network processing delay

Network processing delay, also known as processing delay, is the time it takes for a router or a switch to process a packet's header and make a decision about where to direct the packet next. This delay is a critical component of overall network delay, which includes other types of delays such as transmission, propagation, and queuing delays[1][4].

During processing, routers may perform several functions, including checking for bit-level errors that occurred during transmission, updating the packet's time-to-live (TTL), performing header checksum calculations, and determining the appropriate outgoing link based on routing tables. Routers may also perform more complex tasks such as network address translation (NAT) or deep packet inspection for security or legal reasons, which can significantly increase processing delay[1].

Processing delays in high-speed routers are typically on the order of microseconds or less. However, the delay can be quite large in systems where routers are performing complex operations like encryption or deep packet inspection, as these processes are more time-consuming[1].

It's important to note that while processing delay is often insignificant compared to other forms of network delay, it can become a bottleneck in certain scenarios, particularly when routers are under heavy load or are required to perform intensive processing tasks[1][7].

To manage and reduce network processing delay, network engineers strive to optimize router performance through hardware and software improvements, ensuring that routers can handle packets as efficiently as possible[7].

Compare to: network transmission delay, network propagation delay

Citations:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processing_delay

[2] https://www.ir.com/guides/what-is-network-latency

[3] https://frontier.com/resources/what-is-network-latency

[4] https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/delays-in-computer-network/

[5] https://www.kentik.com/kentipedia/network-latency-understanding-impacts-on-network-performance/

[6] https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/How-to-improve-network-latency-in-3-steps

[7] https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-processing-delay.htm

[8] https://www.apposite-tech.com/latency/

[9] https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-reduce-latency/

[10] https://www.educative.io/answers/what-are-the-different-kinds-of-computing-network-delays

[11] https://accedian.com/blog/5-network-performance-factors-slow-data-transfers-identify/

[12] https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/t2z96a/reducing_latency/

[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_delay

[14] https://thewifispecialist.co.uk/blog/factors-that-affect-the-performance-of-networks/

[15] https://www.keycdn.com/support/network-latency

[16] https://www.baeldung.com/cs/propagation-vs-transmission-delay

[17] https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/latency/

[18] https://www.screenbeam.com/wifihelp/wifibooster/how-to-reduce-latency-or-lag-in-gaming-2/

[19] https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/processing-delay

[20] https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/performance/glossary/what-is-latency/

[21] https://takeuforward.org/computer-network/different-types-of-delays/