pakettikytkentäiseen
Pakettikytkentäinen, or packet switching in English, is a method of data transmission in telecommunications networks. Instead of establishing a dedicated, continuous path for communication like in circuit switching, data is broken down into smaller units called packets. Each packet contains a portion of the data, along with addressing information (source and destination) and control data. These packets are then sent independently across the network, potentially taking different routes. Network devices, such as routers, examine the destination address of each packet and forward it towards its destination. At the receiving end, the packets are reassembled in the correct order to reconstruct the original data. This approach allows multiple users to share the same network infrastructure efficiently, as transmission capacity is utilized only when packets are being sent. It is the fundamental technology behind the internet and most modern data networks, enabling flexible and robust communication. The advantage lies in its efficient use of network resources and its ability to handle variable amounts of traffic.