- X.25
- Function: Defines point-to-point communication between Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and Data Circuit Terminating Equipment (DCE).
- Usage: Historically used for packet-switched networks, providing reliable data transfer over analog and digital networks.
- Link Access Procedure-Balanced (LAPB)
- Function: A protocol created for use with X.25, defining frame types and managing retransmission, exchange, and acknowledgment of frames while detecting out-of-sequence or missing frames.
- Characteristics: Ensures reliable data transfer by correcting errors and maintaining sequence integrity.
- Frame Relay
- Function: A high-performance WAN protocol designed for use across ISDN interfaces.
- Characteristics: Fast, lacks error correction, supports multiple Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs), and provides Committed Information Rate (CIR). Requires DTE/DCE at each connection point.
- Usage: Often used in private network connections that demand high-speed data transfer without the overhead of extensive error correction.
- Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS)
- Function: Provides high-speed communication over public switched networks for exchanging bursts of data between enterprises.
- Characteristics: Ideal for large, sporadic data transfers in a wide-area network environment.
- Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
- Function: A technology that provides very high bandwidth and uses 53-byte fixed-size cells instead of frames like Ethernet.
- Characteristics: Capable of allocating bandwidth on demand, making it suitable for bursty applications. Typically requires fiber optics for optimal performance.
- Usage: Used in environments requiring high-speed, low-latency data transfer, such as video conferencing and real-time data streaming.
- Voice over IP (VoIP)
- Function: Combines various types of data (e.g., voice, video, text) into a single IP packet for transmission over an IP network.
- Benefits: Cost-effective, offers interoperability, and improves performance by integrating different data types into a unified communication system.
These packet-switching technologies are fundamental to modern networking, enabling efficient and flexible communication across various types of networks and applications.