Role of Physical, Data Link and Network Layers

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The physical layer defines the rules by which data are transmitted, such as the number of bits sent per second as well as the physical structure of cables and connectors used (Ciccarelli, Faulkner, & Fitzgerald, 2008). Physical layer is responsible for electrical, mechanical and procedural checks. In circuit switching, a connection is established between two devices on a network before they begin the transmission of data. The key advantage of packet switching is that it allows two devices to exclusively use a communication channel. This characteristic of packet switching makes it ideal for applications including video conferencing. Packet switching on the other hand divides the data into packets before they are transported. The content as well as size of the packet are determined beforehand. Each packet contains data, the destination address as well as information required to combine the packet with other packets in order recreate the message at the destination.
There are several key differences between packet and circuit switching. Packet switching is lot more efficient and faster as compared to circuit switching (Dean, 2003). In contrast to circuit switching, packet switching is not ideally suited for live applications such as video conferencing, as there is a minor time delay associated with ...