Is a method of transferring data between Hosts by reserving the resources along the Communication Links.
An alternative to this is Packet Switching.
Pros
- The transferred data are transmitted with a guaranteed transmission rate.
Cons
- Wasteful use of Communication Links since these are idle during periods of no transmission.
Implementations
Example
This diagram shows a circuit-switched network: four switches, with four circuits on each link between them.
When the top-left computer wants to communicate with the bottom-right one, the network reserves one circuit on every link along the route (here, across the top and down the right side). That circuit is dedicated to this connection for its whole duration, whether or not any data is being sent.
The other three circuits on each link stay available for other connections. If all four on a link are taken, a new connection cannot be set up.