packet switching

American  

[pak-it-swich-ing] / ˈpæk ɪtˌswɪtʃ ɪŋ /

Or packet-switching

noun

1. a method of efficient data transmission whereby the initial message is broken into relatively small units, or packets, that are routed independently and subsequently reassembled.

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packet switching British  

noun

1. computing the concentration of data into units that are allocated an address prior to transmission

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packet switching Scientific  

/ păk′ĭt /

1. A method of network data transmission, in which small blocks of data, or packets, are transmitted over a channel which, for the duration of the packet's transmission, is dedicated to that packet alone and is not interrupted to transmit other packets. This strategy is used in transmitting data over the Internet and often over a LAN, and it capitalizes on the increase in efficiency that is obtained when there are many paths available and there is a large volume of traffic over these paths.

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Etymology

Origin of packet switching

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Lick and Taylor both saw the immense potential in creating an interconnected series of computers that could transmit data through packet switching.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2023

Leonard Kleinrock, one of three scientists credited with inventing the concept of packet switching in the 1960s, also was present for the first transmission on the rudimentary network that would, years later, become the Internet.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2020

Sure, it depends on many innovations and discoveries, including packet switching and, for that matter, electromagnetism and gravity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2015

I started in time-sharing and networking with packet switching, which was the precursor to what became the Internet.

From Forbes • May 23, 2013

The ARPAnet consisted of individual packet switching computers interconnected by leased lines.

From Zen and the Art of the Internet by Kehoe, Brendan P.