Cambridge O Level Computer Science · Syllabus 2210 · Data Transmission
Packet Switching
What is Packet Switching?
Packet switching is a method of data transmission in which data is broken into packets that are routed independently across a network, may take different routes, may arrive out of order, and are reordered at the receiver once the last packet has arrived.
This definition is part of the Data Transmission chapter in Cambridge O Level Computer Science.
Packet Switching in context
Packet switching is a method of transmitting data in which the data is broken down into packets and each packet is sent across the network independently. A router controls the route a packet takes, so each packet could take a different route from the same sender to the same receiver. Because the routes can differ in length and congestion, packets may arrive out of order. Once the last packet has arrived, the packets are reordered using the packet numbers in their headers, and the original data is reconstructed.