Packets are separated before being sent on a network, and routers manipulate them to manage data flow. Processing delay is the time it takes for a router to accept and decide what to do with a packet. This delay is a portion of the total network delay, which includes transmission, propagation, and queue delays. Routers use software and hardware logic to make quick decisions, and their optimization helps reduce processing lag. Endpoints also process incoming packets, but routers cause the most significant processing delay. When a router accepts a packet, it may need to make many decisions that contribute to the overall processing delay. Delay reduction is crucial for quality network functionality.
When a device on a packet switched network sends information to another device, it takes a certain amount of time for that information, or data, to travel through the network and be received by the other party. Normally, before data is sent, it is separated into pieces commonly called packets, which are small enough for a network to handle. As these chunks of information traverse the network, they are scanned and manipulated by devices called routers, which help direct and manage the flow of data. The time it takes for a routing device to accept a packet and decide what to do with it is called the processing delay.
Processing delay is a portion of the total network delay, which occurs during end-to-end transmissions. Other delays you may experience include transmission delay, propagation delay, and queue delay. Routers are specialized computing devices for making quick decisions about what to do and where to send packets, and they use programs and hardware logic to perform these tasks. The fields of computer engineering and network engineering strive to develop and use concise software and optimized circuitry in routers. This shortens the time it takes for routers to make choices, thereby reducing processing lag.
While endpoints also process incoming packets by examining and stripping packet headers, the main focus of processing delay is usually on routers and to some extent on switches. This is because there can be many routers and a smaller amount of switches between two endpoints. Routers normally cause the most significant portion of the processing delay. If you were to issue a traceroute command to a website from a command prompt or shell, you would see that there are actually quite a few routers along the route. Non-routing switches that do not manipulate packet headers cause much less processing delay because they only examine the Open Systems Interconnect Model (OSI) layer two header.
When a router accepts a packet, many decisions may need to be made which contribute to the overall processing delay. Packet-switched networks can be like a spider web of networks all connected together with routers, so a router has to choose which network it should send a next packet to. This action is usually called routing.
A router may also need to act as a gatekeeper and use access lists to allow or deny packets to continue their journey. You may need to do network address translation, which changes the numbers called Internet Protocol (IP) addresses on a packet. The processing delay takes into account all these procedures. Other processes exist as well and may be included in the total processing delay time if they are used.
As you can see, processing delay can contribute significantly to the total network delay. Delay reduction is very important to ensure quality network functionality. This helps ensure that the Internet and other networks remain fast and effective.
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