DCCN IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
CHAPTER 5
SHORT QUESTION:-
1. What do you understand about data traffic?(2 marks)
Ans:-
• Data traffic is the amount of data moving across a network at a given point of time.
• Examples – Emails, file downloads, and software updates.
2. Define switching.(2 marks)
Ans:-
• In large networks, there can be multiple paths from sender to receiver. The switching technique will decide
the best route for data transmission.
• Switching technique is used to connect the systems for making one-to-one communication.
3. Define congestion.(2 marks)
Ans:-
• Congestion is an important issue that can arise in packet switched network.
• Congestion is a situation in Communication Networks in which too many packets are present in a part of
the subnet, performance degrades.
LONG QUESTIONS:-
4. Write short note on-i) Circuit switching ii)X.25(Each 4 marks)
Ans:-
I. Circuit switching:-
• In circuit switching there are 3 phases
i) Connection Establishment.
ii) Data Transfer.
iii) Connection Released
• In circuit switching, each data unit know the entire path address which is provided by the source.
• In Circuit switching, data is processed at source system only.
• Delay between data units in circuit switching is uniform.
• Circuit switching is more reliable.
II. X.25:-
• X.25 is an ITU-T standard that specifies an interface between a host system and a packet Switching
network.
• The functionality of X.25 is specified on three levels:
(a) Physical level
(b) Link level
(c) Packet level
• The physical level deals with the physical interface between an attached station(computer)
and the link that attaches that station to the packet switching node.
• The data as a sequence of frames.
• The link level standard is referred to as LAPB (Link Access Protocol- Balanced)
5. Differentiate between circuit switching and packet switching.(6 marks)
Ans:-
Circuit switching Packet Switching
In circuit switching there are 3 In Packet switching directly data
phases transfer takes place.
i) Connection Establishment.
ii) Data Transfer.
iii) Connection Released.
In circuit switching, each data unit In Packet switching, each data unit
know the entire path address which just know the final destination
is provided by the source. address intermediate path is decided
by the routers.
In Circuit switching, data is In Packet switching, data is
processed at source system only processed at all intermediate node
including source system.
Delay between data units in circuit Delay between data units in packet
switching is uniform. switching is not uniform.
Resource reservation is the feature of There is no resource reservation
circuit switching because path is because bandwidth is shared among
fixed for data transmission. users.
Circuit switching is more reliable. Packet switching is less reliable.
Wastage of resources are more in Less wastage of resources as
Circuit Switching. compared to Circuit Switching
It is not a store and forward It is a store and forward technique.
technique.
Transmission of the data is done by Transmission of the data is done not
the source. only by the source, but also by the
intermediate routers.
6. Compare between datagram and virtual circuit approach in packet switching technology.(6 marks)
Ans:-
Datagram Virtual circuit
In datagram switching, each packet In virtual circuit switching, a
is treated independently and is dedicated logical connection or a
routed through the network based on virtual circuit is established between
the destination address contained the source and destination before
within the packet header. data transmission begins.
Packets may take different paths During the connection establishment
through the network, and they can phase, a path is determined, and
arrive at the destination out of order. resources are allocated along the
path for the entire duration of the
communication.
The Internet Protocol (IP) is an Frame Relay and Asynchronous
example of a protocol that uses Transfer Mode (ATM) are examples of
datagram switching. protocols that use virtual circuit
switching.
Efficiency high, delay more. Efficiency low and delay less.
Datagram networks are not as Virtual Circuits are highly reliable.
reliable as Virtual Circuits.
Widely used in Internet. Used in X.25, ATM(Asynchronous
Transfer Mode)
7. What is congestion? Describe about the 6 causes of congestion.(6 marks)
Ans:-
Congestion:-
• Congestion refers to a situation where the volume of traffic on a network or system exceeds its capacity,
leading to reduced performance, increased delays, and potential data loss or service disruption.
The six main causes of congestion are:
Insufficient Bandwidth:
• When the available bandwidth or network capacity is not enough to handle the amount of data traffic, it can
lead to congestion. This can occur due to an increase in the number of users, applications, or data-
intensive activities on the network.
Network Bottlenecks:
• Bottlenecks are points in the network where the capacity is lower than the rest of the system, causing data
to accumulate and creating congestion. These bottlenecks can be caused by outdated hardware,
inadequate network design, or software inefficiencies.
Excessive Broadcast Traffic:
• In networks that rely on broadcast domains, excessive broadcast traffic can consume a significant portion
of the available bandwidth, leading to congestion. This can happen due to network misconfiguration,
malicious attacks (such as broadcast storms), or applications generating excessive broadcast traffic.
Inefficient Routing:
• Poor routing decisions or suboptimal routing protocols can cause data to take longer paths, increasing the
load on certain network segments and contributing to congestion. Inefficient routing can also occur due to
misconfigured routing tables or outdated routing protocols.
Malicious Traffic:
• Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and other forms of malicious
traffic can overwhelm network resources and cause severe congestion. These attacks can be launched by
flooding the network with a large volume of traffic or exploiting vulnerabilities in network protocols or
applications.
Network Failures and Outages:
• When network components, such as routers, switches, or links, fail or experience outages, the available
network capacity is reduced, and the remaining resources may become overloaded, leading to congestion.
Network failures can also cause traffic to be rerouted through alternative paths, potentially creating
bottlenecks and congestion.
8. What is the difference between open loop and close loop congestion control? Name the policies that can
control the congestion.(10 marks)
Ans:-
Open-Loop Control System Closed-Loop Control System
It easier to build. It is difficult to build.
It can perform better if the calibration is properly done. It can perform better because of the feedback.
It is more stable. It is comparatively less stable.
Optimization for desired output can not be performed. Optimization can be done very easily.
It does not consists of feedback mechanism. Feedback mechanism is present.
It requires less maintenance. Maintenance is difficult.
It is less reliable. It is more reliable.
It is comparatively slower. It is faster.
It can be easily installed and is economical. Complicated installation is required and is expensive.
1. Open Loop Congestion Control:-
• The various methods used for open loop congestion control are:
❖ Retransmission Policy
✓ The sender retransmits a packet, if it feels that the packet it has sent is lost or corrupted.
❖ Window Policy
✓ To implement window policy, selective reject window method is used for congestion control.
❖ Acknowledgement Policy
✓ The acknowledgement policy imposed by the receiver may also affect congestion.
❖ Discarding Policy
✓ A router may discard less sensitive packets when congestion is likely to happen.
❖ Admission Policy
✓ An admission policy, which is a quality-of-service mechanism, can also prevent congestion in
Virtual circuit networks.
2. Closed Loop Congestion Control:-
• The various methods used for closed loop congestion control are:
❖ Backpressure
✓ It can be used in a connection oriented network.
❖ Implicit Signaling
✓ This type of congestion control policy is used by TCP.
❖ Explicit Signaling
✓ Explicit signaling can occur in either the forward direction or the backward direction.
9. What is routing? Explain the routing 10 in packet switching method.(10 marks)
Ans:-
✓ Routing is the process of determining the path that data packets should follow from the source to
the destination across a computer network. It ensures that data packets are forwarded from their
source to their intended destination through intermediate nodes or routers in an efficient and
reliable manner.
✓ In the context of packet switching, routing typically refers to the routing logic employed by routers
to determine the best path for forwarding packets. The routing protocol used by routers is
responsible for building and maintaining routing tables, which contain information about the
available network paths and the associated metrics (such as hop count, bandwidth, delay, etc.).
✓ In packet switching methods, the routing process involves the following steps:
❖ Packet arrival: When a router receives a data packet, it examines the packet’s header information,
particularly the destination address.
❖ Routing table lookup: The router consults its routing table to find the best path or the next hop for
forwarding the packet toward its destination.
❖ Path determination: Based on the routing table entries and the routing algorithm used (e.g.,
shortest path, distance vector, link-state), the router determines the appropriate outgoing
interface or next-hop router to which the packet should be forwarded.
❖ Packet forwarding: The router then forwards the packet to the next-hop router or directly to the
destination if it is directly connected.
❖ Updates and maintenance: Routing tables are dynamically updated based on network topology
changes, link failures, or other events, ensuring that the routing information remains accurate and
up-to-date.
✓ Regarding the routing 10 in packet switching, it typically refers to the routing method or protocol used in the
early days of packet-switched networks, such as the ARPANET (the predecessor of the modern internet).
The routing 10 protocol was one of the first routing protocols developed for packet-switched networks.
✓ In the routing 10 protocol, each router maintained a routing table with entries representing the destination
networks and the corresponding next-hop routers or interfaces. The routing tables were manually
configured and updated by network administrators. The routing 10 protocol used a simple hop count metric
to determine the best path, where the path with the smallest number of hops (routers) was preferred.
✓ While routing 10 was a pioneering effort in packet-switched routing, it had limitations, such as manual
configuration, lack of dynamic updates, and scalability issues. Modern routing protocols, such as OSPF
(Open Shortest Path First) and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), have replaced routing 10 in most modern
networks, providing more advanced features, dynamic routing, and better scalability.
