A conceptual framework in network theory that models a switch in the same way a Turing machine models a general-purpose computer. It abstracts the physical hardware away, focusing entirely on the logical processing of packets, state transitions, and forwarding decisions. Researchers use it to prove mathematical limits on routing algorithms, buffer sizes, and network congestion.
Heard on the job
The paper uses a Turing switch model to prove that this specific packet scheduling algorithm will never drop a frame under normal load.