What is Difference between message switching network and circuit switching network?
A circuit switching network physically changes the connection
before it sends a message. This would be like the old pulse phone
relay system. When you spun the dial on your phone for each number,
there would be a switch that would physically move at the other end
of the line. Each number switched you to a different set of
switches which would in turn combine to make a physical route to
your destination.
A message switching network is what modern phone systems and
computers use to communicate. Most computers use a "Store and
Forward" type of switching. Once a network switch receives a
message, it stores the entire message in memory, then sends it
towards its destination. With message switching, there is no
physical switching of the wires. All wires are connected to a
processor which determines how to handle the message.
For a good explanation of message switching and how packets work
on the internet, watch the free movie "Warriors of the Net" from
the website below.
http://www.warriorsofthe.net/movie.html