use their knowledge to determine a new channel that it will use to transfer the packets of data from one office to another (Mortimer & Post, 1973).

The final reason why this technology was settled on is because packet switching technology is verycost effective. Theversatility ofthis technology allows it to transmit any type of data in real time in the same network.Thistherefore makes it very effective. The packet switchingsystem is also scalable because of the use of routers.When there is expansion in any one of the three offices, the routers that are used will detect this expansion and readjust accordingly. These factors therefore were the basis for settlingonthe packet data switchingtechnology over the circuit switchingtechnology for the organization’s WAN system for the three offices connection.

Traffic Flow across the Connectivity between LANs

The three offices located at Los Angeles, New York and Chicago have well connected LAN systems.LAN a an abbreviation for Local Area Network connects the various computers in each of the offices toa common database so that each usercan access the information that he or she may require in the database of the local office. The function of the WAN system that is being proposed is to connect the three LAN networks in the three local offices. This will allow for flow of information from one local office to another. Whena user wants to send information from for example the local office at Chicago to the other office in Los Angeles, the LAN and the WAN will worktogether tofacilitate this.When the user at Chicago sends the information, the information moves through the LAN network in the Chicago office to the main database of the Chicago office LAN.

This information will then fed into a router that willthe divide the data into virtual units that are called packets. Each packet will have a destination address and header address. The router will then determine which path each data will follow toits destination. The data moves from the router in the Chicago office facilitated by a chosen Internet Service Provider (ISP).This data is then received in the other end in another router. The packets do notarrive at the receiving device in any Order since they follow different paths.The receiving device then uses the headers in every data togroupthe data into the required sequence to make it logical. When any part of data is missing the router in the receiving end router requests for it to be resent. The data from the receiving device is then transferred to the database of the LAN of the receiving office. From this database the users at this local office will then be able to access it from their various computers.This system will be similar in all the three local offices at Los Angeles, New York and Chicago and will therefore allow the workers in each local office top access the information.

Reference

Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2002). Management information systems: managing the digital

firm (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Mortimer, R. G., & Post, D. V. (1973). Investigation of switching modes for a three beam

headlamp system. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, Highway Safety Research Institute.