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When it comes to simple forwarding of packets (no errors being generated), are packets processed faster by routers when they are small as opposed to when they contain a large payload?

Or do routers work exclusively on a per-packet basis, so regardless of the size of a packet, inside a queue every packet is treated equally?

Do you guys know any references I could read?

Ricky Robinson
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1 Answers1

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Processed, as in routed? A small packet is routed as quickly as a large packet, though transmission time does vary depending upon the amount of data.

For example, a jumbo ethernet frame is routed at the same speed as a 100 byte frame, but the actual transmission time between the two will vary. And, of course, if the jumbo frame has to be fragmented due to a smaller MTU size on the transmitting interface, the packet will take longer to forward.

Also, after a packet is routed, it is delivered into a buffer for transmission, and if FIFO is being used, the packets are transmitted in the order they are received. QoS is a means of changing the order in which packets are queued to prioritize some packets over others.

I would recommend reading up on QoS, and cef (cisco express forwarding) for details.

Eleck
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