packet switch - technical definition

A device that switches data organized into packets, discrete sets of data that may take the specific form of packets, frames, or cells depending on the network technology specifics. For example, packet switches switch packets in networks based on the Internet Protocol (IP), frames in networks based on the Frame Relay or Ethernet protocol, and cells in those based on the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) protocol. Packet switches were initially developed for interactive networking of host computers and, therefore, in support of computer-to-computer data transfer. Packet switches can support other forms of data, as well, although with varying degrees of success. See also packet and switch.