The communications technology on which the Internet is based. Packets of digital data are transmitted from many people simultaneously between computers.
Packet-switching permits the transfer of data that is broken into small data packets by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Each data packet is sent individually and even along different routes to a specified Internet Protocol (IP) address where it is reassembled. This permits the same pathways to be used by multiple users simultaneously. In contrast, circuit-switching, the method used in Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), requires a dedicated connection for the duration of data transfer.
A networking technology which makes it possible for data from different machines to share common transmission lines. Without it, dedicated lines linking one computer directly to another would be necessary, or at least preferred. With it in place, the network is built with lines linking node to node (one machine or network to another machine or network.) Packet-switching breaks data down into little packets, each with a code showing its destination and instructions for putting the packets back together again. The packets move individually through the network, joining up again when they all reach the destination.
Refers to protocols in which messages are divided into packets before they are sent. Each packet is then transmitted individually and can even follow different routes to its destination. Once all the packets forming a message arrive at the destination, they are recompiled into the original message. Packet switching is more efficient and robust for data that can withstand some delays in transmission, such as e-mail messages and web pages. See Packet.
A model of data transmission in which messages are broken into increments, or packets, each of which can be routed separately from a source then reassembled into the proper order at the destination.
A wireless technology which takes a user's data stream, disassembles it into smaller segments (packets) and transmits the packets through the network in bursts. Packet-switch has begun to replace the older “circuit-switching” technology, which doesn't use dedicated paths.
Breaking voice or data into small units, or packets, transmitted over the network to the destination. Packet-switching is more efficient than circuit-switching because network resources are only used when packets are sent.
The standard technique used to send information over the Internet. A message is broken into packets that travel independently from network to network toward their common destination, where they are reunited.
Technique whereby the information (voice or data) to be sent is broken up into packets, of at most a few KB each, which are then routed by the network between different destinations based on addressing data within each packet. Use of network resources is optimized, as the resources are needed only during the handling of each packet. This is an ideal model for ad hoc data communication, and works well also for voice, video and other streamed data. Mobile phones with packet-switched communication appear to be "always connected" to the data network, whereas in the case of circuit-switched connections, setup time takes around 30 seconds to connect from a mobile phone to an ISP. Use of packet-switched network can be charged according to the volume of data transferred and not to any notion of time spent online.
The transfer of data divided into data packets, each with its own identification and destination address, between computer systems.