Switching
Packet switching is the most common way of sending data through a network. Circuit switching controls the public telephone network. While both circuit and packet switching are used in 
high-capacity networks, packet switching is considered the more reliable of the two options.
The advantage of circuit switching is that it allows large amount of data being transferred with an increased transmission capacity. Though circuit switching (common in use by the telephone company as a direct circuit to circuit or phone to phone connection) allows for a quicker transfer of data, the drawback of using this type of network is that it establishes a fixed bandwidth circuit between nodes and terminals, and that path cannot be used by other information until all data has been received.
In packet switching, information is broken into smaller packets prior to being sent, which allows each packet to choose its own, potentially different, path to its destination. This allows all different information from different sources to travel the same paths without causing a conflict. One benefit of this option is that resources can be quickly reallocated as the needs arise. The only drawback of this option is that, while more reliable, packets need to be re-assembled at the end of their journey, resulting in a slower overall process.
