We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Networking

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Processing Delay?

By Rodney A. Crater
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 14,777
Share

When a device on a packet switching network sends information to another device, it takes a certain amount of time for that information, or data, to travel across the network and be received at the other end. Normally, before data is sent, it is separated into pieces commonly called packets, which are small enough to be handled by a network. As these information chunks traverse the network, they are examined and manipulated by devices called routers, which help direct and manage data flow. The time it takes for a routing device to take a packet in and decide what to do with it is called processing delay.

Processing delay is a part of the total network delay, which occurs during end-to-end transmissions. Other delays that might occur include transmission delay, propagation delay and queuing delay. Routers are computing devices that are specialized to make quick decisions about what to do with 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 reduces the time it takes for routers to make choices, thus reducing the processing delay.

Although endpoints also process incoming packets by examining and stripping away packet headers, the primary focus of processing delay typically concentrates on routers and somewhat on switches. This is because there can be many routers and a lesser amount of switches between two endpoints. Routers normally cause the most significant portion of processing delay. If one were to issue a traceroute command to a website from a command prompt or shell, one would see that there are indeed quite a few routers along the pathway. Non-routing switches that do not manipulate packet headers cause far less processing delay because they examine only the open systems interconnection (OSI) model layer two header.

When a router takes in a packet, it could be required to make many decisions that contribute to the overall processing delay. Packet-switched networks can be like a spider web of networks all hooked together with routers, so a router must choose which network it needs to send a packet to next. This action is generally called routing.

A router might also have to act as a gatekeeper and use access lists to allow or disallow packets to continue on their journey. Network address translation, which changes numbers called Internet protocol (IP) addresses on a packet, might need to be performed. Processing delay takes into account all of these procedures. There are other processes as well, and they can be included in the total time for processing delay if they are used.

As one can see, processing delay can be a large contributor toward total network delay. Reducing delay is very important for assuring quality network functionality. This helps to ensure that the Internet and other networks remain fast and effective.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-processing-delay.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.