NoC Architectures 103
3.4.3.2 Packet-Based
Packet-based flow control techniques first break down messages into packets,
then interleave these packets on the links, thus improving link utilization.
Unlike Message-Based, the remaining techniques will require per-node buffer-
ing to store in-flight packets. There are two main choices how packets are
forwarded and stored: store-and-forward and cut-through.
The basic mode for packet transport is store-and-forward where a packet
will be received at a router in its entirety before forwarding is done to the out-
put. Clearly, the store-and-forward method waits for the whole packet before
making routing decisions The node stores the complete packet and forwards
it based on the information within its header. The