Meaning – The term message switching, refers to the process of receiving a message, storing it, and forwarding it to its destination unaltered. During message routing, every intermediate switch in the network stores the whole message.
Before the advancements in packet switching, message switching acted as an efficient substitute for circuit switching. It was initially employed in data communications such as telex networks and paper tape relay systems.
Message switching has largely been replaced by packet switching, but the technique is still employed in ad hoc sensor networks, military networks, and satellite communications networks.
Because message switching implements the store-and-forward technique, it efficiently uses the network. Also, there is no size limit for the messages.
Example of usage – “In message switching, the source and destination nodes are not directly connected. Instead, the intermediary nodes (mainly switches) are responsible for transferring the message from one node to the next.”
