Data Packets

Data is broken down into packets to be transmitted.

makes data easier to control than a long continuous stream of data.

Packets Structure

• Header: IP Address of Destination & Sender. Packet Number and the Size.
• Payload: The actual data in the packet.
• Trailer: Uses and contains error detection mechanisms, checking of end of the packet.

Packet Switching (PS)

It is a method of sending and receiving datas.

1. Data is broken down into packets.

2. Packets are assigned a header.

3. Each packet makes its way to the destination.

   — Packets may take different routes depending on internet traffic.

4. Routers control the routes taken for each packet.

   — Routers know which nearby router is closer to the destination device.

   Chooses a more efficient route in packet-switching process.

5. Once the last packet has arrived, packets has to be reordered and reassembled.

Example: Secret Message is seperated into P1, P2, P3, and it goes by a different route to destination. Once it reaches the destination, it has to be reassembled back to original data.

• Interference and corruption are minimal as individual packets can be resent if they are lost or damaged. It's also harder to hack an individual's data as each packet contains minimal data, and travels through the network separately

• How would packet switching be used to download a page from a website?

Routers

Tasks that router does:

• Send and Receive packets of data
• Converts packets from one protocol to another