Ethernet Switch Frame Latency: Understanding Store-and-Forward vs Cut-Through

What is Frame Latency?

Frame latency refers to the time it takes for a data packet (frame) to be processed by an Ethernet switch. This includes several components such as propagation delay, serialization delay, and switching delay.

In this simulation, you can observe these delays in real-time, comparing two primary switching methods: store-and-forward and cut-through.

Store-and-Forward Switching

With store-and-forward switching, the switch receives an entire frame before it begins to forward it. This method ensures error-free transmission but introduces additional latency due to the time required for complete reception.

The latency in this mode is primarily determined by the serialization delay and propagation delay.

Cut-Through Switching

In contrast, cut-through switching begins forwarding a frame as soon as it has received enough data to determine the destination address. This reduces overall latency but can lead to errors if the first part of the frame contains an error.

The key advantage here is reduced latency, especially for short frames.

Comparison and Practical Implications

By toggling between store-and-forward and cut-through modes in the simulation, you can see how different factors such as link rate and frame size affect overall latency.

Understanding these concepts is crucial for optimizing network performance and reliability.

Frequently asked questions

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open Ethernet Switch Frame Latency: Store-and-Forward vs Cut-Through (2D) and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.