Biyani's Think Tank

Concept based notes

Data Communication &

Networking
(M.Sc.IT( I- Sem))

Ms. Kusumlata & Ms. Megha Saxena

Revised By: Ms Ujjwala

Deptt. of Information Technology

Biyani Girls College, Jaipur

Published by :

Think Tanks
Biyani Group of Colleges

Concept & Copyright :

Biyani Shikshan Samiti

Sector-3, Vidhyadhar Nagar,
Jaipur-302 023 (Rajasthan)
Ph : 0141-2338371, 2338591-95 Fax : 0141-2338007
E-mail : [email protected]
Website :www.gurukpo.com; www.biyanicolleges.org

First Edition : 2009

While every effort is taken to avoid errors or omissions in this Publication, any
mistake or omission that may have crept in is not intentional. It may be taken note of
that neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any damage or loss of
any kind arising to anyone in any manner on account of such errors and omissions.

Leaser Type Setted by :

Biyani College Printing Department

Preface

am glad to present this book, especially designed to serve the needs of the

students. The book has been written keeping in mind the general weakness in
understanding the fundamental concepts of the topics. The book is self-explanatory and
adopts the Teach Yourself style. It is based on question-answer pattern. The language
of book is quite easy and understandable based on scientific approach.
This book covers basic concepts related to the microbial understandings about
diversity, structure, economic aspects, bacterial and viral reproduction etc.
Any further improvement in the contents of the book by making corrections,
omission and inclusion is keen to be achieved based on suggestions from the readers
for which the author shall be obliged.
I acknowledge special thanks to Mr. Rajeev Biyani, Chairman & Dr. Sanjay Biyani,
Director (Acad.) Biyani Group of Colleges, who are the backbones and main concept
provider and also have been constant source of motivation throughout this Endeavour.
They played an active role in coordinating the various stages of this Endeavour and
spearheaded the publishing work.
I look forward to receiving valuable suggestions from professors of various
educational institutions, other faculty members and students for improvement of the
quality of the book. The reader may feel free to send in their comments and suggestions
to the under mentioned address.
Author

Syllabus
Data Communication
Modulation [Principles of Modulation, AM and FM Modular Circuits, Pulse Code
Modulation, Basebeand Modulation, M-ary Pulse Modulation waveforms, Duobinary
signaling and decoding. Digital Band-pass Modulation] Demodulation [Basics of
Demodulation and detection, signals and Noise, Detection of Binary Signal in Gaussain
Noise, Demodulation of shaped Pulses, Digital Signal in Gaussain Noise, Demodulation
of shaped Pulses, Digital Band Pass Demodulation], Data Transsion [Basic Concepts.
Data Communication Systems, Serial Data formats. encoded data formats, error
detection and correction], information about microwave [Electromagnetic spectrum,
Serial Data formats, encoded data formats, error detection and correction], information
about microwave in Communications, FM Microwave Radio Repeaters, [Satellite,
Geosynchronous Satellites, Look angles, Orbital classifications, Spacing and Frequency
allocation, Multiple accessing, Channel Capacity.] and optical fiber communication
[Basic concept of light propagation, Fiber Cables, Optical fiber versus Metallic cable
facilities, Light sources, Optical Detectors, Fiber cable losses, wave division
multiplexing, fiber distributed data interface the fiber channel, SONET]. ISDN [ISDN
services, subscriber access to ISDN, B Channels, D Channels, H channels, ISDN services,
subscriber access to ISDN, B Channels, D Channels, H channels, ISDN layers,
Broadband ISDNI, DSL [Digital Subscriber Lines : HDSL, VDSL,SDSI, IDSL].

Network Technologies
Section A
Network Architecture, Configuring Network, Network Strategies, Networks Types :
LAN, MAN and WAN [Basic Concepts, Line Configuration, Topology, Transmission
Mode, Identify Key Components of Network, Categories of Network, Differentiating
between LAN, MAN, WANS and Internet].

Section B
The OSI Model, The Physical Layer (Bandwidth Limited Signals, Transmission Media,
Wireless Transmission), The Data link Layer, Error Detection and Correction, Data Link
Protocols, The Medium Access Sub-layer, The Channel Allocation Problem, Multiple

Access Protocol, IEE Standard 802 for LANs and MANs, Bridges, The Network Layer
Routing Algorithm, Congestion Control Algorithm, Internet Working, The Transport
Layer, The Application Layer, MAC Protocols for High Speeds LANs.

Section C
Introduction to TCP/IP [Understand the TCP/IP Protocol Suite, its History and
Modification Processes, Compare TCP/IP to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
Reference Model, Examine a Number of TCP/IP Applications such as FTP, Telnet, DNS,
DHCP, Boot, etc.]

Content
S.No.

Name of Topic

1.

Modulation
1.1
Principles of Modulation
1.2
Types of Modulation
1.3
Base-band M-aray Pam Transmission
1.4
Band-pass Modulation
1.5
Duo Binary Signaling and Decoding

2.

Demodulation
2.1
Basic of Demodulation
2.2
Types of Demodulation
2.3
Signal in Demodulation
2.4
Noise in Demodulation

3.

Data Transmission and Communication

3.1
Basic Concept
3.2
Modes of Transmission
3.3
Data Communication
3.4
Components of Communication System
3.5
Error Detection and Correction

4.

Microwaves
4.1
Characteristics of Microwaves
4.2
Uses of Microwaves
4.3
Types of Microwave Communication System

5.

Satellite
5.1
Orbits
5.2
Orbital Classification
5.3
Look Angles
5.4
Artificial Satellite

S.No.

Name of Topic
5.5
5.6
5.7

Geo-Synchronous Satellites
Spacing and Frequency Allocation
Channel Capacity

6.

Optical Fiber Communication

6.1
Fiber Optic Cables
6.2
Characteristics of Fiber Optic Cables
6.3
Comparison of Fiber Optic Cables with Copper
Wires
6.4
Light source and Optical Detector
6.5
Fiber Cable Losses
6.6
Wave Division Multiplexing
6.7
Fiber-Distributed Data Interface
6.8
SONET

7.

ISDN
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5

Basic concept
Features of ISDN
ISDN Services
Broadband ISDN
B , D ,H Channels

8.

Digital Subscriber Lines

8.1
HDSL
8.2
VDSL
8.3
SDSL

9.

Introduction to Computer Network

1.1

Network Architecture

1.2

Configuring Network

1.3

Network Strategies

1.4

Networks Types : LAN, MAN and WAN

1.5

Components of Network

1.6

Categories of Network

1.7

Differentiating between LAN, MAN, WANS and

Internet

10.

Introduction to Network Layers

2.1

The Physical Layer

2.2

The Data link Layer

2.3

Error Detection and Correction

2.4

Data Link Protocols

2.5

The Medium Access Sub-layer

2.6

The Channel Allocation Problem

2.7

Multiple Access Protocol

2.8

IEE Standard 802 for LANs and MANs

2.9

Bridges

2.10 The Network Layer Routing Algorithm

2.11 Congestion Control Algorithm
2.12 Working of Internet
2.13 The Transport Layer
2.14 The Application Layer
2.15 MAC Protocols for High Speeds LANs
11.

Introduction to TCP/IP
3.1

Understand the TCP/IP Protocol Suite

3.2

History and Modification Processes

3.3

Compare TCP/IP to the Open Systems

Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model

3.4

Examine a Number of TCP/IP Applications (such

as FTP, Telnet, DNS, DHCP, Boot, etc.)

Chapter-1

Modulation
Q.1

What is Moudulation?

Ans.: Modulation is a process of converting a digital signal from a computer into an

analog signal, the telephone system will accept or the process of changing some
characterstic (amplitude, frequency or phase) of a carrier wave in accordance
with the intensity of signal is known as Modulation.
Q.2

How many types of Modulation?

Ans.: Accordingly, there are three types of Modulation :

(i)

Amplitude Modulation

(ii)

Frequency Modulation

(iii)

Phase Modulation

(i)

Amplitude Modulation : When the amplitude of high frequency carrier

wave is changed in accordance with the intensity, it is called Amplitude
Modulation.
Amplitude Modulation is done by an electronic circuit called Modulator.
Advantages :
(i)

Amplitdue Modulation is easy to implement.

(ii)

It can be used both for analog and digital signals.

Disadvantages :

(ii)

(i)

It is affected by the electrical noise signal.

(ii)

As the strength of the signal decreased in a channel with distance

travelled, it reaches a minimum level unacceptable for satisfactory
communications.

Frequency Modulation : A Frequency Modulation signal has constant

amplitude but varies in frequency over time to convey informaiton.
Advantages :

(i)

Frequency modulated wave is least affected by the noise due to

electrical distrubance.

Disadvantages :

(iii)

Q.3

(i)

Frequency modulated signal has a wide spectrum or range of

frequencies and therefore needs much higher bandwith than
amplitude modulation.

(ii)

The number of FM Signals that one can transmit over a channel

with a fixed total bandwidth is smaller than the number of AM
signals one can transmit through the same medium.

Phase Modulation : In PM transmission, the phase of the carrier signal is

modulated to follow the changing voltage level (amplitude) of the
modulating signal. The peak amplitude and frequency of the carrier signal
remain constant, but as the amplitude of the information signal changes,
the phase of the carriere changes correspondingly.

What is Digital Bandpass Modulation?

Ans.: The bandwidth of an information signal is simply the difference between the
highest and lowest frequencies contained in the information and the bandwidth
of the communication channel is the difference between the highest and lowest
frequencies that channel will allow to pass through it called bandpass.
The bandwidth of a communication channel must be sufficiently large to pass all
significant information frequencies.
Q.4

What is Base-band M-ary Pam Transmission?

Ans.: In the base-band binary PAM system Figure the pulse amplitude modulator
produces binary pulses, that is, pulse with one of two possible amplitudes levels.
On the other hand, in a base-band of M-ary PAM system, the pulse-amplitude
modulator produces one of M possible amplitude levels, with M>2. This form of
pulse modulation is illustrated in Figure for the case of quaternary (M = 4)
system and the binary data sequence 0010110111. The waveform shown in Figure
is based on the electrical representation for each of the four possible debits (pairs
of bits) is shown in Figure.
In M-ary system, the information source emits a sequence of symbols from an
alphabet that consists of M symbols. Each amplitude level at the pulse-amplitude
modulator output corresponds to a distinct symbol, so that there are M distinct
amplitude levels to be transmitted. Consider then an M-ary PAM system with a
signal alphabet that contains M equally likely and statistically independent

symbols, with the symbol duration denoted by t seconds. We refer to 1\T as the
signaling rate of the system, which is expressed in symbols per second or bauds.
It is informative to relate the signaling rate of this system to that of an equivalent
binary PAM system, which is expresses in symbols per second or bauds. It is
informative to relate the signaling rate of this system to that of an equivalent
binary PAM system for which the value of M is 2 and the successive binary
symbols 1 and are equally likely and statistically independent, with the duration
of either symbol denoted by Tb seconds. Under the conditions described here, the
binary PAM system produces information at the rate 1\T b bits per seconds. We
also observe that in the case of quaternary PAM system, for example, the four
possible symbols may be identified with the debits 00, 01, 10 and 11. We thus see
that each symbol represents 2 bits of information, and 1 baud is equal to 2 bits
per second. We may generalize this result by stating that in an M-ary PAM
system, 1 baud is equal to log 2M bits per second, and the symbol duration T of
the M-ary PAM system is therefore, in a given channel bandwidth, we find that
by using an M-ary PAM system, we are able to transmit information at a rate that
is log2M faster than the corresponding binary PAM system. However, to realize
the same average probability of symbol error, and M-ary PAM system requires
more transmitted power. Specifically, we find that for M much larger than 2 and
an average probability of symbol error small compared to 1, the transmitted
power must be increased by a factor of M2/log2M, compared to a binary PAM
system as T=Tblog2M.
Binary
Data
0

+3
+1
t
-1
-3
T=2Tb

Digit

Amplitude

00

-3

01

-1

11

+1

10

+3

In a base band M-ary system first of all, the sequence of symbols emitted by he
information source is converted into an M-level PAM pulse train is shaped by a
transmit filter and then transmitted over the communication channel, which
corrupts the signal waveform with both noise and distortion. The received signal
is passed through a receive filter and then sampled at an appropriate rate in
synchronism with the transmitter. Each sample is compared with preset
threshold values (also called slicing levels), and a decision is made as to which
symbol was transmitted. We therefore, find that the designs of the pulse
amplitude modulator and the decision-making device in M-ary PAM are more
complex than those in a binary PAM system. Inter-symbol interference, noise
and imperfect synchronization cause errors to appear at the receive output. The
transmit and receive filters are designed to minimize these errors.
Q.5

What is Duo Binary Signaling and Decoding?

Ans.: Dou implies doubling of the transmission capacity of a straight binary system.
This particular form of correlative-level coding is also called class I partial
response.
Consider a binary input sequence bk consisting of uncorrelated binary symbols 1
and 0, each having duration Tb. As before, this sequence is applied to a pulseamplitude modulator producing a sequence of short pulse whose amplitude A k
is defined by
+1
Ak

if symbol bk is 1

Eq.(3.1)
-1

if symbol bk is 0

When the sequence is applied to a duo-binary encoder, it is converted into a

three-level output, namely -2, 0, +2. The two level sequence Ak first passed
through a simple filter involving a single delay element and summer. For every
unit impulse applied to the input of this filter we get two unit impulses spaced b
seconds apart at the filter output. We may therefore express the duo binary coder
output Ck as the sum of the present input pulse ak and its previous value ak-1, as
Ck = ak + ak-1

Eq.(3.2)

One of the effects of the transformation is to change the related three-level

pulses. This correlation between the adjacent pulses may be viewed as

introducing inter-symbol interfaces into the transmitted signal in a artificial

manner.
The original two-level ak may be detected from the duo binary-coded sequences
ck by involving the use of previous equation. Especially, let at represent the
estimate of the original pulse ak as conceived by the receiver at time t = ktb. Then,
subtracting the previous estimate ak-1 from ck, we get
Ak = ck + ak-1

Eq.(3.3)

It is apparent that if ck is received without error and if also the previous estimate
ak-1 at time t = (k-1)Tb corresponds to a correct decision ,then the current estimate
a k will be correct too. The technique of using a stored estimate of the previous
symbol is called decision feedback. However, a major drawback of this detection
procedure is that once errors are made they tend to prototype through the output
because a decision on the current input ak depends on the correction of the
decision made on the previous input Ak-1.
A practical means of avoiding the error propagation is to use precoding before the
duo binary coding, the preceding operation performed on the binary data
sequence bk converts it into another binary sequence Dk defined by
D k = bk + dk-1

Eq.(3.4)

Where the symbol denotes module-two addition of the binary digits bk and dk-1.
This addition is equivalent to a two point EXCLUSIVE OR operation, which is
performed as follows :
Symbol 1 if either symbol bk or symbol dk-1 is 1
Dk

Eq.(3.5)
Symbol 0

otherwise

The recoded binary sequence dk is applied to a pulse amplitude modulator,

producing a corresponding two-level sequence of short pulses ak, where ak= +1
as before
This sequence of short pulses is next applied to the duo binary coder, thereby
producing the sequence Ck that is related to ak as follows :
Ck= ak + ak-1

Eq.(3.6)

The combined use of Eq(1.4) and (1.6) yields :

0
Ck

if data symbol bk is 1

Eq.(3.7)
2

if data symbol b k is 0

From (3.7) we deduce the following decision rule for detecting the original
binary sequence {b k } from {ck} :

If

ck < 1 ,

say symbol b k is 1

If

ck > 1

say symbol b k is 0

Input binary

Output Three

Sequence (bk) Modulo-2 adder

(dk)

(ak)
Pulse
amplitude
modulator

(dk-1)

Delay
Tb

Level sequence
Duo binary
coder

(ck)
Sample at
t = KTb

Precoder
When ck =1, he receiver simply makes a random guess in favour of symbol 1 or
0. A useful feature of this detector is that no knowledge of any input sample
other than the present one is required.

Chapter-2

Demodulation
Q.1

What do you mean by Demodulation?

Ans.: Demodulation is the act of removing the modulation from an analog signal to
get the original baseband signal back. Demodulation is necessary because the
receiver system receives a modulated signal with specific characteristics and it
needs to turn it to base-band.
There are several ways of demodulation depending on what parameters of the
base-band signal are transmitted in the carrier signal, such as amplitude,
frequency or phase. For example, if we have a signal modulated with a linear
modulation, like AM (Amplitude Modulated), we can use a synchronous
detector. On the other hand, if we have a signal modulated with an angular
modulation, we must use an FM (Frequency Modulated) demodulator or a PM
(Phase Modulated) demodulator. There are different kinds of circuits that make
these functions.
An example of a demodulation system is a modem, which receives a telephone
signal (electrical signal) and turns this signal from the wire net into a binary
signal for the computer.
Q.2

What are the different types of Demodulation?

Ans.: Types of Demodulation :

i)

AM Demodulation : An AM signal can be rectified without requiring a

coherent demodulator. For example, the signal can be passed through an
envelope detector (a diode rectifier). The output will follow the same
curve as the input baseband signal. There are forms of AM in which the
carrier is reduced or suppressed entirely, which require coherent
demodulation.

ii)

FM Demodulation : There are several ways to demodulate an FM signal.

The most common is to use a discriminator. This is composed of an
electronic filter which decreases the amplitude of some frequencies

relative to others, followed by an AM demodulator. If the filter response

changes linearly with frequency, the final analog output will be
proportional to the input frequency, as desired. Another one is to use two
AM demodulators, one tuned to the high end of the band and the other to
the low end, and feed the outputs into a different amp. Another is to feed
the signal into a phase-locked loop and use the error signal as the
demodulated signal.
Q.3

What are Signals ?

Ans.: A signal is a codified message, that is, the sequence of states in a communication
channel that encodes a message. In a communication system, a transmitter encodes
a message into a signal, which is carried to a receiver by the communications
channel.
Electric signal can be in analog or digital form.
Analog Signal : In analog signal, the amplitude changes countinously with
respect to time with no breaks or discontinuities .
Ex- Any music system conveys the songs in the analog form. Cassettes are
recorded using analog recording system and playing the music gives you the
analog sound waves.
Amplitude

Time
Digital Signal : It is described as discrete. Their amplitude maintains a constant
level for a prescribed period of time and then it changes to another level.
Digital signals are digital representations of discrete-time signals, which are
often derived from analog signals.
-

All binary signals are digital but all digital signal are not necessarily a binary
signal.

Amplitude

Time
Types of Digital signal : 1) Low level, 2) High level, 3) Rising Edge, and 4)
Falling Edge.
Q.4

What do you mean by Noise in Demodulation?

Ans.: Electrical noise : Noise is defined as any undesirable electrical energy that falls
within the passband of the signal.
For ex- In audio recording,any unwanted electrical signals that fallss within the
audio frequency band will interface with the music and tharefore are considered
noise.
Types of Electrical Noise :
(1)

Man Made Noise

(2)

Thermal Noise

Correlated Noise : It is correlated to the signal and can not be present an a circuit
unless there is a signal. It is produecd by non linear amplification and inter
modulation distortion.
In data communication, all circuits are non-linear and they produce non-linear
distortion.
Inter modulation distortion is the generation of unwanted sum and difference
frequencies produced when two or more signals are amplified in a non-linear
device.
Impulse Noise : It is the high amplitude peaks of short duration in the total noise
spectrum.
It consist of sudden burst of irregular shaped pulses that generally last between a
few mili seconds and several miliseconds.
Common source are electric motor, appliances etc.

Chapter-3

Data Transmission and Communication

Q.1

What is Pulse-Code Modulation?

Ans.: In Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM), a message signal is represented by a sequence

of coded pulse, which is accomplished by representing signal in discrete from in
both time and amplitude. The basis operations performed in the transmitter of a
PCM system are sampling, quantizing and encoding.
Sampling : The application of sampling permits the reduction of the
countinuously varying message signal to limited number of discrete values per
second.
Quantization : The sampled version of the message signal is then quantized,
thereby providing a new representation of the signal that is discrete in both time
and amplitude.
Encoding : To exploit the advantage of sampling and quantizing for the purpose
of making the transmitted signal more robust to interference and other channel
degradations, we require the use of an encoding process to translate the discrete
set of sample values to a more appropriate form of signal.
Q.2

What is Data Transmission?

Ans.: The test prepared on a PC is usually stored and then transmitted over a
communication channel (e.g. a telephone channel) with a single character being
sent at a time. This form of data transmission is called asychronous transmission,
as opposed to synchronous transmission, in which a sequence of encoded
characters is sent over the channel. Encoded characters produced by a mixture of
asynchronous and synchronous terminals are combined by means of data
multipexers. The multiplexed stream of data so formed is then applied to a

device called a modem (modulator demodulator) for the purpose of

transmission over the channel.
Q.3

How many modes of Transmission Modes are there?

Ans.: There are three methods of data transmission :

(1)

Simplex

(2)

Half-Duplex

(3)

Full-Duplex

Simplex : In Simplex Comunication Mode, there is one way communciation

transmission. Television transmission is a very good example of simplex
communication.
Half Duplex : In Half Duplex Mode, both units communicate over the same
medium, but only one unit can send at a time. While one is in send mode, the
other unit is in receive mode.
Full Duplex : A Full Duplex System allows information to flow simulaneouly in
both direcions on the transmission path. Example Telephone.
Q.4

What is Data Communication?

Ans.: Data communication is the exchange of data between two devices via some form
of transmission medium such as wire cable. The effectiveness of a data
communication system depends on three fundamental characterstics :

Q.5

(1)

Delivery : The system must deliver data to the correct destination. Data
must be received by the intended device or user and only by that device or
user.

(2)

Accuracy : The system must deliver the data accurately.

(3)

Timeliness : The system must deliver data in a timely manner.

What are the components of Communication System?

Ans.: A Data Communication System has five components :

(1)

Message : The message is the information (data) to be communicated. It

can consist of text, numbers, pictures, sound or video or any combination
of these.

(2)

Sender : The sender is the device that sends the data message.

(3)

Receiver : The receiver is the device that receives the message.

Q.6

(4)

Medium : The transmission medium is the physical path by which a

message travels from sender to receiver.

(5)

Protocol : A protocol is a set of rules that governs data communication.

What do mean by Error Detection?

Ans.: Data can be corrupted during transmission. For reliable communication errors
must be detected and corrected.
Some of the error detection process are :
Redundancy : One error detection mechanism would be to send every data unit
twice. The receiving device would then be able to do-bit-for-bit comparison
between the two versions of the data. Any discrepancy would indicate an error,
and an appropriate correction mechanism could be set in place .It would also be
insupportably slow. Instead of repeating the entire data system, a shorter group
of bits may be appended to the end of each unit. This technique is called
redundancy because the extra bits are redundant to the information, they are
discarded as soon as the accuracy of the transmission has been determined.
Three types of redundancy checks are common in data communications : Parity,
Cycle Redundancy Check (CRC) and Checksum.

Detection
Methods

Parity Check

Cyclic
Redundancy
Check

Checksum

Detection Methods
Parity Check :
(1)

Simple Parity Check : In this technique, a redundant bit called a parity bit
is added to every data unit so that the total number of 1s is the unit
(including the parity bit) becomes even(or odd).

(2)

Two-dimensional Parity Check : A better approach is the Twodimensional parity check. In this method a block of bits is organized in a
table .First we calculate the parity bit for each data unit. Then we organize
them into a table.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) : CRC is based on binary division. In CRC

instead of adding bits to achieve a desired parity, a sequence of parity bits, called
the CRC is appended to the end of a data unit so that the resulting data unit
becomes exactly divisible by a second, predetermined primary number. At its
destination, the incoming data unit is divided by the same number .If at this step
there is no remainder, the data unit is assumed to be intact and is therefore
accepted. A remainder indicates that the data unit has been damaged in and
therefore must be rejected.
The redundancy bits used by CRC are derived by dividing the data unit by a
predetermined divisor, the remainder is the CRC. To be valid a CRC must have
exactly one less bit than the divisor, and appending it to end of the data string
must make the resulting bit sequence exactly divisible by the divisor.
Checksum : The checksum is based on the concept of redundancy.
Checksum Generator : In the sender, the checksum generator subdivides the
data unit into equal segments of n bits. These segments are added using one
complement arithmetic in such a way that the total is also n bits long.
The total (sum) is then complemented and appended to the end of the original
data unit as redundancy bits, called the checksum.
Checksum checker : The receiver subdivides the data unit and adds all segments
and complements. The result of the data unit is intact, the total value found by
adding the data segments and the checksum field should be zero. It the result is
not zero, the packet contains an error and the receiver rejects it.

Chapter-4

Microwaves
Q.1
Ans.:

What are Microwaves?

Microwaves is a description term used to identify electromagnetic waves in the
frequency spectrum ranging approximately from 1 Gigahertz to 30 Gigahertz. It
corresponds to wavelengths from 30 cm to 1 cm. Sometimes higher frequencies
are also called Microwaves. Microwaves are unidirectional. At lower frequencies
microwaves do not pass through buildings. Microwaves communication is
widely used for long distance telephone communication, cellular telephones,
television distribution.
Following are the Characteristics of Microwave Communication :

Q.2

(1)

A microwave is inexpensive as compared to fiber optics system.

(2)

Microwaves systems permit data transmission rates of about 16 Giga bits

per second. At such high frequencies, Microwaves systems can carry
250,000 voice channels at the same time.

What are the characterstics of Microwaves?

Ans.: Microwave Link : The maturity of radio frequency technology has permited the
use of a microwave link as the major trunk channel for long distance
communication.
(1)

Freedom from Land Acquisition Rights : The acquisition of right to lay

cabling, and have permanent access to repeater stations is a major cost in
the provision of cable communications. The use of radio links,that require
only the acquisition of the transmitter/receiver station, removes this
requirements .It also simplifies the maintenance and repair of the link.

Q.3

(2)

Ease of Communication over Difficult Terrain : Some terrains make

cable laying extremely difficult and expensive,even if the land acquisition
cost is negligible.

(3)

Bandwidth Allocation is Extremely Limited : Unlike cabling system,that

can increase bandwidth by laying more cables, the radio frequency
bandwidth allocation is finite and limited.

(4)

Atmospheric Effects : The use of free space communication results in

susceptibility to weather effects particularly rain.

(5)

Transmission Path needs to be Clear : Microwave communication

requires line-of-sight, point to point communication.

(6)

Interference : The microwave system is open to radio frequency

interference.

What are the types of Microwaves Communication System?

Ans.: There are two types of Microwaves Communication System :

(1)

Terrestrial

(2)

Satellite

Terrestrial Microwave System : Terrestrial microwave system use directional

parabolic antennas to send and receive signals in the lower giga hertz range. The
signals are highly focused and the physical path must be line-of-sight. Relay
towers and repeaters are used to extend signals. Terrestrial microwave system is
used whenever cabling is cost-prohibitive such as in hilly areas or crossing rivers,
etc.
Some characteristics of Terrestrial Microwave System :
(i)

Frequency Range : Most Terrestrial microwave system produce signals in

the low gega hertz range usually at 4 to 6 GHz and 21 to 23 GHz.

(ii)

Cost : Short-distance systems can be relatively inexpensive.

(iii)

Installation : Line-of-sight requirements for microwave system make

installation difficult.

(iv)

Band-width Capacity : Capacity varies depending on the frequencies

used but data rates are from 1 to 10 MBPS.

(v)

Attenuation : Attenuation is affected by frequency, signal strength,

antenna size, atmospheric conditions.

(vi)

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) : Microwave signals are vulnerable to

EMI, jamming and eavesdropping.

Satellite Microwave Systems : A communication satellite is basically a

microwave relay station placed precisely at 36,000 km above the equator where
its orbit speed exactly matches the earths rotation speed. Since a satellite is
positioned in a geo-synchronous orbit, it appear to be stationary relative to earth
and always stays over the same point with respect to the earth .This allows a
ground station to aim its antenna at a fixed point in the sky.
Some characteristics of Satellite Microwave System :

Q.4

(i)

Frequency Range : Satellite links operate in the low giga hertz range 4-6
GHz and 11-14 GHz .

(ii)

Cost : The cost of building and launching a satellite is extremely high.

(iii)

Installation : Satellite microwave installation for orbiting satellites is

extremely technical and difficult.

(iv)

Bandwidth Capacity : Capacity depends on the frequency used. Typical

data rates are 1 to 10 Mbps.

(v)

Attenuation : Attenuation depends on frequency, power, antenna size

and atmospheric conditions.

What are the Uses of Microwave Communication?

Ans.: By using frequency division multiplexing up to 5,400 telephone channels on each

microwave radio channel, with as many as ten radio channels combined into one
antenna for the hop to the next site, up to 70 km away can be sent.
1)

Wireless LAN protocols, such as Bluetooth use microwaves.

2)

Microwaves are used to establish metropolitan area networks.

3)

Wide Area Mobile Broadband Wireless Access

4)

Cable TV and Internet access on coaxial cable as well as broadcast

television use some of the lower microwave frequencies. Some mobile
phone networks, like GSM, also use the lower microwave frequencies.

5)

Microwave radio is used in broadcasting and telecommunication

transmissions. Typically, microwaves are used in television news to
transmit a signal from a remote location to a television station from a
specially equipped van.

Remote Sensing :
6)

Radar uses microwave radiation to detect the range, speed, and other
characteristics of remote objects, automatic door openers

7)

A Gunn diode oscillator and waveguide are used as a motion detector for
automatic door openers.

8)

Most radio astronomy uses microwaves.

9)

Microwave imaging.

Navigation :
10)

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) including the American

Global Positioning System (GPS).

Power :
11)

A microwave oven uses microwave.

12)

Microwave heating is used in industrial processes for drying and curing

products.

13)

Many semiconductor processing techniques use microwaves. Microwaves

can be used to transmit power over long distances.

14)

Microwaves can be used to transmit power over a long distance.

Chapter-5

Satellite
Q.1

What are Orbits?

Ans.: An artificial satellite needs to have an orbit, the path in which it travels around
the earth. The orbit can be Equatorial, Inclined or Polar.
Earth
Orbit

Equatorial-Orbit Satellite

Orbit
Inclined-Orbit Satellite

Earth

Orbit
Polar-orbit satellite
The Period of a satellite, the time required for a satellite to make a complete trip
around the earth, is determined by Keplers law, which defines the period as a
function of the distance of the satellite from the center of the earth.
Period=C * Distance 1. 5
Here C is a constant approximately equal to1/100. The period is in seconds and
the distance in kilometers.
Q.2

In how many categories Orbits are classified?

Ans.: Based on the location of the orbit, satellites can be divided into three categories :
GEO, MEO & LEO.
Satellites

GEO

MEO

LEO

Satellite Categories
GEO Satellites : Line of sight propagation requires that the sending and
receiving antennas be locked onto each others location at all times. For this
reason, a satellite that moves faster or slower than the earths rotation is useful
only for short period of time. To ensure constant communication, the satellite

must move at the same speed as the earth so that it seems to remain fixed above
a certain spot. Such satellites are called geosynchronous.
MEO Satellites : Medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites are positioned between
the two van Allen belts. A satellite at this orbit takes approximately 6 hours to
circle the earth.
GPS : One example of MEO satellite system is Global Positioning System
(GPS).
LEO Satellite : Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites have polar orbits. The altitude
is between 500 to 200 km, with a rotation period of 90 to 120 min. The satellite
has a speed of 20,000 to 25,000 km/h. Because LEO satellites are close to the
earth, the round-trip time propagation delay is normally less than 20 ms, which
is acceptable for audio communication.
Q.3

What are Look Angles?

Ans.: To maximize transmission and reception, the direction of maximum

gain of the earth station antenna, referred to as the antenna boresight,
must point directly at the satellite. To align the antenna in this way,
two angles must be known. These are the azimuth, or angle measured from the
true north, and the elevation, or angle measured up from the local plane. The
azimuth and elevation angles are usually referred to as the look angles.

Satellite
W

El

El

El - Angle of Elevation
Az - Angle of azimuth

Az

Horizontal at earth station

Angle of azimuth Az and elevation El measured with reference to the local

horizontal plane and true north
Q.4

Give some examples of Artificial Satellites ?

Ans.: Astronomical Satellites are satellites used for observation of distant planets,
galaxies, and other outer space objects.
Biosatellites are satellites designed to carry living organisms, generally for
scientific experimentation.
Communications Satellites are satellites stationed in space for the purpose of
telecommunications.
Miniaturized Satellites are satellites of unusually low weights and small sizes.
New classifications are used to categorize these satellites: minisatellite (500
200 kg), microsatellite (below 200 kg), nanosatellite (below 10 kg).
Navigational Satellites are satellites which use radio time signals transmitted to
enable mobile receivers on the ground to determine their exact location.
Reconnaissance Satellites are Earth observation satellite or communications
satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. Little is known about
the full power of these satellites, as governments who operate them usually keep
information pertaining to their reconnaissance satellites classified.
Earth Observation Satellites are satellites intended for non-military uses such as
environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc.)
Space Stations are man-made structures that are designed for human beings to
live on in outer space.
Tether Satellites are satellites which are connected to another satellite by a thin
cable called a tether.
Weather Satellites are primarily used to monitor Earth's weather and climate.

Q.5

What is Geo-Synchronous Satellite?

Ans.: The Satellite that are placed in geostationary orbit are called Geo-Synchronous
Satellite.
For the orbit to be geostationary it has to satisfy two requirements. First the orbit
in Geo-synchronous which requires the satellite to beat an altitude of 22,300
miles. Second the satellite is placed in orbit directly above the equator . Viewed
from earth, a satellite in geo-stationary orbit appears to be stationary in the sky.
Consequently, an earth station does not have to track the satellite; rather it
merely has to point its antenna along a fixed direction, pointing toward the

satellite. Communication satellites in geostationary orbit offer the following

capabilities :

Q.6

Broad Area Coverage

Reliable Transmission Links

Wide Transmission Bandwidths

What is Spacing and Frequency Allocation?

Ans.: Spacing and Frequency Allocation : There are well defined frequency bands
allocated for satellite use , the exact frequency allocations depending on the type
of services .The frequency band also differ depending on the geographic region
of the earth in which the earth stations are located. Frequency allocations are
made through the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU). The most widely
used bands at present are the C band and the Ku band. Uplink transmissions in
the C band are normally at 6 GHz and downlink transmission normally at 4
GHz. The band is sometimes referred to as the 6/4 GHz band. For each band, the
bandwidth available is 500 MHz.
For each band the higher frequency range is used for the uplink. The reason is
that losses tend to be greater at higher frequency and it is much easier to increase
the power from an earth station rather than from a satellite to compensate for it.
To make the most of the available bandwidth, polarization discrimination is
used.
Q.7

What do you understand by Channel Capacity?

Ans.: The word transponder is coined from transmitter-responder and it refers to the
equipment channel through the satellite that connects the receive antenna with
the transmit antenna.
The transponder itself is not a single unit of equipment, but consists of some
units that are common to all transponder channels and others that can be
identified with a particular channel. The transponder amplified the uplink
signals received and transmit to downlink signals.

Chapter-6

Optical Fiber Communication

Q.1

What are Fibre Optics Cable?

Ans.: Optic fiber is the newest from of bounded media. This media is superior in data
handling and security. The fiber optic cable transmits light signals rather than
electrical signals. It is far more effective than the other network transmission
media.
Each fiber has an inner core of glass or plastic that conducts light. There are two
types of light sources for which fiber cables are available. These are :
(i)

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

(ii)

Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation (Lasers)

Optical Fibre
Electrical Signal

Electrical
to Light
Wave
Converter

Light to
Electrical
Wave

Transmission through Optical Fibers

In a single mode fiber, the core is 8 to 10 microns. In multimode fibers, the core is
about 50 microns in diameter.
Towards its source side is a converter that converts electrical signal into light
waves. These light waves are transmitted over the fiber. Another converter
placed near the sink coverts the light waves back to electrical signals by
photoelectric diodes. These electrical signals are amplified and sent to the
receiver. Optical fibers may be of the type of multi mode or single mode.

Q.2

Give some characteristics of Fiber-Optic Cable.

Ans.: Fiber-Optic Cable has the following characteristics :

Cost : Fiber-optic cable is more expensive than copper cable
Installation : Fiber-optic cable is more difficult to install than copper cable.
Bandwidth capacity : Because it uses light, which has higher frequency than
electrical signals, fiber optics cabling provides data rates from 100 Mbps to 2
Gigabits per second.
Node capacity : In the case of Ethernet network, fiber optic cables have the
useful upper limit of around 75 nodes on a single collision domain.
Attenuation : Fiber-optic cable has much lower attenuation than copper wires.
Electromagnetic Interference : Electromagnetic interference is not subjected to
electrical interface.
Mode of Transmission : Fiber optic channels are half duplex.
Q.3

Compare Fiber Optics Cable with Copper Wire.

OR
What are the advantages of Fiber Optics Cable over Copper Wire.

Ans.: Fiber optic cable has many advantages over copper wire as a transmission media
these are :

Q.4

(a)

It can handle much higher bandwidth than copper. Due to the low
attenuation, repeaters are needed only about every 30 km on fiber lines,
versus about every 5 km for copper.

(b)

Fiber is not affected by power surges, electromagnetic interference, or

power failures. Nor is it affected by corrosive chemicals in the air.

(c)

Fiber is lighter than copper.

(d)

Fiber does not leak light and are quit difficult to tap.

What are the disadvantages of Fiber Cables?

Ans.: Fiber cables has the following disadvantages :

(a)

Fiber is an unfamiliar technology requiring skills which may not be easily

available.

(b)

Since optical transmission is inherently unidirectional, two way

communications requires either two fiber cables or two frequency bands
on one fiber.

(c)
Q.5

Fiber interfaces cost more than electrical interfaces.

What are Light Sources and Optical Detectors?

Ans.: The transmission of information in the form of light propagating within an

optical fiber requires the construction of an optical communication system. The
source encoder in the transmitter is used to convert the message signal from an
analog source of information into a stream of bits. The source encoder and source
decoder are of electrical design. The optical components of the system are
represented by the optical source in the transmitter, the optical fiber as the
transmission medium and the optical detector in the receiver part of the system.
The transmitter emits pulses of optical power, with each pulse being on or
off in accordance with the source output.
For the optical source we may use an injection laser diode (ILD) or a light
emitting diode (LED). The ILD and LED are both solid-state semiconductor
devices that can be modulated by varying the electrical current used to power
the devices.
Source of
information

User of
information

Source
encoder

Electrical
components

Source
Decoder

Source
encoder

Optical
components

Source
Decoder

Transmitter

Optical
fiber

Receiver

Block diagram of optical communication system

The collector efficiency of the fiber depends on its core diameter and acceptance
solid angle. The acceptable solid angle refers to the range of angles captured in
the core of the fiber via total internal reflection; the acceptance angle expressed

in radians defines the numerical aperture of the optical fiber .During the course
of propagation along the fiber, a light pulse also suffers fiber loss .
At the receiver, the optical detector converts the pulses of optical power
emerging from the fiber into electrical pulses. The choice of optical detector and
its associated circuitry determines the receiver sensitivity.
It is apparent that a light wave transmission link differs from its metallic wire
or coaxial cable counterpart in that power, rather than current, propagates
through the optical fiber waveguide.
In the design of a light wave transmission link, two separate factors have to be
considered; Transmission bandwidth and signal losses.
Q.7

What do you understand by Wavelength Division Multiplexing ?

Ans.: For fiber optic channels, a variation of frequency division multiplexing is used.
It is called WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing). In the given fig. four
fibers come together at an optical combiner, each with its energy present at a
different wavelength. The four beams are combined onto a single shared fiber for
transmission to a distant destination. At the far end, the beam is split up over as
many fibers as there were on the input side. Each output fiber contains a short,
specially-constructed core that filters out all but one wavelength.
The resulting signals can be routed to their destination or recombined in
different ways for additional multiplexed transport.
Fiber 1

Fiber 2

Spectrum

Spectrum

Power

Power

Power

Fiber 3

Fiber 4

Spectrum

Spectrum
Power

Fiber 5
Spectrum on the shared fiber
Power

Fiber1

Fiber2

1+2+3+4
Combiner

4
Splitter

Fiber3
Fiber4

Q.8

1
Long-haul shared filter

What is fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) ?

Ans.: FDDI is ring based network and it is implemented without hubs. FDDI uses
fiber-optic cables to implement very fast, reliable networks .FDDI uses
multimode fibers because the additional expenses of single mode fiber is not
needed for networks running at only 1000 Mbps. It also uses LEDs rather than
lasers.
The FDDI cabling consists of two fiber rings, one transmitting clockwise and
another transmitting counterclockwise. If either one breaks at the same point the
two rings can be joined into a single ring.

Token Bus

Computer

Token Ring

Bridge
Ethernet

FDDI Ring

An FDDI Ring being used as a backbone to connect LANs and computers

Chapter-7

ISDN
Q.1

What is ISDN?

Ans.: ISDN is a set of protocol that combines digital telephony and data transport
services. The whole idea is to digitize the telephone network to permit the
transmission of audio, video and text over existing telephone lines.
The goal of ISDN is to form a wide area network that provides universal end-toend connectivity over digital media.
Q.2

What are the features provided by ISDN?

Ans.: The features likely to be provided by ISDN system are :

Q.3

(i)

Telephones with multiple buttons for instant call setup to arbitrary

telephones anywhere in the world will be available.

(ii)

Telephones display the callers telephone number, name, and address on a

display screen while ringing.

(iii)

It allows the telephone to be connected to a computer so that the callers

database record is displayed on the screen as the call comes in.

(iv)

Call forwarding and conference calls worldwide.

(v)

Advanced non-voice services are remote electricity meter reading, on-line

medical burglar and smoke alarms that automatically call the hospital,
police or fire department respectively and give their address to speed up
response.

What are the services provided by ISDN?

Ans.: The ISDN provides fully integrated digital services to users. These services fall
into the following three categories :
(1)

Bearer Services

(2)

Tele Services

(3)

Supplementary Services

Bearer Services : Bearer services provide the means to transfer

information(voice, data, video) among the users without the
network
manipulating the content of that information. They can be provided using
circuit-switched, packet-switched or cell switched network.
Tele Services : In tele servicing the network may change or process the contents
of the data. Tele services include telephony, telex, tele-fax , video-tax ,telex and
teleconferencing .
Supplementary Services : Supplementary services are those services that
provide additional functionality to the bearer services and tele-services. Example
of these services are reverse charging, call waiting and message handling.
Q.4

What is Broadband ISDN?

Ans.: Broadband is a service or system requiring transmission channels capable of

supporting rates greater than the primary rates.
The term B-ISDN is used to refer and emphasize the broadband aspects of ISDN.
With B-ISDN services, specially video services requiring data rates in excess.
Broadband ISDN Services : Broadband ISDN provides two types services:
(i)

Interactive

(ii)

Distributive

Interactive Services : Interactive services are those services which need two way
transfer between either two subscribes or between a subscriber and a service
provider.
Distributive Services : Distributive services are of simplex communication from
which is sent from a service provider to subscribers. The subscriber does not
have to transmit a request each time a service is desired. These services can be
without or with user control.
Q.5

What is BRI and PRI?

Ans.: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) : The entry level interface to ISDN is the Basic Rate
Interface (BRI) is a 144 kbit/s service delivered over a pair of standard telephone copper
wires. The 144 kbit/s rate is broken down into two 64 kbit/s data channels ('B' channels)
and one 16 kbit/s signalling channel ('D' channel).
The Interface specifies three different network interfaces :

The U interface is a two-wire interface between the exchange and the

Network Terminating Unit which is usually the demarcation point in nonNorth American networks.
The T interface is a serial interface between a computing device and a
Terminal Adapter, which is the digital equivalent of a modem.
The S interface is a four-wire bus that ISDN consumer devices plug into;
the S & T reference points are commonly implemented as a single
interface labeled 'S/T' on an NT1
The R interface defines the point between a non-ISDN device and a
terminal adapter (TA) which provides translation to and from such a
device.
Primary Rate Interface (PRI) : The other ISDN service available is the Primary
Rate Interface (PRI) which is an E1 (2048 kbit/s) in most parts of the world. An
E1 is 30 'B' channels of 64 kbit/s, one 'D' channel of 64 kbit/s and a timing and
alarm channel of 64 kbit/s. North America and Japan use T1s of 1544 kbit/s. A
T1 has 23 'B' channels and 1 'D' channel for signalling.
Q.6

What are the different channels in ISDN?

Ans.: ISDN standard defines three channel types ,each with a different transmission
rate : Bearer Channel, Data Channel, and Hybrid Channel.
Channel Rates
Channel
Bearer (B)
Data (D)
Hybrid (H)

Data Rates
64
16, 64
384, 1536, 1920

B Channels : A bearer channel (B)channel is defined at a rate of 64 Kbps. It is the

basic user channel and can carry any type of digital information in full-duplex
mode as long as the required transmission rate does not exceed 64 Kbps. For
example a B channel can be used to carry digital data, digitized voice or other
low data rate information.
D Channels : A data channel (D channel) can be either 16 or 64 Kbps depending
on the need of the user. The D channel serves two purposes. First it carries
signals information to control circuit switched calls on associated B channels at
the user interface. In addition the D channel may be used for packet switching at
times when no signaling information is waiting.
H Channel : H channels are provided for user information at higher bit rates
.The user may use such a channel as a high speed trunk or subdivided the

channel according to the users own TDM scheme .Example of applications

include fast facsimile, video, high speed data, high quality audio and multiple
information streams at lower data rates.

Chapter-8

Digital Subscriber Lines

Q.1

What is HDSL?

Ans.: The high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (HDSL) was designed as an alternative to
the T-1 line (1.544 Mbps). The T-1 line uses alternate mark inversion (AMI)
encoding, which is very susceptible to attenuation at high frequencies. This limits
the length of a T-1 line to 3200 ft (1 km). For longer distances, a repeater is
necessary, which means increased costs.
HDSL is less susceptible to attenuation. A data rate of 1.544 Mbps (sometimes up
to 2 Mbps) can be achieved without repeaters up to a distance of 12000 ft (3.86
km). HDCL uses two twisted pairs (one pair for each direction) to achieve fullduplex transmission.
Q.2

What is SDSL?

Ans.: The symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) is a one twisted-pair version of
HDSL. It provides full-duplex symmetric communication supporting up to 768
kbps in each direction. SDSL, which provides symmetric communication, can be
considered an alternative to ADSL. Although this meets the needs of most
residential
subscribers,
it
is
not
suitable
for businesses that send and receive data in large volumes in both directions.
Q.3

What is VDSL?

Ans.: The very high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL), an alternative approach
that is similar to ADSL, uses coaxial, fiber-optic, or twisted-pair cable for short
distances. The modulating technique is DMT. It provides a range of bit rate (25 to

55 Mbps) for upstream communication at distances of 3000 to 10,000 ft. The

downstream rate is normally 3.2 Mbps.

Chapter-9

Introduction to Computer Network

Q.1.

What is Computer Network? What are the different classifications of

Computer Network?

Ans.: A network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share
resources such as printers and CD-ROMs, exchange files, or allow electronic
communications. The computers on a network may be linked through cables,
telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams.
Computer network can be classified on the basis of following features :
By Scale : Computer networks may be classified according to the scale :
Local Area Network (LAN)
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN)
By Connection Method : Computer networks can also be classified

according to the hardware technology that is used to connect the

individual devices in the network such as Optical fibre, Ethernet, Wireless
LAN.
By Functional Relationship (Network Architectures) : Computer networks

may be classified according to the functional relationships which exist

between the elements of the network. This classification also called
computer architecture. There are two type of network architecture :
Client-Server
Peer-to-Peer Architecture
By Network Topology : Network Topology signifies the way in which intelligent
devices in the network see their logical or physical relations to one
another.Computer networks may be classified according to the network topology
upon which the network is based, such as :

Bus Network
Star Network
Ring Network
Mesh Network
Star-Bus Network
Tree or Hierarchical Topology Network
Q.2.

What is Computer Networking?

Ans.: To share data and network resources among the computers in a network is
known as networking. Computer networking is a core part of the whole
information technology field because without it computers can never
communicate with each other locally and remotely. Just imagine that if you work
in a bank or in a corporate office and all the computers in your office are without
networking. How difficult it would be for you and for the other employees of
your office to communications, shares data such as word documents, financial
reports, clients feedback, graphical reports and other important work with the
other employees.
Q.3.

What are the different type of Computer Network?

Ans.: Computer network are of following type :

Local Area Network (LAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Local Area Network : A local-area network is a computer network covering a
small geographic area, like a home, office, or groups of buildings e.g. a school.
For example, a library will have a wired or wireless LAN for users to
interconnect local devices e.g., printers and servers to connect to the internet.
The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to wide-area networks (WANs),
includes their much higher data-transfer rates, smaller geographic range, and
lack of need for leased telecommunication lines. Although switched Ethernet is
now the most common protocol for LAN. Current Ethernet or other IEEE 802.3
LAN technologies operate at speeds up to 10 Gbit/s.IEEE has projects
investigating the standardization of 100 Gbit/s, and possibly 40 Gbit/s. Smaller
LANs generally consist of a one or more switches linked to each other - often
with one connected to a router, cable modem, or DSL modem for Internet access.
LANs may have connections with other LANs via leased lines, leased services.
Wide Area Network : A WAN is a data communications network that covers a
relatively broad geographic area i.e. one city to another and one country to

another country and that often uses transmission facilities provided by common
carriers, such as telephone companies.
Any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or
national boundaries. Or, less formally, a network that uses routers and public
communications links. Contrast with local area networks (LANs) or metropolitan
area networks (MANs) which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or
specific metropolitan area respectively. The largest and most well-known
example of a WAN is the Internet.
WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together, so that
users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers
in other locations. Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are
private. Others, built by Internet service providers, provide connections from an
organization's LAN to the Internet. WANs are often built using leased lines. At
each end of the leased line, a router connects to the LAN on one side and a hub
within the WAN on the other. Leased lines can be very expensive. Network
protocols including TCP/IP deliver transport and addressing functions.
Several options are available for WAN connectivity.Transmission rate usually
range from 1200 bits/second to 6 Mbit/s, although some connections such as
ATM and Leased lines can reach speeds greater than 156 Mbit/s. Typical
communication links used in WANs are telephone lines, microwave links &
satellite channels.
Metropolitan Area Network : Metropolitan area networks, or MANs, are large
computer networks usually spanning a city. They typically use wireless
infrastructure or Optical fiber connections to link their sites.
A Metropolitan Area Network is a network that connects two or more Local Area
Networks or Campus Area Networks together but does not extend beyond the
boundaries of the immediate town, city, or metropolitan area. Multiple routers,
switches & hubs are connected to create a MAN.
According to IEEE, A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than a
LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire cities. MANs can also
depend on communications channels of moderate-to-high data rates. A MAN
might be owned and operated by a single organization, but it usually will be
used by many individuals and organizations. MANs might also be owned and
operated as public utilities. They will often provide means for internetworking of
local networks. Metropolitan area networks can span up to 50km, devices used
are modem and wire/cable.
Q.4.

What is Internetworking?

Ans.: When two or more networks or network segments are connected using devices
such as a router then it is called as internetworking. Any interconnection among
or between public, private, commercial, industrial, or governmental networks
may also be defined as an internetwork.
In modern practice, the interconnected networks use the Internet Protocol. There
are three variants of internetwork, depending on who administers and who
participates in them :
Intranet
Extranet
Internet
Intranets and extranets may or may not have connections to the Internet. If
connected to the Internet, the intranet or extranet is normally protected from
being accessed from the Internet without proper authorization. The Internet is
not considered to be a part of the intranet or extranet, although it may serve as a
portal for access to portions of an extranet.
Intranet : An intranet is a set of interconnected networks, using the Internet
Protocol and uses IP-based tools such as web browsers and ftp tools, that is
under the control of a single administrative entity. That administrative entity
closes the intranet to the rest of the world, and allows only specific users. Most
commonly, an intranet is the internal network of a company or other enterprise.
A large intranet will typically have its own web server to provide users with
browseable information.
Extranet : An extranet is a network or internetwork that is limited in scope to a
single organisation or entity but which also has limited connections to the
networks of one or more other usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations
or entities .Technically, an extranet may also be categorized as a MAN, WAN, or
other type of network, although, by definition, an extranet cannot consist of a
single LAN; it must have at least one connection with an external network.
Internet : A specific internetwork, consisting of a worldwide interconnection of
governmental, academic, public, and private networks based upon the Advanced
Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed by ARPA of the U.S.
Department of Defense also home to the World Wide Web (WWW) and
referred to as the 'Internet' with a capital 'I' to distinguish it from other generic
internetworks. Participants in the Internet, or their service providers, use IP
Addresses obtained from address registries that control assignments.
Q.5.

What are differnet Computer Network Devices?

OR
What are the different Hardware Componenets of Computer Network?

Ans.: All networks are made up of basic hardware building blocks to interconnect
network nodes, such as Network Interface Cards (NICs), Bridges, Hubs,
Switches, and Routers. In addition, some method of connecting these building
blocks is required like communication media. Followings are the basic hardware
components for computer network:
Network Interface Card : A network card, network adapter or NIC (network
interface card) is a piece of computer hardware designed to allow computers to
communicate over a computer network. It provides physical access to a
networking medium and often provides a low-level addressing system through
the use of MAC addresses. It allows users to connect to each other either by
using cables or wirelessly.
Repeater : A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and
retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, or onto the other side of an
obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation. In
most twisted pair Ethernet configurations, repeaters are required for cable runs
longer than 100 meters.
Hub : A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is
copied to all the ports of the hub. When the packets are copied, the destination
address in the frame does not change to a broadcast address. It does this in a
rudimentary way; it simply copies the data to all of the Nodes connected to the
hub.
If the hub fails to work, the communication between the computers stops till the
hub again starts working. Hub broadcasts the data to its every port, and then
finding the destined computer, the data sent toward it. Hub broadcasts the data
to its every port, and then finding the destined computer, the data sent toward it.
Bridge : A network bridge connects multiple network segments at the data link
layer of the OSI model. Bridges do not promiscuously copy traffic to all ports, as
a hub do, but learns which MAC addresses are reachable through specific ports.
Once the bridge associates a port and an address, it will send traffic for that
address only to that port. Bridges do send broadcasts to all ports except the one
on which the broadcast was received.
Bridges learn the association of ports and addresses by examining the source
address of frames that it sees on various ports. Once a frame arrives through a
port, its source address is stored and the bridge assumes that MAC address is
associated with that port. The first time that a previously unknown destination
address is seen, the bridge will forward the frame to all ports other than the one
on which the frame arrived.
Switch : A switch normally has numerous ports with the intention that most or
all of the network be connected directly to a switch, or another switch that is in
turn connected to a switch.

Switches is a marketing term that encompasses routers and bridges, as well as

devices that may distribute traffic on load or by application content .Switches
may operate at one or more OSI layers, including physical, data link, network, or
transport . A device that operates simultaneously at more than one of these
layers is called a multilayer switch.
The switch is an advance form of the hub similar in functions but the advanced
switches has a switching table in them. An advanced switch stores the MAC
address of every attached computer and the data is only sent to the destined
computer, unlike the hubs where data is sent to all ports.
Router : A router is a key device in the internet communication and wan
communication system. A router has software called routing table and the source
and destination addresses are stored in the routing table.
Routers are networking devices that forward data packets between networks
using headers and forwarding tables to determine the best path to forward the
packets. Routers work at the network layer of the TCP/IP model or layer 3 of the
OSI model. Routers also provide interconnectivity between like and unlike
media. This is accomplished by examining the Header of a data packet, and
making a decision on the next hop to which it should be sent. They use
preconfigured static routes, status of their hardware interfaces, and routing
protocols to select the best route between any two subnets. A router is connected
to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's
network. Some DSL and cable modems, for home and office use, have been
integrated with routers to allow multiple home/office computers to access the
Internet through the same connection. Many of these new devices also consist of
wireless access points (waps) or wireless routers to allow for IEEE 802.11b/g
wireless enabled devices to connect to the network without the need for a cabled
connection.
The well known routers developing companies are Cisco systems, Nortel, DLink
and others. Every ISP, banks, corporate offices and multinational companies use
routers for LAN and WAN communications and communication in their private
networks.
Server : A server is a computer in network that provides services to the client
computers such as logon requests processing, files access and storage, internet
access, printing access and many other types of services. Servers are mostly
equipped with extra hardware such as plenty of external memory (RAM), more
data store capacity (hard disks), high processing speed and other features.
Gateway : Gateways work on all seven OSI layers. The main job of a gateway is
to convert protocols among communications networks. A router by itself
transfers, accepts and relays packets only across networks using similar
protocols. A gateway on the other hand can accept a packet formatted for one
protocol (e.g. AppleTalk) and convert it to a packet formatted for another

protocol (e.g. TCP/IP) before forwarding it. A gateway can be implemented in

hardware, software or both, but they are usually implemented by software
installed within a router. A gateway must understand the protocols used by each
network linked into the router. Gateways are slower than bridges, switches and
(non-gateway) routers.
A gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network. On the
Internet, a node or stopping point can be either a gateway node or a host (endpoint) node. Both the computers of Internet users and the computers that serve
pages to users are host nodes, while the nodes that connect the networks in
between are gateways. For example, the computers that control traffic between
company networks or the computers used by internet service providers (ISPs) to
connect users to the internet are gateway nodes.
Q.6.

What are the different step to configure Peer-to-Peer and Client-Server

Architecture in Computer Network?

Ans.: Peer-to-Peer Network Model : In the peer to peer network model we simply use
the same Workgroup for all the computers and a unique name for each
computer.
Additionally, we will have to give a unique IP address of the same class A, B, or
C for all the computers in our network and its related subnet mask e.g. if we
decide to use class A IP address for our three computers in our Peer-to-Peer
network then our IP address/Subnet mask settings can be as follows.
Computer Name IP Address Subnet Mask Workgroup
PC1 100.100.100.1 255.0.0.0 Officenetwork
PC2 100.100.100.2 255.0.0.0 Officenetwork
PC3 100.100.100.3 255.0.0.0 Officenetwork
Please note that the above example is for only illustration purpose so we can
choose any IP address, computer name and workgroup name of our interest.
For doing this right click on My Computer and then click Properties then go to
the Network Identification section and set these.
In a peer to peer network all computers acts as a client because there is not
centralized server. Peer to peer network is used where not security is required in
the network.
Client/Server Network Model : In the client/server network model a computer
plays a centralized role and is known as a server. All other computers in the
network are known as clients. All client computers access the server
simultaneously for files, database, docs, spreadsheets, web pages and resources
like input/output devices and others. In other words, all the client computes

depends on the server and if server fails to respond or crash then

networking/communication between the server and the client computers stops.
If we want to configure a client-server network model then first prepare the
server.
For that we have to follow the following steps :
Install Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 Server from the CD on the server
computer and make a domain.
We can create a domain by this command on the Run DCPROMO.
We can give this command once weinstall the server successfully.
After wegive the DCPROMO command wewill be asked for a unique
domain name.
All the client computers will use the same unique domain name for
becoming the part of this domain.
This command will install the active directory on the server, DNS and
other required things.
A step by step wizard will run and will guide us for the rest of the steps.
Make sure that a network cable is plugged in the LAN card of the server
when we you run the DCPROMO.exe command.
When the Active directory is properly installed on the server, restart the
server.
We can create network users on the server computer and also name/label
the network resources like computers/printers etc.
Once we install the server successfully now come to the client computers.
Install Windows 2000 professional on our all client computers.
Once we install the Windows 2000 professional on the clients the next step
is to make this computer (client computer) a part of the network.
Configuration Steps :
(1)

Choose a unique name for each client computer.

(2)

Choose unique IP address for each computer and relevant.

(3)

Use the same domain name for all client PCs.

Network/System administrators are required to do these administrative tasks on

the server and client computers. Any shared resources on the network either on
the server or the clients can be access through the My Network Places in the
Windows 2000 platform. There is another way to connect to the shared resources
by giving this command in the run \\ComputerName\SharedDriveLetter.

Q.7.

What are the different Network Topologies?

Ans.: Network topology is the study of the arrangement or mapping of the devices of
a network, especially the physical and logical interconnections between nodes.
Classification of Network Topologies : There are two basic categories of network
topologies :
Physical Topology
Logical Topology
Physical Topology : The mapping of the nodes of a network and the physical
connections between them i.e., the layout of wiring, cables, the locations of
nodes, and the interconnections between the nodes and the cabling or wiring
system referred as physical topology
Logical Topology : The mapping of the apparent connections between the nodes
of a network, as evidenced by the path that data appears to take when traveling
between the nodes.
Types of the Topologies :
Bus
Star
Ring
Mesh
o

partially connected mesh (or simply 'mesh')

fully connected mesh

Tree
Hybrid
Bus : The type of network topology in which all of the nodes of the network are
connected to a common transmission medium which has exactly two endpoints
;this is the 'bus', which is also commonly referred to as the backbone, or trunk
all data that is transmitted between nodes in the network is transmitted over this
common transmission medium and is able to be received by all nodes in the
network virtually simultaneously.

Bus topology
Advantages :
Easy to connect a computer or peripheral to a bus.
Requires less cable length than a star topology.
Disadvantages :
Entire network shuts down if there is a break in the main cable.
Terminators are required at both ends of the backbone cable.
Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
Not meant to be used as a stand-alone solution in a large building.
Star : The type of network
topology in which each of
the
nodes of the network is
connected to a central node
with a
point-to-point link in a 'hub'
and
'spoke' fashion, the central
node
being the 'hub' and the
nodes
that are attached to the
central node being the
'spokes'. All data that is
transmitted between nodes
in the
network is transmitted to
this
central node, which is
Star Topology
usually some type of device
that
then retransmits the data to some or all of the other nodes in the network,
although the central node may also be a simple common connection point
without any active device to repeat the signals.
Advantages :
Easy to install and wire.
No disruptions to the network then connecting or removing devices.
Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.

Disadvantages :
Requires more cable length than a linear topology.
If the hub or concentrator fails, nodes attached are disabled.
More expensive than linear bus topologies because of the cost of the
concentrators.
Ring : The type of network topology in which each of the nodes of the network is
connected to two other nodes in the network and with the first and last nodes
being connected to each other, forming a ring all data that is transmitted
between nodes in the network travels from one node to the next node in a
circular manner and the data
generally flows in a single direction
only.
Dual-ring : The type of network
topology in which each of the nodes
of the
network is connected to two other
nodes in the network, with two
connections to each of these nodes,
and
with the first and last nodes being
connected to each other with two
connections, forming a double ring
the
data flows in opposite directions Ring Topology
around the two rings, although,
generally, only one of the rings
carries data during normal operation, and the two rings are independent unless
there is a failure or break in one of the rings, at which time the two rings are
joined to enable the flow of data to continue using a segment of the second ring
to bypass the fault in the primary ring.
Advantages :
Very orderly network where every device has access to the token and the
opportunity to transmit
Performs better than a star topology under heavy network load
Does not require network server to manage the connectivity between the
computers
Disadvantages :
One malfunctioning workstation or bad port can create problems for the
entire network
Moves, adds and changes of devices can affect the network

Much slower than an bus network under normal load.

Mesh : The value of fully meshed networks is proportional to the exponent of the
number of subscribers, assuming that communicating groups of any two
endpoints, up to and including all the endpoints, is approximated by Reed's
Law.
Fully Connected : The type of
network topology in which
of the nodes of the network is
connected to each of the other
nodes in the network with a
point-to-point link this
makes it possible for data to
simultaneously
transmitted
any single node to all of the
nodes.

A Mesh Topology

each

be
from
other

The physical fully connected

mesh
topology is generally too costly and complex for practical networks, although the
topology is used when there are only a small number of nodes to be
interconnected.
Tree or Hierarchical : The type of
network topology in which a central
'root' node, the top level of the
hierarchy, is connected to one or more
other nodes that are one level lower in
the hierarchy i.e., the second level,
with a point-to-point link between
each of the second level nodes and the
top level central 'root' node, while
each of the second level nodes that are
connected to the top level central
'root' node will also have one or more
other nodes that are one level lower in
the hierarchy, i.e., the third level,
Tree Topology
connected to it, also with a point-topoint link, the top level central 'root'
node being the only node that has no
other node above it in the hierarchy
the hierarchy of the tree is symmetrical, each node in the network having a
specific fixed number, f, of nodes connected to it at the next lower level in the

hierarchy, the number, f, being referred to as the 'branching factor' of the

hierarchical tree.
Advantages :
Point-to-point wiring for individual segments.
Supported by several hardware and software venders.
Disadvantages :
Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.
If the backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.
More difficult to configure and wire than other topologies
Hybrid Network Topologies : The hybrid topology is a type of network topology
that is composed of one or more interconnections of two or more networks that
are based upon different physical topologies or a type of network topology that
is composed of one or more interconnections of two or more networks that are
based upon the same physical topology.
Q.8.

What are the different Transmission Modes?

Ans.: There are three ways or modes of data transmission :

Simplex : Communication can take place in one direction connected to such a
circuit are either a send only or a receive only device.
Half Duplex : A half duplex system can transmit data in both directions, but
only in one direction at a time.
Full Duplex : A full duplex system can transmit data simultaneously in both
directions on transmission path.
Sender

Receiver
(a) Simplex

Sender

Receiver
(b) Half Duplex

Sender

Receiver
(c) Full Duplex
Transmission Modes

Q.9.

Write short note on Switching techniques?

Ans.: Apart from determining valid paths between sources and destinations within an
interconnection network, a switching technique is needed that specifies how
messages are to be fragmented before passing them to the network and how the
resources along the path are to be allocated. Furthermore, a switching technique
gives preconditions to be fulfilled before a fragment can be moved on to the next
network component.
Following are the different switching techniques :
Circuit Switching : In circuit switching when a
connection is established, the origin-node
identifies the first intermediate node (node A) in
path to the end-node and sends it a
communication request signal. After the first
intermediate node receives this signal the process
repeated as many times as needed to reach the
node. Afterwards, the end-node sends a
communication acknowledge signal to the originnode through all the intermediate nodes that have
used in the communication request. Then, a full
duplex transmission line, that it is going to be kept
the whole communication, is set-up between the
origin-node and the end-node. To release the Circuit Switching
communication the origin-node sends a
communication end signal to the end-node. In
Following figure shows that a connection in a
node circuit switching network

the

is
end-

been
for

four-

Message Switching : When a connection is established, the origin-node identifies

the first intermediate node in the path to the end-node and sends it the whole
message. After receiving and storing this message, the first intermediate node
(node A) identifies the second one (node B) and, when the transmission line is
not busy, the former sends the whole message (store-and-forward philosophy).
This process is repeated up to the end-node. As can be seen in figure no
communication release or establishment is needed.
Message Switching
Packet Switching based on Virtual Circuit:
When a connection is established, the
origin-node identifies the first intermediate
(node A) in the path to the end-node and
sends it a communication request packet.
process is repeated as many times as
needed to reach. Then, the end-node sends
communication acknowledge packet to the
origin-node through the intermediate nodes
B, C and D) that have been traversed in the
communication request. The virtual circuit

node
This
a
(A,

established on this way will be kept for the

whole communication. Once a virtual
circuit has been established, the origin-node
begins to send packets (each of them has a
Packet Switching based on
virtual circuit identifier) to the first
Virtual Circuit
intermediate node. Then, the first intermediate node (node A) begins to send
packets to the following node in the virtual circuit without waiting to store all
message packets received from the origin-node. This process is repeated until all
message packets arrive to the end-node. In the communication release, when the
origin-node sends to the end-node a communication end packet, the latter
answers with an acknowledge packet. There are two possibilities to release a
connection :
No trace of the virtual circuit information is left, so every communication
is set-up as if it were the first one.
The virtual circuit information is kept for future connections.

Packet Switching based on Datagram : The origin-node

identifies the first intermediate node in the path and
begins to send packets. Each packet carries an originnode and end-node identifier. The first intermediate
node (node A) begins to send packets, without storing
the whole message, to the following intermediate node.
This process is repeated up to the end-node. As there are
neither connection establishment nor connection release,
the path follow for each packet from the origin-node to
the end-node can be different and therefore, as a
consequence of different propagation delays, they can
arrive disordered.
Packet Switching based on Datagram

Cell Switching : Cell Switching is similar to packet

switching, except that the switching does not necessarily occur on packet
boundaries. This is ideal for an integrated environment and is found within Cellbased networks, such as ATM. Cell-switching can handle both digital voice and
data signals.
Comparison of Switching Techniques : If a connection (path) between the origin
and the end node is established at the beginning of a session we are talking about
circuit or packet (virtual circuit) switching. In case it does not, we refer to
message and packet (datagram) switching. On the other hand, when considering
how a message is transmitted, if the whole message is divided into pieces we
have packet switching (based either on virtual circuit or datagram) but if it does
not, we have circuit and message switching.
Q.10. What are the different Computer Architectures?
Ans.: The two major types of network architecture systems are :
Peer-to-Peer
Client-Server
Peer-to-Peer : Peer-to-peer network
operating systems allow users to
share resources and files located on
their computers and to access shared
resources found on other computers.

However, they do not have a file server or a centralized management source. In a

peer-to-peer network, all computers are considered equal; they all have the same
abilities to use the resources available on the network. Peer-to-peer networks are
designed primarily for small to medium local area networks. AppleShare and
Windows for Workgroups are examples of programs that can function as peerto-peer network operating systems.
Advantages of a Peer-to-Peer Network :
Less initial expense - No need for a dedicated server.
Setup - An operating system such as Windows XP already in place may
only need to be reconfigured for peer-to-peer operations.
Disadvantages of Peer-to-Peer Network :
Decentralized - No central repository for files and applications.
Security - Does not provide the security available on a client/server
network.
Client-Server : A network architecture in which each computer or process on the
network is either a client or a server. Servers are powerful computers or
processes dedicated to managing disk drives (file servers), printers (print
servers), or network traffic (network servers). Clients are PCs or workstations on
which users run applications. Clients rely on servers for resources, such as files,
devices, and even processing power.
Client/server network operating systems allow the network to centralize
functions and applications in one or more dedicated servers. The servers become
the heart of the system, providing access to resources and providing security.
Individual workstations (clients) have access to the resources available on the
servers. The network operating system provides the mechanism to integrate all
the components of the network and allow multiple users to simultaneously share
the same resources irrespective of physical location.

Client-Server Network
Advantages of Client/Server Network :
Centralized - Resources and data security are controlled through the
server.
Scalability - Any or all elements can be replaced individually as needs
increase.
Flexibility - New technology can be easily integrated into system.
Interoperability - All components: client/network/server, work together.
Accessibility - Server can be accessed remotely and across multiple
platforms.
Disadvantages of Client/Server Network:
Expense - Requires initial investment in dedicated server.
Maintenance - Large networks will require a staff to ensure efficient
operation.
Dependence - When server goes down, operations will cease across the
network

Chapter-10

Introduction to Network Layers

Q.1.

Describe OSI Model.

Ans.: Open System Interconnection, an ISO standard for worldwide communications

that defines a networking framework for implementing protocols in seven layers.
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model is developed by ISO (International
organization for standardization) in 1984. OSI reference model is a logical
framework for standards for the network communication. OSI reference model
is now considered as a primary standard for internetworking and inter
computing. Today many network communication protocols are based on the
standards of OSI model. In the OSI model the
network/data communication is defined into
seven
layers.
The seven layers can be grouped into three
groups - Network, Transport and Application.
Network : Layers from this group are
low-level layers that deal with the
transmission and reception of the data
over the network.
Transport : This layer is in charge of
getting data received from the network
and transforming them in a format
nearer
to
the
data
format
understandable by the program. When
the computer is transmitting data, this The OSI Reference Model
layer gets the data and divides it into several packets to be transmitted
over the network. When your computer is receiving data, this layer gets
the received packets and put them back together.
Application : These are high-level layers that put data in the data format
used by the program

Layer 7 Application Layer : The application layer serves as the window for
users and application processes to access network services. The application layer
makes the interface between the program that is sending or is receiving data and
the protocol stack. When you download or send e-mails, your e-mail program
contacts this layer. This layer provides network services to the end-users like
Mail, ftp, telnet, DNS.
Function of Application Layer :
Resource sharing and device redirection.
Remote file access.
Remote printer access.
Inter-process communication.
Network management.
Directory services.
Electronic messaging (such as mail).
Network virtual terminals.
Protocols used at application layer are FTP, DNS, SNMP, SMTP, FINGER,
TELNET.
Layer 6 Presentation Layer : Presentation layer is also called translation layer.
The presentation layer presents the data into a uniform format and masks the
difference of data format between two dissimilar systems
The presentation layer formats the data to be presented to the application layer.
It can be viewed as the translator for the network. This layer may translate data
from a format used by the application layer into a common format at the sending
station, and then translate the common format to a format known to the
application
layer
at
the
receiving
station.
Presentation layer provides :
Character code translation: for example, ASCII to EBCDIC.
Data conversion: bit order, CR-CR/LF, integer-floating point, and so on.
Data compression: reduces the number of bits that need to be transmitted
on the network.
Data encryption: encrypt data for security purposes. For example,
password encryption.
Layer 5 - Session : The session protocol defines the format of the data sent over
the connections. Session layer establish and manages the session between the two
users at different ends in a network. Session layer also manages who can transfer

the data in a certain amount of time and for how long. The examples of session
layers and the interactive logins and file transfer sessions. Session layer reconnect
the session if it disconnects. It also reports and logs and upper layer errors.
The session layer allows session establishment between processes running on
different stations. It provides:
Session establishment, maintenance and termination: allows two
application processes on different machines to establish, use and
terminate a connection, called a session.
Session support: performs the functions that allow these processes to
communicate over the network, performing security, name recognition,
logging and so on.
Protocols : The protocols that work on the session layer are NetBIOS, Mail Slots,
Names Pipes, RPC.
Layer 4 - Transport : Transport layer manages end to end message delivery in a
network and also provides the error checking and hence guarantees that no
duplication or errors are occurring in the data transfers across the network.
Transport layer also provides the acknowledgement of the successful data
transmission and retransmits the data if no error free data was transferred.
The transport layer ensures that messages are delivered error-free, in sequence,
and with no losses or duplications. It relieves the higher layer protocols from any
concern with the transfer of data between them and their peers.
The size and complexity of a transport protocol depends on the type of service it
can get from the network layer. For a reliable network layer with virtual circuit
capability, a minimal transport layer is required. If the network layer is
unreliable and/or only supports datagrams, the transport protocol should
include extensive error detection and recovery.
The transport layer provides :
Message segmentation: accepts a message from the (session) layer above
it, splits the message into smaller units (if not already small enough), and
passes the smaller units down to the network layer. The transport layer at
the destination station reassembles the message.
Message acknowledgment: provides reliable end-to-end message delivery
with acknowledgments.
Message traffic control: tells the transmitting station to "back-off" when no
message buffers are available.

Session multiplexing: multiplexes several message streams, or sessions

onto one logical link and keeps track of which messages belong to which
sessions.
Protocols : These protocols work on the transport layer TCP, SPX, NETBIOS,
ATP and NWLINK.
Layer 3 - Network : This layer is in charge of packet addressing, converting
logical addresses into physical addresses, making it possible to data packets to
arrive at their destination. This layer is also in charge of setting the route. The
packets will use to arrive at their destination, based on factors like traffic and
priorities.
The network layer determines that how data transmits between the network
devices. It also translates the logical address into the physical address e.g
computer name into MAC address. It is also responsible for defining the route,
managing the network problems and addressing
The network layer controls the operation of the subnet, deciding which physical
path the data should take based on network conditions, priority of service, and
other factors. It provides :

Routing : Routes frames among networks.

Subnet Traffic Control : Routers (network layer intermediate systems)

can instruct a sending station to "throttle back" its frame transmission
when the router's buffer fills up.

Frame Fragmentation : If it determines that a downstream router's

maximum transmission unit (MTU) size is less than the frame size, a
router can fragment a frame for transmission and re-assembly at the
destination station.

Logical-Physical Address Mapping : translates logical addresses, or

names, into physical addresses.

Subnet Usage Accounting : has accounting functions to keep track of

frames forwarded by subnet intermediate systems, to produce billing
information.

In the network layer and the layers below, peer protocols exist between a node
and its immediate neighbor, but the neighbor may be a node through which data
is routed, not the destination station. The source and destination stations may be
separated by many intermediate systems.
Protocols : These protocols work on the network layer IP, ICMP, ARP, RIP, OSI,
IPX and OSPF.

Layer 2 - Data Link layer : The data link layer provides error-free transfer of data
frames from one node to another over the physical layer, allowing layers above it
to assume virtually error-free transmission over the link.
Data Link layer defines the format of data on the network. A network data
frame, packet, includes checksum, source and destination address, and data. The
data link layer handles the physical and logical connections to the packet's
destination, using a network interface.
This layer gets the data packets send by the network layer and convert them into
frames that will be sent out to the network media, adding the physical address of
the network card of your computer, the physical address of the network card of
the destination, control data and a checksum data, also known as CRC. The
frame created by this layer is sent to the physical layer, where the frame will be
converted into an electrical signal to do this, the data link layer provides :
Link Establishment and Termination : Establishes and terminates the
logical link between two nodes.
Frame Traffic Control : Tells the transmitting node to "back-off" when no
frame buffers are available.
Frame Sequencing : Transmits/receives frames sequentially.
Frame Acknowledgment : Provides/expects frame acknowledgments.
Detects and recovers from errors that occur in the physical layer by
retransmitting non-acknowledged frames and handling duplicate frame
receipt.
Frame Delimiting : Creates and recognizes frame boundaries.
Frame Error Checking : Checks received frames for integrity.
Media Access Management : determines when the node "has the right" to
use the physical medium.
Layer 1 Physical : The physical layer, the lowest layer of the OSI model, is
concerned with the transmission and reception of the unstructured raw bit
stream over a physical medium. It describes the electrical/optical, mechanical,
and functional interfaces to the physical medium, and carries the signals for all of
the higher layers. Physical layer defines and cables, network cards and physical
aspects. It also provides the interface between network and network
communication devices.
This layer gets the frames sent by the Data Link layer and converts them into
signals compatible with the transmission media. If a metallic cable is used, then it
will convert data into electrical signals; if a fiber optical cable is used, then it will
convert data into luminous signals; if a wireless network is used, then it will

convert data into electromagnetic signals; and so on. When receiving data, this
layer will get the signal received and convert it into 0s and 1s and send them to
the Data Link layer, which will put the frame back together and check for its
integrity.
Physical layer provides :
Data Encoding : Modifies the simple digital signal pattern (1s and 0s) used by
the PC to better accommodate the characteristics of the physical medium, and to
aid in bit and frame synchronization. It determines:
What signal state represents a binary 1.
How the receiving station knows when a "bit-time" starts.
How the receiving station delimits a frame.
Physical Medium Attachment, Accommodating Various Possibilities in the
Medium :
Will an external transceiver (MAU) be used to connect to the medium?
How many pins do the connectors have and what is each pin used for?
Transmission Technique : determines whether the encoded bits will be
transmitted by baseband (digital) or broadband (analog) signaling.
Physical Medium Transmission : transmits bits as electrical or optical signals
appropriate for the physical medium, and determines:
What physical medium options can be used.
How many volts/db should be used to represent a given signal state,
using a given physical medium.
Protocols used at physical layer are ISDN, IEEE 802 and IEEE 802.2.
Q.2.

What is Congestion Control? Describe the Congestion Control Algorithm

commonly used.

Ans.: Congestion is a situation in which too many packets are present in a part of the
subnet, performance degrades. In other words when too much traffic is offered,
congestion sets in and performance degrades sharply
Factors causing Congestion :
The input traffic rate exceeds the capacity of the output lines.
The routers are too slow to perform bookkeeping tasks (queuing buffers,
updating tables, etc.).
The routers' buffer is too limited.

How to correct the Congestion Problem :

Increase the Resource :
o

Using an additional line to temporarily increase the bandwidth

between certain points.

Splitting traffic over multiple routes.

Using spare routers.

Decrease the Load :

o

Denying service to some users,

Degrading service to some or all users, and

Having users schedule their demands in a more predictable way.

The Leaky Bucket Algorithm : The leaky bucket algorithm is commonly used
congestion control algorithm. In this algorithm following steps are used to
control the congestion:
Each host is connected to the network by an interface containing a leaky
bucket - a finite internal queue.
The outflow is at a constant rate when there is any packet in the bucket
and zero when the bucket is empty.
If a packet arrives at the bucket when it is full, the packet is discarded.
Q.3.

What is Routing? Describe the different Routing Algorithms.

Ans.: Routing is the process of selecting paths in a network along which to send data
on physical traffic. In different network operating system the network layer
perform the function of routing. In TCP/IP the IP protocol is the ability to form
connections between different physical networks. A system that performs this
function is called an IP router. This type of device attaches to two or more
physical networks and forwards packets between the networks. When sending
data to a remote destination, a host passes packet to a local router. The router
forwards the packet toward the final destination. They travel from one router to
another until they reach a router connected to the destinations LAN segment.
Each router along the end-to-end path selects the next hop device used to reach
the destination. The next hop represents the next device along the path to reach
the destination. It is located on a physical network connected to this intermediate
system. Because this physical network differs from the one on which the system
originally received the datagram, the intermediate host has forwarded (that is,
routed) the packets from one physical network to another.
There are two types of routing algorithm :

Static
Dynamic
Static Routing : Static routing uses preprogrammed definitions representing
paths through the network. Static routing is manually performed by the network
administrator. The administrator is responsible for discovering and propagating
routes through the network. These definitions are manually programmed in
every routing device in the environment. After a device has been configured, it
simply forwards packets out the predetermined ports. There is no
communication between routers regarding the current topology of the network.
In small networks with minimal redundancy, this process is relatively simple to
administer.
Dynamic Routing : Dynamic routing algorithms allow routers to automatically
discover and maintain awareness of the paths through the network. This
automatic discovery can use a number of currently available dynamic routing
protocols.
Following are the routing algorithms for networks :
Distance Vector Algorithm
Link State Algorithm
Path Vector Algorithm
Hybrid Algorithm
Distance Vector Routing : Distance vector algorithms use the Bellman-Ford
algorithm. Distance vector algorithms are examples of dynamic routing
protocols. Algorithms allow each device in the network to automatically build
and maintain a local routing table or matrix. Routing table contains list of
destinations, the total cost to each, and the next hop to send data to get there.
This approach assigns a number, the cost, to each of the links between each node
in the network. Nodes will send information from point A to point B via the path
that results in the lowest total cost i.e. the sum of the costs of the links between
the nodes used.
The algorithm operates in a very simple manner. When a node first starts, it only
knows of its immediate neighbours, and the direct cost involved in reaching
them. The routing table from the each node, on a regular basis, sends its own
information to each neighbouring node with current idea of the total cost to get
to all the destinations it knows of. The neighbouring node(s) examine this
information, and compare it to what they already 'know'; anything which
represents an improvement on what they already have, they insert in their own
routing table(s). Over time, all the nodes in the network will discover the best
next hop for all destinations, and the best total cost.

The main advantage of distance vector algorithms is that they are typically easy
to implement and debug. They are very useful in small networks with limited
redundancy.
When one of the nodes involved goes down, those nodes which used it as their
next hop for certain destinations discard those entries, and create new routingtable information. They then pass this information to all adjacent nodes, which
then repeat the process. Eventually all the nodes in the network receive the
updated information, and will then discover new paths to all the destinations
which they can still "reach".
Link State Routing : A link state is the description of an interface on a router and
its relationship to neighboring routers.
When applying link-state algorithms, each node uses as its fundamental data a
map of the network in the form of a graph. To produce this, each node floods the
entire network with information about what other nodes it can connect to, and
each node then independently assembles this information into a map. Using this
map, each router then independently determines the least-cost path from itself to
every other node using a standard shortest paths algorithm such as Dijkstra's
algorithm. The result is a tree rooted at the current node such that the path
through the tree from the root to any other node is the least-cost path to that
node. This tree then serves to construct the routing table, which specifies the best
next hop to get from the current node to any other node.
Shortest-Path First (SPF) Algorithm : The SPF algorithm is used to process the
information in the topology database. It provides a tree-representation of the
network. The device running the SPF algorithm is the root of the tree. The output
of the algorithm is the list of shortest-paths to each destination network. Because
each router is processing the same set of LSAs, each router creates an identical
link state database. However, because each device occupies a different place in
the network topology, the application of the SPF algorithm produces a different
tree for each router.
Path Vector Routing : Distance vector and link state routing are both intradomain routing protocols. They are used inside an autonomous system, but not
between autonomous systems. Both of these routing protocols become
intractable in large networks and cannot be used in Inter-domain routing.
Distance vector routing is subject to instability if there are more than few hops in
the domain. Link state routing needs huge amount of resources to calculate
routing tables. It also creates heavy traffic because of flooding.
Path vector routing is used for inter-domain routing. It is similar to Distance
vector routing. In path vector routing we assume there is one node (there can be
many) in each autonomous system which acts on behalf of the entire
autonomous system. This node is called the speaker node. The speaker node
creates a routing table and sends information to its neighboring speaker nodes in

neighboring autonomous systems. The idea is the same as Distance vector

routing except that only speaker nodes in each autonomous system can
communicate with each other. The speaker node sends information of the path,
not the metric of the nodes, in its autonomous system or other autonomous
systems.
The path vector routing algorithm is somewhat similar to the distance vector
algorithm in the sense that each border router advertises the destinations it can
reach to its neighboring router. However, instead of advertising networks in
terms of a destination and the distance to that destination, networks are sends
information as destination addresses and path descriptions to reach those
destinations. A route is defined as a pairing between a destination and the
attributes of the path to that destination, thus the name, path vector routing,
where the routers receive a vector that contains paths to a set of destinations. The
path, expressed in terms of the domains traversed so far, is carried in a special
path attribute that records the sequence of routing domains through which the
reachability information has passed. The path represented by the smallest
number of domains becomes the preferred path to reach the destination.
The main advantage of a path vector protocol is its flexibility.
Hybrid Routing : This algorithm attempt to combine the positive attributes of
both distance vector and link state protocols. Like distance vector, hybrid
algorithm use metrics to assign a preference to a route. However, the metrics are
more accurate than conventional distance vector algorithm. Like link state
algorithms, routing updates in hybrid algorithm are event driven rather than
periodic. Networks using hybrid algorithm tend to converge more quickly than
networks using distance vector protocols. Finally, algorithm potentially reduces
the costs of link state updates and distance vector advertisements.
Q.4.

What are Transmission Errors?

Ans.: External electromagnetic signals can cause incorrect delivery of data. By this,
data can be received incorrectly, data can be lost or unwanted data can be
generated. Any of these problems are called transmission errors.
Q.5.

What is Error Correction and Detection?

Ans.: Error detection and correction has great practical importance in maintaining
data (information) integrity across noisy channels and less-than-reliable storage
media.
Error Correction : Send additional information so incorrect data can be corrected
and accepted. Error correction is the additional ability to reconstruct the original,
error-free data.

There are two basic ways to design the channel code and protocol for an error
correcting system :

Automatic Repeat-Request (ARQ) : The transmitter sends the data and

also an error detection code, which the receiver uses to check for errors,
and request retransmission of erroneous data. In many cases, the request
is implicit; the receiver sends an acknowledgement (ACK) of correctly
received data, and the transmitter re-sends anything not acknowledged
within a reasonable period of time.

Forward Error Correction (FEC) : The transmitter encodes the data with
an error-correcting code (ECC) and sends the coded message. The receiver
never sends any messages back to the transmitter. The receiver decodes
what it receives into the "most likely" data. The codes are designed so that
it would take an "unreasonable" amount of noise to trick the receiver into
misinterpreting the data.

Error Detection : Send additional information so incorrect data can be detected

and rejected. Error detection is the ability to detect the presence of errors caused
by noise or other impairments during transmission from the transmitter to the
receiver.
Error Detection Schemes : In telecommunication, a redundancy check is extra
data added to a message for the purposes of error detection.
Several schemes exist to achieve error detection, and are generally quite simple.
All error detection codes transmit more bits than were in the original data. Most
codes are "systematic": the transmitter sends a fixed number of original data bits,
followed by fixed number of check bits usually referred to as redundancy which
are derived from the data bits by some deterministic algorithm. The receiver
applies the same algorithm to the received data bits and compares its output to
the received check bits; if the values do not match, an error has occurred at some
point during the transmission. In a system that uses a "non-systematic" code,
such as some raptor codes, data bits are transformed into at least as many code
bits, and the transmitter sends only the code bits.
Repetition Schemes : Variations on this theme exist. Given a stream of data that
is to be sent, the data is broken up into blocks of bits, and in sending, each block
is sent some predetermined number of times. For example, if we want to send
"1011", we may repeat this block three times each.
Suppose we send "1011 1011 1011", and this is received as "1010 1011 1011". As
one group is not the same as the other two, we can determine that an error has
occurred. This scheme is not very efficient, and can be susceptible to problems if
the error occurs in exactly the same place for each group e.g. "1010 1010 1010" in
the example above will be detected as correct in this scheme.

The scheme however is extremely simple, and is in fact used in some

transmissions of numbers stations.
Parity Schemes : A parity bit is an error detection mechanism . A parity bit is an
extra bit transmitted with a data item, chose to give the resulting bits even or odd
parity.
Parity refers to the number of bits set to 1 in the data item. There are 2 types of
parity
Even parity - an even number of bits are 1
Even parity - data: 10010001, parity bit 1
Odd parity - an odd number of bits are 1
Odd parity - data: 10010111, parity bit 0
The stream of data is broken up into blocks of bits, and the number of 1 bits is
counted. Then, a "parity bit" is set (or cleared) if the number of one bits is odd (or
even).This scheme is called even parity; odd parity can also be used.
There is a limitation to parity schemes. A parity bit is only guaranteed to detect
an odd number of bit errors (one, three, five, and so on). If an even number of
bits (two, four, six and so on) are flipped, the parity bit appears to be correct,
even though the data is corrupt.
For exapmle
Original data and parity: 10010001+1 (even parity)
Incorrect data: 10110011+1 (even parity!)
Parity usually used to catch one-bit errors
Checksum : A checksum of a message is an arithmetic sum of message code
words of a certain word length, for example byte values, and their carry value.
The sum is negated by means of ones-complement, and stored or transferred as
an extra code word extending the message. On the receiver side, a new checksum
may be calculated, from the extended message. If the new checksum is not 0,
error is detected.Checksum schemes include parity bits, check digits, and
longitudinal redundancy check.
Suppose we have a fairly long message, which can reasonably be divided into
shorter words (a 128 byte message, for instance). We can introduce an
accumulator with the same width as a word (one byte, for instance), and as each
word comes in, add it to the accumulator. When the last word has been added,
the contents of the accumulator are appended to the message (as a 129th byte, in
this case). The added word is called a checksum.
Now, the receiver performs the same operation, and checks the checksum. If the
checksums agree, we assume the message was sent without error.

Example for Checksum :

Checksum Error Detection

Hamming Distance Based Checks : If we want to detect d bit errors in an n bit

word we can map every n bit word into a bigger n+d+1 bit word so that the
minimum Hamming distance between each valid mapping is d+1. This way, if
one receives n+d+1 bit word that doesn't match any word in the mapping (with a
Hamming distance x <= d+1 from any word in the mapping) it can successfully
detect it as an errored word. Even more, d or fewer errors will never transform a
valid word into another, because the Hamming distance between each valid
word is at least d+1, and such errors only lead to invalid words that are detected
correctly. Given a stream of m*n bits, we can detect x <= d bit errors successfully
using the above method on every n bit word. In fact, we can detect a maximum
of m*d errors if every n word is transmitted with maximum d errors.
The Hamming distance between two bit strings is the number of bits you have to
change to convert one to the other. The basic idea of an error correcting code is to
use extra bits to increase the dimensionality of the hypercube, and make sure the
Hamming distance between any two valid points is greater than one.
If the Hamming distance between valid strings is only one, a single-bit
error results in another valid string. This means we can't detect an error.
If it's two, then changing one bit results in an invalid string, and can be
detected as an error. Unfortunately, changing just one more bit can result
in another valid string, which means we can't detect which bit was wrong;
so we can detect an error but not correct it.
If the Hamming distance between valid strings is three, then changing one
bit leaves us only one bit away from the original error, but two bits away
from any other valid string. This means if we have a one-bit error, we can
figure out which bit is the error; but if we have a two-bit error, it looks like
one bit from the other direction. So we can have single bit correction, but
that's all.

Finally, if the Hamming distance is four, then we can correct a single-bit

error and detect a double-bit error. This is frequently referred to as a
SECDED (Single Error Correct, Double Error Detect) scheme.
Cyclic Redundancy Checks : For CRC following some of Peterson & Brown's

notation here . . .
k is the length of the message we want to send, i.e., the number of
information bits.
n is the total length of the message we will end up sending the
information bits followed by the check bits. Peterson and Brown call this a
code polynomial.
n-k is the number of check bits. It is also the degree of the generating
polynomial. The basic (mathematical) idea is that we're going to pick the
n-k check digits in such a way that the code polynomial is divisible by the
generating polynomial. Then we send the data, and at the other end we
look to see whether it's still divisible by the generating polynomial; if it's
not then we know we have an error, if it is, we hope there was no error.
The way we calculate a CRC is we establish some predefined n-k+1 bit number P
(called the Polynomial, for reasons relating to the fact that modulo-2 arithmetic is
a special case of polynomial arithmetic). Now we append n-k 0's to our message,
and divide the result by P using modulo-2 arithmetic. The remainder is called the
Frame Check Sequence. Now we ship off the message with the remainder
appended in place of the 0's. The receiver can either recompute the FCS or see if
it gets the same answer, or it can just divide the whole message (including the
FCS) by P and see if it gets a remainder of 0.
As an example, let's set a 5-bit polynomial of 11001, and compute the CRC of a 16
bit message :
--------------------11001)10011101010101100000
11001
----1010101010101100000
11001
----110001010101100000
11001
----00011010101100000
11001
-----

0011101100000
11001
----100100000
11001
----10110000
11001
----1111000
11001
----11100
11001
----0101
In division dont bother to keep track of the quotient; we don't care about the
quotient. Our only goal here is to get the remainder (0101), which is the FCS.
CRC's can actually be computed in hardware using a shift register and some
number of exclusive-or gates.
Q.6.

Describe the MAC Layer Protocols?

Ans.: The Media Access Control (MAC) data communication protocol sub-layer, also
known as the Medium Access Control, is a sub-layer of the data link layer
specified in the seven-layer OSI model. The medium access layer was made
necessary by systems that share a common communications medium. Typically
these are local area networks. In LAN nodes uses the same communication
channel for transmission. The MAC sub-layer has two primary responsibilities:
Data encapsulation, including frame assembly before transmission, and
frame parsing/error detection during and after reception.
Media access control, including initiation of frame transmission and
recovery from transmission failure.
Following Protocols are used by Medium Access Layer :
ALOHA : ALOHA is a system for coordinating and arbitrating access to a
shared communication channel. It was developed in the 1970s at the
University of Hawaii. The original system used terrestrial radio
broadcasting, but the system has been implemented in satellite
communication systems. A shared communication system like ALOHA

requires a method of handling collisions that occur when two or more

systems attempt to transmit on the channel at the same time. In the
ALOHA system, a node transmits whenever data is available to send. If
another node transmits at the same time, a collision occurs, and the frames
that were transmitted are lost. However, a node can listen to broadcasts
on the medium, even its own, and determine whether the frames were
transmitted.
Carrier Sensed Multiple Access (CSMA) : CSMA is a network access
method used on shared network topologies such as Ethernet to control
access to the network. Devices attached to the network cable listen (carrier
sense) before transmitting. If the channel is in use, devices wait before
transmitting. MA (Multiple Access) indicates that many devices can
connect to and share the same network. All devices have equal access to
use the network when it is clear. Even though devices attempt to sense
whether the network is in use, there is a good chance that two stations will
attempt to access it at the same time. On large networks, the transmission
time between one end of the cable and another is enough that one station
may access the cable even though another has already just accessed it.
There are two methods for avoiding these so-called collisions, listed here :

CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) :

CD (collision detection) defines what happens when two devices
sense a clear channel, then attempt to transmit at the same time. A
collision occurs, and both devices stop transmission, wait for a
random amount of time, and then retransmit. This is the technique
used to access the 802.3 Ethernet network channel. This method
handles collisions as they occur, but if the bus is constantly busy,
collisions can occur so often that performance drops drastically. It
is estimated that network traffic must be less than 40 percent of the
bus capacity for the network to operate efficiently. If distances are
long, time lags occur that may result in inappropriate carrier
sensing, and hence collisions.

CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) :

In CA collision avoidance), collisions are avoided because each
node signals its intent to transmit before actually doing so. This
method is not popular because it requires excessive overhead that
reduces performance.

Ethernet : IEEE 802.3 Local Area Network (LAN) Protocols : Ethernet

protocols refer to the family of local-area network (LAN) covered by the
IEEE 802.3. In the Ethernet standard, there are two modes of operation:

half-duplex and full-duplex modes. In the half duplex mode, data are
transmitted using the popular Carrier-Sense Multiple Access/Collision
Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol on a shared medium. The main
disadvantages of the half-duplex are the efficiency and distance limitation,
in which the link distance is limited by the minimum MAC frame size.
This restriction reduces the efficiency drastically for high-rate
transmission. Therefore, the carrier extension technique is used to ensure
the minimum frame size of 512 bytes in Gigabit Ethernet to achieve a
reasonable link distance.
Four data rates are currently defined for operation over optical fiber and
twisted-pair cables :
10 Mbps - 10Base-T Ethernet (IEEE 802.3)
100 Mbps - Fast Ethernet (IEEE 802.3u)
1000 Mbps - Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE 802.3z)
10-Gigabit - 10 Gbps Ethernet (IEEE 802.3ae).
The Ethernet System consists of three basic elements :
(1)

The physical medium used to carry Ethernet signals between

computers,

(2)

a set of medium access control rules embedded in each Ethernet

interface that allow multiple computers to fairly arbitrate access to
the shared Ethernet channel, and

(3)

an Ethernet frame that consists of a standardized set of bits used to

carry data over the system.

As with all IEEE 802 protocols, the ISO data link layer is divided into two
IEEE 802 sub-layers, the Media Access Control (MAC) sub-layer and the
MAC-client sub-layer. The IEEE 802.3 physical layer corresponds to the
ISO physical layer.
Each Ethernet-equipped computer operates independently of all other
stations on the network: there is no central controller. All stations attached
to an Ethernet are connected to a shared signaling system, also called the
medium. To send data a station first listens to the channel, and when the
channel is idle the station transmits its data in the form of an Ethernet
frame, or packet.
After each frame transmission, all stations on the network must contend
equally for the next frame transmission opportunity. Access to the shared
channel is determined by the medium access control (MAC) mechanism

embedded in the Ethernet interface located in each station. The medium

access control mechanism is based on a system called Carrier Sense
Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD).
As each Ethernet frame is sent onto the shared signal channel, all Ethernet
interfaces look at the destination address. If the destination address of the
frame matches with the interface address, the frame will be read entirely
and be delivered to the networking software running on that computer.
All other network interfaces will stop reading the frame when they
discover that the destination address does not match their own address.
IEEE 802.4 Token Bus : In token bus network station must have
possession of a token before it can transmit on the network. The IEEE
802.4 Committee has defined token bus standards as broadband networks,
as opposed to Ethernet's baseband transmission technique. The topology
of the network can include groups of workstations connected by long
trunk cables. These workstations branch from hubs in a star configuration,
so the network has both a bus and star topology. Token bus topology is
well suited to groups of users that are separated by some distance. IEEE
802.4 token bus networks are constructed with 75-ohm coaxial cable using
a bus topology. The broadband characteristics of the 802.4 standard
support transmission over several different channels simultaneously.
The token and frames of data are passed from one station to another
following the numeric sequence of the station addresses. Thus, the token
follows a logical ring rather than a physical ring. The last station in
numeric order passes the token back to the first station. The token does
not follow the physical ordering of workstation attachment to the cable.
Station 1 might be at one end of the cable and station 2 might be at the
other, with station 3 in the middle.
While token bus is used in some manufacturing environments, Ethernet
and token ring standards have become more prominent in the office
environment.
IEEE 802.5 Token Ring : Token ring is the IEEE 802.5 standard for a
token-passing ring network with a star-configured physical topology.
Internally, signals travel around the network from one station to the next
in a ring. Physically, each station connects to a central hub called a MAU
(multistation access unit). The MAU contains a "collapsed ring," but the
physical configuration is a star topology. When a station is attached, the
ring is extended out to the station and then back to the MAU . If a station
goes offline, the ring is reestablished with a bypass at the station

connector. Token ring was popular for an extended period in the late
1980s and 1990s, especially in IBM legacy system environments. IBM
developed the technology and provided extensive support for connections
to SNA systems. More recently, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit
Ethernet technologies have pushed token ring and other LAN
technologies to the sidelines.
Q.7. Describe the different Transmission Media.
Ans.: The first layer (physical layer) of the OSI Seven layer model is dedicated to the
transmission media. Due to the variety of transmission media and network
wiring methods, selecting the most appropriate media can be confusing - what is
the optimal cost-effective solution???
When choosing the transmission media, what are the factors to be considered?
Transmission Rate
Distances
Cost and Ease of Installation
Resistance to Environmental Conditions
There are two types of transmission media :
Guided
Unguided
Guided Media :
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Shielded Twisted Pair
Coaxial Cable
Optical Fiber
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) : UTP is the copper media, inherited from
telephony, which is being used for increasingly higher data rates, and is rapidly
becoming the de facto standard for horizontal wiring, the connection between,
and including, the outlet and the termination in the communication closet. A
Twisted Pair is a pair of copper wires, with diameters of 0.4-0.8 mm, twisted
together and wrapped with a plastic coating. The twisting increases the electrical
noise immunity, and reduces the bit error rate (BER) of the data transmission. A
UTP cable contains from 2 to 4200 twisted pairs.

UTP is a very flexible, low cost media, and can be used for either voice or data
communications. Its greatest disadvantage is the limited bandwidth, which
restricts long distance transmission with low error rates.
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) : STP is heavier and more difficult to manufacture,
but it can greatly improve the signaling rate in a given transmission scheme
Twisting provides cancellation of magnetically induced fields and currents on a
pair of conductors. Magnetic fields arise around other heavy current-carrying
conductors and around large electric motors. Various grades of copper cables are
available, with Grade 5
being the best and most
expensive.
Grade 5 copper, appropriate
for
use
in
100-Mbps
Shielded Twisted Pair
applications,
has
more
twists per inch than lower grades. More twists per inch means more linear feet of
copper wire used to make up a cable run, and more copper means more money.
Shielding provides a means to reflect or absorb electric fields that are present
around cables. Shielding comes in a variety of forms from copper braiding or
copper meshes to aluminized.
Mylar tape wrapped around
conductor and again around
twisted pair.

each
the

Coaxial Cable : Coaxial

cable
is a two-conductor cable in
which one conductor forms
an
electromagnetic
shield
around the other. The two
conductors are separated by
Coaxial Cable
insulation. It is a constant
impedance transmission cable. This media is used in base band and broadband
transmission. Coaxial cables do not produce external electric and magnetic fields
and are not affected by them. This makes them ideally suited, although more
expensive, for transmitting signals.
Optical Fiber : Optical fiber consists of thin glass fibers that can carry
information at frequencies in the visible light spectrum and beyond. The typical
optical fiber consists of a very narrow strand of glass called the core. Around the
core is a concentric layer of glass called the cladding. A typical core diameter is
62.5 microns .Typically cladding has a diameter of 125 microns. Coating the
cladding is a protective coating consisting of plastic, it is called the Jacket. An
important characteristic of fiber optics is refraction. Refraction is the

characteristic of a material to either pass or reflect light. When light passes

through a medium, it bends as it passes from one medium to the other. An
example of this is when we look into a pond of water If the angle of incidence is
small, the light rays are reflected and do not pass into the water. If the angle of
incident is great, light passes through the media but is bent or refracted. Optical
fibers work on the principle that the core refracts the light and the cladding
reflects the light. The core refracts the light and guides the light along its path.
The cladding reflects any light back into the core and stops light from escaping
through it - it bounds the medium!

Optical Fiber
Unguided Media : Transmission media then looking at analysis of using them
unguided transmission media is data signals that flow through the air. They are
not guided or bound to a channel to follow.
Following are unguided media used for data communication :
Radio Transmission
Microwave
Satellite Communication
.

RF Propagation : There are three types of RF (radio frequency) propagation :

Ground Wave
Ionospheric
Line of Sight (LOS)
Ground wave propagation follows the curvature of the Earth. Ground waves
have carrier frequencies up to 2 MHz. AM radio is an example of ground wave
propagation.

Ionospheric propagation bounces off of the Earths ionospheric layer in the upper
atmosphere. It is sometimes called double hop propagation. It operates in the
frequency range of 30 - 85 MHz. Because it depends on the Earths ionosphere, it
changes with the weather and time of day. The signal bounces off of the
ionosphere and back to earth. Ham radios operate in this range.

Ionospheric propagation
Line of sight propagation transmits exactly in the line of sight. The receive station
must be in the view of the transmit station. It is sometimes called space waves or
tropospheric propagation. It is limited by the curvature of the Earth for groundbased stations (100 km, from horizon to horizon). Reflected waves can cause
problems. Examples of line of sight propagation are: FM radio, microwave and
satellite.

Line of sight
Radio Frequencies : The frequency spectrum operates from 0 Hz (DC) to gamma
rays (1019 Hz). Radio frequencies are in the range of 300 kHz to 10 GHz. We are
seeing an emerging technology called wireless LANs. Some use radio frequencies
to connect the workstations together, some use infrared technology.
Microwave : Microwave transmission is line of sight transmission. The transmit
station must be in visible contact with the receive station. This sets a limit on the
distance between stations depending on the local geography. Typically the line
of sight due to the Earths curvature is only 50 km to the horizon! Repeater
stations must be placed so the data signal can hop, skip and jump across the
country.

Microwave Transmission
Microwaves operate at high operating frequencies of 3 to 10 GHz. This allows
them to carry large quantities of data due to their large bandwidth.
Advantages :
(a)

They require no right of way acquisition between towers.

(b)

They can carry high quantities of information due to their high operating
frequencies.

(c)

Low cost land purchase: each tower occupies only a small area.

(d)

High frequency/short wavelength signals require small antennae.

Disadvantages :
(a)

Attenuation by solid objects: birds, rain, snow and fog.

(b)

Reflected from flat surfaces like water and metal.

(c)

Diffracted (split) around solid objects.

(d)

Reflected by atmosphere, thus causing beam to be projected away from

receiver.

Satellite : Satellites are transponders (units that receive on one frequency and
retransmit on another) that are set in geostationary orbits directly over the
equator. These geostationary orbits are 36,000 km from the Earths surface. At
this point, the gravitational pull of the Earth and the centrifugal force of Earths
rotation are balanced and cancel each other out. Centrifugal force is the
rotational f0000000orce placed on the satellite that wants to fling it out into space.
The
uplink is
the

transmitter of data to the satellite. The downlink is the receiver of data. Uplinks
and downlinks are also called Earth stations because they are located on the
Earth. The footprint is the shadow that the satellite can transmit to, the shadow
being the area that can receive the satellites transmitted signal.
Q.8.

What are the different Transmission Modes?

Ans.: In communications, the transmission of a unit of data from one node to another
node takes place. It is responsible for ensuring that the bits received are the same
as the bits sent. Following are the major categories of transmission :

Asynchronous Transmission : Originating from mechanical teletype machines,

asynchronous transmission treats each character as a unit with start and stop bits
appended to it. It is the common form of transmission between the serial port of
a computer or terminal and a modem. ASCII, or teletype, protocols provide little
or no error checking. File transfer protocols, provide data link services and
higher-level services, collectively known as transport services.
Synchronous Transmission : Developed for mainframe networks using higher
speeds than teletype terminals, synchronous transmission sends contiguous
blocks of data, with both sending and receiving stations synchronized to each
other. Synchronous protocols include error checking.

Q.9.

Which are the sub-layers in Data Link layer?

Ans.: In LAN data link layer is divided in the 2 layers :

Logical Lick Control Sub-layer
Medium Access Layer
Logical Link Control Sublayer : The uppermost sublayer is Logical Link

Control (LLC). This sublayer multiplexes protocols running atop the data
link layer, and optionally provides flow control, acknowledgment, and
error recovery. The LLC provides addressing and control of the data link.
It specifies which mechanisms are to be used for addressing stations over
the transmission medium and for controlling the data exchanged between
the originator and recipient machines.
Media Access Control Sublayer : The sublayer below it is Media Access Control
(MAC). Sometimes this refers to the sublayer that determines who is allowed to
access the media at any one time. Other times it refers to a frame structure with
MAC addresses inside. There are generally two forms of media access control:
distributed and centralized. Both of these may be compared to communication
between people:
The Media Access Control sublayer also determines where one frame of data
ends and the next one starts. There are four means of doing that: a time based,
character counting, byte stuffing and bit stuffing.

Chapter-11

Introduction to TCP/IP
Q.1.

What is TCP/IP Protocol Suit? Describe all layers of TCP/IP.

Ans.: The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite is

the engine for the Internet and networks worldwide. Its simplicity and power
has led to its becoming the single network protocol of choice in the world today.
TCP/IP is a set of protocols developed to allow cooperating computers to share
resources across the network. It was developed by a community of researchers
centered around the ARPAnet. Certainly the ARPAnet is the best- known
TCP/IP network.
The most accurate name for the set of protocols is the "Internet protocol suite".
TCP and IP are two of the protocols in this suite. The Internet is a collection of
networks. Term "Internet" applies to this entire set of networks.
Like most networking software, TCP/IP is modeled in layers. This layered
representation leads to the term protocol stack, which refers to the stack of layers
in the protocol suite. It can be used for positioning the TCP/IP protocol suite
against others network software like Open System Interconnection (OSI) model.
By dividing the communication software into layers, the protocol stack allows for
division of labor, ease of implementation and code testing, and the ability to
develop alternative layer implementations. Layers communicate with those
above and below via concise interfaces. In this regard, a layer provides a service
for the layer directly above it and makes use of services provided by the layer
directly below it. For example, the IP layer provides the ability to transfer data
from one host to another without any guarantee to reliable delivery or duplicate
suppression.

TCP/IP is a family of protocols. A few provide "low- level" functions needed for
many applications. These include IP, TCP, and UDP. Others are protocols for
doing specific tasks, e.g. transferring files between computers, sending mail, or
finding out who is logged in on another computer. Initially TCP/IP was used
mostly between minicomputers or mainframes. These machines had their own
disks, and generally were self- contained.
Application Layer : The application layer is provided by the program
that uses TCP/IP for communication. An application is a user
process cooperating with another process usually on a different host (there is
also a benefit to application communication within a single host). Examples of
applications include Telnet and the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Transport Layer : The transport layer provides the end-to-end data transfer by
delivering data from an application to its remote peer. Multiple applications can
be supported simultaneously. The most-used transport layer protocol is the
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which provides connection-oriented
reliable data delivery, duplicate data suppression, congestion control, and flow
control.

The TCP/IP Protocol Suit

Another transport layer protocol is the User Datagram Protocol It provides
connectionless, unreliable, best-effort service. As a result, applications using UDP
as the transport protocol have to provide their own end-to-end integrity, flow

control, and congestion control, if desired. Usually, UDP is used by applications

that need a fast transport mechanism and can tolerate the loss of some data.
Internetwork Layer : The internetwork layer, also called the internet layer or the
network layer, provides the virtual network image of an internet this layer
shields the higher
levels from the physical network architecture below it. Internet Protocol (IP) is
the most important protocol in this layer. It is a connectionless protocol that does
not assume reliability from lower layers. IP does not provide reliability, flow
control, or error
recovery. These functions must be provided at a higher level. IP provides a
routing function that attempts to deliver transmitted messages to their
destination. A message unit in an IP network is called an IP datagram. This is the
basic unit of information transmitted across TCP/IP networks. Other
internetwork-layer protocols are IP, ICMP, IGMP, ARP, and RARP.
Network Interface Layer : The network interface layer, also called the link layer
or the data-link layer, is the interface to the actual network hardware. This
interface may or may not provide reliable delivery, and may be packet or stream
oriented. In fact, TCP/IP does not specify any protocol here, but can use almost
any network interface available, which illustrates the flexibility of the IP layer.
Examples are IEEE 802.2, X.25, ATM, FDDI, and even SNA.TCP/IP specifications
do not describe or standardize any network-layer protocols, they only
standardize ways of accessing those protocols from the internet work layer.
The following figure shows the TCP/IP protocol suit with their Protocol.

Detail TCP/IP Protocol

Q.2.

Write short note on A)

TCP

B)

IP

C)

FTP

D)

TELNET

E)

DNS

F)

DHCP

G)

BOOTS

Ans.: A)

TCP : TCP is responsible for verifying the correct delivery of data from
client to server. Data can be lost in the intermediate network. TCP adds
support to detect errors or lost data and to trigger retransmission until the
data is correctly and completely received.
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the core protocols of
the Internet protocol suite. TCP provides reliable, in-order delivery of a
stream of bytes, making it suitable for applications like file transfer and email. It is so important in the Internet protocol suite that sometimes the
entire suite is referred to as "TCP/IP." TCP manages a large fraction of the
individual conversations between Internet hosts, for example between
web servers and web clients. It is also responsible for controlling the size
and rate at which messages are exchanged between the server and the
client.
TCP consists of a set of rules, the protocol, that are used with the Internet
Protocol, the IP, to send data in a form of message units between
computers over the Internet. At the same time that the IP takes care of
handling the actual delivery of the data, the TCP takes care of keeping
track of the individual units of data packets that a message is divided
into for efficient routing through the net. For example, when an HTML file
is sent to you from a web server, the TCP program layer of that server
takes the file as a stream of bytes and divides it into packets, numbers the
packets, and then forwards them individually to the IP program layer.
Even though every packet has the same destination IP address, they can
get routed differently through the network. When the client program in
your computer gets them, the TCP stack (implementation) reassembles the
individual packets and ensures they are correctly ordered as it streams
them to an application.

TCP is used extensively by many of the Internet's most popular

application protocols and resulting applications, including the World
Wide Web, E-mail, File Transfer Protocol, Secure Shell, and some
streaming media applications.
B)

Internet Protocol (IP) : The Internet Protocol (IP) is a network-layer (Layer

3) protocol that contains addressing information and some control
information that enables packets to be routed. IP is documented in RFC
791 and is the primary network-layer protocol in the Internet protocol
suite. Along with the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), IP represents
the heart of the Internet protocols. IP has two primary responsibilities:
providing connectionless, best-effort delivery of datagrams through an
internetwork; and providing fragmentation and reassembly of datagrams
to support data links with different maximum-transmission unit (MTU)
sizes.
IP Packet Format : An IP packet contains several types of information,

as illustrated in following figure :

IP Packet Format
The following discussion describes the IP packet fields illustrated in :

VersionIndicates the version of IP currently used.

IP Header Length (IHL)Indicates the datagram header length in

32-bit words.

Type-of-ServiceSpecifies how an upper-layer protocol would like

a current datagram to be handled, and assigns datagrams various
levels of importance.

Total LengthSpecifies the length, in bytes, of the entire IP packet,

including the data and header.

IdentificationContains an integer that identifies the current

datagram. This field is used to help piece together datagram
fragments.

FlagsConsists of a 3-bit field of which the two low-order (leastsignificant) bits control fragmentation. The low-order bit specifies
whether the packet can be fragmented. The middle bit specifies
whether the packet is the last fragment in a series of fragmented
packets. The third or high-order bit is not used.

Fragment OffsetIndicates the position of the fragment's data

relative to the beginning of the data in the original datagram, which
allows the destination IP process to properly reconstruct the
original datagram.

Time-to-LiveMaintains a counter that gradually decrements

down to zero, at which point the datagram is discarded. This keeps
packets from looping endlessly.

ProtocolIndicates which upper-layer protocol receives incoming

packets after IP processing is complete.

Header ChecksumHelps ensure IP header integrity.

Source AddressSpecifies the sending node.

Destination AddressSpecifies the receiving node.

OptionsAllows IP to support various options, such as security.

DataContains upper-layer information.

IP Addressing : As with any other network-layer protocol, the IP

addressing scheme is integral to the process of routing IP datagrams

through an internetwork. Each IP address has specific components
and follows a basic format. These IP addresses can be subdivided
and used to create addresses for subnetworks.
Each host on a TCP/IP network is assigned a unique 32-bit logical address
that is divided into two main parts :
The network number
The host number
The network number identifies a network and must be assigned by the
Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) if the network is to be
part of the Internet. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) can obtain blocks of
network addresses from the InterNIC and can itself assign address space
as necessary. The host number identifies a host on a network and is
assigned by the local network administrator.
IP Address Format : The 32-bit IP address is grouped eight bits at a

time, separated by dots, and represented in decimal format (known

as dotted decimal notation). Each bit in the octet has a binary weight
(128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1). The minimum value for an octet is 0, and
the maximum value for an octet is 255. illustrates the basic format of
an IP address.
Following figure shows an IP address consists of 32 bits, grouped into
four octets.

IP address
IP Address Classes : IP addressing supports five different address classes:
A, B, C, D, and E. only classes A, B, and C are available for commercial

use. The left-most (high-order) bits indicate the network class. It provides
reference information about the five IP address classes.
Reference Information about the Five IP Address Classes :
IP
Address
Class

Format

Purpose

HighOrder
Bit(s)

Address Range

No. Bits
Network/
Host

Max.
Hosts

N.H.H.H

Few large
organizations

1.0.0.0 to
126.0.0.0

7/24

16777214
(224 - 2)

N.N.H.H

Medium-size
organizations

1, 0

128.1.0.0 to
191.254.0.0

14/16

65534
(216 - 2)

N.N.N.H

Relatively
small
organizations

1, 1, 0

192.0.1.0 to
223.255.254.0

21/8

254
(28 - 2)

N/A

Multicast
groups

1, 1, 1, 0

224.0.0.0 to
239.255.255.255

N/A (not
for
commercial
use)

N/A

(RFC 1112)
IP
Address
Class

Format

Purpose

HighOrder
Bit(s)

Address Range

No. Bits
Network/
Host

Max.
Hosts

N/A

Experimental

1, 1, 1, 1

240.0.0.0 to
254.255.255.255

N/A

N/A

N = Network number, H = Host number.

One address is reserved for the broadcast address, and one address is reserved for
the network.
Following figure shows IP address formats A, B, and C are available for
commercial use.

IP Address Formats A, B, and C

The class of address can be determined easily by examining the first octet
of the address and mapping that value to a class range in the following
table. In an IP address of 172.31.1.2, for example, the first octet is 172.
Because 172 fall between 128 and 191, 172.31.1.2 is a Class B address.
Following table describe a range of possible values exists for the first octet
of each address class.

C)

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) : Transferring data from one host to another
is one of the most frequently used operations. Both the need to upload

data: transfer data from a client to a server and download data: retrieve
data from a server to a client, are addressed by FTP. Additionally, FTP
provides security and authentication measures to prevent unauthorized
access to data.
It allows a user on any computer to get files from another computer, or to
send files to another computer. Security is handled by requiring the user
to specify a user name and password for the other computer. Provisions
are made for handling file transfer between machines with different
character set, end of line conventions, etc. This is not quite the same thing
as more recent "network file system" or "netbios" protocols. Rather, FTP is
a utility that you run any time you want to access a file on another system.
You use it to copy the file to your own system. You then work with the
local copy.
FTP uses TCP as transport protocol to provide reliable end-to-end
connections and implements two types of connections in managing data
transfers. The FTP client initiates the first connection, referred to as the
control connection. It is on this port that an FTP server listens for and
accepts new connections. The control connection is used for all of the
control commands a client user uses to log on to the server, manipulate
files, and terminate a session. This is also the connection across which the
FTP server will send messages to the client in response to these control
commands. The second connection used by FTP is referred to as the data
connection. It is across this connection that FTP transfers the data. FTP
only opens a data connection when a client issues a command requiring a
data transfer, such as a request to retrieve a file, or to view a list of the files
available. Therefore, it is possible for an entire FTP session to open and
close without a data connection ever having been opened. Unlike the
control connection, in which commands and replies can flow both from
the client to the server and from the server to the client, the data
connection is unidirectional. FTP can transfer data only from the client to
the server, or from the server to the client, but not both. Also, unlike the
control connection, the data connection can be initiated from either the
client or the server. Data connections initiated by the server are active,
while those initiated by the client are passive.

The client FTP application is built with a protocol interpreter (PI), a data
transfer process (DTP), and a user interface. The server FTP application
typically only consists of a PI and DTP.

The FTP Model

D)

TELNET : TELNET (TELecommunication NETwork) is a network

protocol used on the Internet or local area network (LAN) connections. It
was developed in 1969 beginning with RFC 15 and standardized as IETF
STD 8, one of the first Internet standards.
The network terminal protocol (TELNET) allows a user to log in on any
other computer on the network. We can start a remote session by
specifying a computer to connect to. From that time until we finish the
session, anything we type is sent to the other computer.
The Telnet program runs on the computer and connects your PC to a
server on the network. We can then enter commands through the Telnet
program and they will be executed as if we were entering them directly on
the server console. This enables we to control the server and communicate
with other servers on the network. To start a Telnet session, we must log
in to a server by entering a valid username and password. Telnet is a
common way to remotely control Web servers.
The term telnet also refers to software which implements the client part of
the protocol. TELNET clients have been available on most Unix systems
for many years and are available virtually for all platforms. Most network

equipment and OSs with a TCP/IP stack support some kind of TELNET
service server for their remote configuration including ones based on
Windows NT.
TELNET is a client-server protocol, based on a reliable connectionoriented transport. Typically this protocol used to establish a connection
to TCP port 23, where a getty-equivalent program (telnetd) is listening,
although TELNET predates.

The TELNET Model

TELNET is generally used with the following applications :

E)

(1)

Enterprise networks to access host applications, e.g. on IBM

Mainframes.

(2)

Administration of network elements, e.g., in commissioning,

integration and maintenance of core network elements in mobile
communication networks.

(3)

MUD games played over the Internet, as well as talkers, MUSHes,

MUCKs, MOOes, and the resurgent BBS community.

(4)

embedded systems.

Domain Name System (DNS) : The Domain Name System (DNS)

associates various information with domain names; most importantly, it
serves as the "phone book" for the Internet by translating human-readable
computer hostnames, e.g. www.example.com, into IP addresses, e.g.
208.77.188.166, which networking equipment needs to deliver
information.
It also stores other information such as the list of mail servers that accept
email for a given domain. In providing a worldwide keyword-based

redirection service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of

contemporary Internet use.
DNS makes it possible to assign Internet names to organizations
independent of the physical routing hierarchy represented by the
numerical IP address. Because of this, hyperlinks and Internet contact
information can remain the same, whatever the current IP routing
arrangements may be, and can take a human-readable form, which is
easier to remember than the IP address 208.77.188.166. The Domain Name
System distributes the responsibility for assigning domain names and
mapping them to IP networks by allowing an authoritative name server
for each domain to keep track of its own changes, avoiding the need for a
central register to be continually consulted and updated.
At the request of Jon Postel, Paul Mockapetris invented the Domain Name
system in 1983 and wrote the first implementation. The original
specifications appear in RFC 882 and RFC 883. In November 1987, the
publication of RFC 1034 and RFC 1035 updated the DNS specification and
made RFC 882 and RFC 883 obsolete. Several more-recent RFCs have
proposed various extensions to the core DNS protocols.
The Domain Name System consists of a hierarchical set of DNS servers.
Each domain or subdomain has one or more authoritative DNS servers
that publish information about that domain and the name servers of any
domains "beneath" it. The hierarchy of authoritative DNS servers matches
the hierarchy of domains. At the top of the hierarchy stand the root
nameservers: the servers to query when looking up a top-level domain
name.
Domain names, arranged in a tree, cut into zones, each served by a
nameserver.
A domain name usually consists of two or more parts which is
conventionally written separated by dots, such as example.com.The
rightmost label conveys the top-level domain for example, the address
www.example.com has the top-level domain com.Each label to the left
specifies a subdomain of the domain above it. For example: example.com
comprises a subdomain of the com domain, and www.example.com
comprises a subdomain of the domain example.com. In theory, this
subdivision can go down 127 levels. Each label can contain up to 63

characters. The whole domain name does not exceed a total length of 253
characters
A hostname refers to a domain name that has one or more associated IP
addresses; ie: the 'www.example.com' and 'example.com' domains are
both hostnames, however, the 'com' domain is not.
F)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) :

Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol used by networked devices
or clients to obtain the parameters necessary for operation in an Internet
Protocol network. This protocol reduces system administration workload,
allowing devices to be added to the network with little or no manual
configurations.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a way to administrator network
parameter assignment from a single DHCP server, or a group of DHCP
servers arranged in a fault-tolerant manner. Even in small networks,
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is useful because it can make it easy
to add new machines to the local network.
DHCP is also recommended even in the case of servers whose addresses
rarely change, so that if a server needs to be readdressed, changes can be
made in as few places as possible. DHCP can be used to directly assign
addresses to servers and desktop machines, and, through a Point-to-Point
Protocol (PPP) proxy, to dialup and broadband on-demand hosts, as well
as for residential Network address translation (NAT) gateways and
routers. DHCP is generally not appropriate for infrastructure such as nonedge routers and DNS servers.
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a framework
for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP network.
DHCP is based on the BOOTP protocol, adding the capability of automatic
allocation of reusable network addresses and additional configuration
options.
DHCP consists of two components :
A protocol that delivers host-specific configuration parameters
from a DHCP server to a host
A mechanism for the allocation of temporary or permanent
network addresses to hosts
IP requires the setting of many parameters within the protocol
implementation software. Because IP can be used on many dissimilar

kinds of network hardware, values for those parameters cannot be

guessed at or assumed to have correct defaults. The use of a distributed
address allocation scheme based on a polling/defense mechanism, for
discovery of network addresses already in use, cannot guarantee unique
network addresses because hosts might not always be able to defend their
network addresses.
DHCP supports three mechanisms for IP address allocation :

Automatic Allocation : DHCP assigns a permanent IP address to

the host.

Dynamic Allocation : DHCP assigns an IP address for a limited

period of time. Such a network address is called a lease. This is the
only mechanism that allows automatic reuse of addresses that are
no longer needed by the host to which it was assigned.

Manual Allocation : The host's address is assigned by a network

administrator.

Wherever possible, DHCP-assigned addresses should be dynamically

linked to a secure DNS server, to allow troubleshooting by name rather
than by a potentially unknown address. Effective DHCP-DNS linkage
requires having a file of either MAC addresses or local names that will be
sent to DNS that uniquely identifies physical hosts, IP addresses, and
other parameters such as the default gateway, subnet mask, and IP
addresses of DNS servers from a DHCP server. The DHCP server ensures
that all IP addresses are unique, i.e., no IP address is assigned to a second
client while the first client's assignment is valid.
G)

Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) : The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) enables a

client workstation to initialize with a minimal IP stack and request its IP
address, a gateway address, and the address of a name server from a
BOOTP server. If BOOTP is to be used in your network, the server and
client are usually on the same physical LAN segment. BOOTP can only be
used across bridged segments when source-routing bridges are being
used, or across subnets, if you have a router capable of BOOTP
forwarding.
BOOTP is a draft standard protocol. Its status is recommended. There are
also updates to BOOTP, some relating to interoperability with DHCP
.BOOTP are draft standards with a status of elective and recommended,
respectively. The BOOTP protocol was originally developed as a

mechanism to enable diskless hosts to be remotely booted over a network

as workstations, routers, terminal concentrators, and so on. It allows a
minimum IP protocol stack with no configuration information to obtain
enough information to begin the process of downloading the necessary
boot code. BOOTP does not define how the downloading is done, but this
process typically uses TFTP Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).
Although still widely used for this purpose by diskless hosts, BOOTP is
also commonly used solely as a mechanism to deliver configuration
information to a client that has not been manually configured.
The BOOTP process involves the following steps :
(1)

The client determines its own hardware address; this is normally in

a ROM on the hardware.

(2)

A BOOTP client sends its hardware address in a UDP datagram to

the server.

MCQ on Data Communication and Networking

1. The device used for splits data into frames and then combines frames into data in frame
relay is termed as
a. FRAD(Frame Relay And Disassembly)
b. Framing
c. Both a & b
d. Slipping Window Protocol
2. The Error controls involves
a. Sequencing of control frame
b. Sending of control frame
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
3. During communication, a channel that is noisy may causes
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Loss of bits from a frame

Flips of bits
Complete disappearance of frames
Introduction of new bits in the frame
All of these

4. The data link layer encapsulates each packet in a frame by adding

a.
b.
c.
d.

Header
Trailer
Both a & b
None of these

5. The Frame format of framing are

a. DLCI-10bits
b. EA-2location(First one is fixed at 0 and second at 1)
c. DE-1 is set for the part that can be discarded first when congestion occurs
d. Data size-vary up to 4096bytes
e. All of these
6. Which is a simple data link protocol based on certain ideal assumptions to explain the
working of the data link layer

a.
b.
c.
d.

Stop ARQ
Wait ARQ
Go back-N ARQ
Both a & b

7. The assumptions of Stop and Wait ARQ are as

a. Infinite buffer size
b. Half Duplex
c. Does not produce any error
d. Network layers are always ready
e. All of these
8. The protocol based on the assumption are called
a. Elementary data link protocol
b. Data link protocol
c. Sliding Window Protocol
d. HDLC
9. The basic objective of computer communication in a network environment is to send an
infinitely long message from the ____________
a. Source node to the source node
b. Destination node to the destination node
c. Source node to the destination node
d. None of these
10. In stop and wait protocol

a. Sequence number are required

b. Sequence number are not required
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
11. The stop and wait protocol is

a.
b.
c.
d.

easy to Implement
Does not call for congestion
Both a & b
None of these

12. The disadvantage of stop and wait protocol is

a. Error free communication channel does not exist
b. Acknowledgement may get lost
c. Deadlock situation may occur
d. All of these
13. Which protocol enables the source machine to possess more than one outstanding frame
at a time by using buffers

a.
b.
c.
d.

Stop ARQ
Wait ARQ
Go back-N ARQ
Both a & b

14. The Go back-N ARQ overcomes the problem of

a.
b.
c.
d.

PAR
PER
PRA
DAR

15. Another important issue in the design if the data link is to control the rate of data
transmission between _____________
a. Source and destination host
b. Two source and destination host
c. Three source and destination host
d. None of these
16. Which one is the important protocol used by the data link layer
a. Sliding protocol

b. Sliding Window protocol

c. Stop sliding approach
d. None of these
17. The sender keeps a list o consecutive sequence numbers is known as

a.
b.
c.
d.

Window
Sending window
Stop and wait ARQ
Sliding window

18. Which protocol is for data transmission and is bi-directional, used in the data link layer
that corresponds to layer 2 of OSI model

a.
b.
c.
d.

Sending window
Sliding window protocol
Stop and wait ARQ
Sliding window

19. Sliding window protocol keeps record of frame sequences sent and acknowledged when
communication takes place between ____________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Users
Two users
More users
None of these

20. Sliding window protocol is also used by most of the _______________________

a. Connection oriented protocols
b. Connection oriented network protocols
c. Connection network protocols
d. None of these
21. Which is used by many users to establish their home PC to the Internet via a phone-line
connection

a.
b.
c.
d.

FTP
PPP
OSI
PAR

e.
22. Sliding window protocol works on _________ in which there is simultaneous two-way
communication

a.
b.
c.
d.

no duplex
half duplex
full duplex
single duplex

e.
23. Sliding window protocol makes use of two types of frames namely

a.
b.
c.
d.

Data frame
Acknowledgement frame
Both a & b
None of these

24. Another improvement is done over this stop and wait type protocol by use of ________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Back
Piggybacking
Piggy
None of these

25. A technique in which acknowledgement is temporarily delayed and then hooked onto
next outgoing frame is known as
a.

b.
c.
d.
e.

Back
Piggybacking
Piggy
None of these

26. RTT stands for

a. Robin time taken

b. Round trip time

c. Round time trip
d. Round time trip

27. The variants of sliding window protocol are

a.
b.
c.
d.

Go back n
Selective repeat
Selective reject
All of these

28. The sliding window protocol employs ___________

a.
b.
c.
d.

A wait approach
A stop approach
Both a & b
None of these

29. HDLC is a __________ synchronous data link layer protocol

a.
b.
c.
d.

Bit-oriented
Byte-oriented
Both a & b
None of these

e.
30. HDLC provides

a.
b.
c.
d.

Switched protocol
Non- Switched protocol
Both a & b
None of these

31. HDLC is a superset of ___________

a. ADCCP

b. SDLC
c. ISO
d. OSI

32. HDLC also has a subset of ______________

a.
b.
c.
d.

ADCCP
SDLC
ISO
FRAD

33. Which is another subset of HDLC that finds use in packet switched networks of ITU-TS
X.25
a. ADCCP
b. SDLC
c. LAP-B(Link Access Protocol-Balanced)
d. None of these
34. In HDLC three types of stations are specified by the data link layer

a.
b.
c.
d.

Primary Station
Secondary Station
Combined Station
All of these

35. HDLC works on three different types of configurations namely

a. Balanced configurations
b. Unbalanced configurations
c. Symmetrical configurations
d. All of these
36. Frames of secondary station are known as _________ are sent only on request by the
primary station

a.
b.
c.
d.

Response
Responses frame
Both a & b
None of these

37. Which is a unit of data transmission

a.
b.
c.
d.

Frame
Stop and wait ARQ
HDLC
Frame relay

38. A configuration has at least two combined stations in which every station has equal and
complimentary responsibility known as __________________
a. Balanced configurations
b. Unbalanced configurations
c. Symmetrical configurations
d. None of these
39. Balanced configurations find use only in the such cases as given below
a. Operation: Full or half duplex
b. Network: Point to Point
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
40. A configuration has one primary station and at least one secondary station , and it exists
as one station exercises control over other stations known as ________
a. Balanced configurations
b. Unbalanced configurations
c. Symmetrical configurations
d. None of these
41. Symmetrical configurations comprises of _________________________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Two independent
Unbalanced stations
Connected point to point
All of these

e.
42. Logically, every station is considered as __________ stations

a.
b.
c.
d.

e.

1
2
3
4

43. The protocol and data are totally independent, this property known as ____________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Transmission
Transparency
Transparent
Transport

44. In HDLC, problems like _______________ do not occur

a.
b.
c.
d.

Data loss
Data duplication
Data corruption
All of these

45. How many modes of operations are defined for the HDLC protocol

a.
b.
c.
d.

2
3
4
5

46. Three modes of operations are defined for the HDLC protocol
a. Normal Response Mode(NRM)
b. Asynchronous Response Mode(ARM)
c. Synchronous Balanced Mode(ABM)
d. All of these
47. In primary station initializes links for controlling the data flow between ___________
a. Primary and secondary stations
b. Error control
c. Logical disconnection of the second stations
d. All of these
48. The ABM mode is suitable only to __________ environment

a.
b.
c.
d.

Point
Point-to-point
First-to-end-point
None of these

49. In the HDLC protocol, frame consists of __________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Three fields
Four fields
Five fields
Six fields

e.
50. A special eight-bit sequence ________ is referred to as a flag

a.
b.
c.
d.

01111111
01111110
11101110
11101110

51. In the HDLC protocol, every frame consists of __________ with a flag

a.
b.
c.
d.

Starts
End
Both a & b
None of these

52. A 8-bit address is used when the total number of stations exceeds _______

a.
b.
c.
d.

64
128
256
None of these

53. Data can be arbitrarily ______

a.
b.
c.
d.

Long
Empty
Full
Both a & b

54. The HDLC procedure uses a flag synchronous system, these are
a. Bit order of transmission (information frame)
b. Bit order of transmission (supervisor frame)
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
55. FCS (frame check sequence) is a _______ sequence for error control

a.
b.
c.
d.

4bit
16bit
32bit
64bit

56. The disadvantage of SLIP are as follows

a. No error check function is available
b. Protocols other than IP cannot be used
c. No function is available to authenticate link level connections
d. No function is available to detect loops
e. All of these
57. PPP has several advantages over non-standard protocol such as

a.
b.
c.
d.

SLIP
X.25
Both a & b
None of these

e.
58. PPP was designed to work with layer 3 network layer protocols including ___________

a.
b.
c.
d.

IP
IPX
Apple talk
All of these

59. PPP can connect computers using _________

a. Serial cable, phone line
b. Trunk line, cellular telephone
c. Specialized radio links
d. Fiber optic links
e. All of these

60. Most dial-up access to Internet is accomplished by using _____

a.
b.
c.
d.

HDLC
PPP
IP
IPX

61. RAS has an important role in the proliferation of Internet based services in the form of
_________________

a.
b.
c.
d.

VoIP
Data over IP
Both a & b
None of these

62. Which is opening new challenges in the development of RAS where VoIP enabled RAS
are the need of time
a. Voice convergence
b. Data convergence
c. Voice and data convergence
d. None of these
63. Remote access is possible through an __________________
a. Internet service provider
b. Dial up connection through desktop
c. Notebook over regular telephone lines
d. Dedicated line
e. All of these
64. A remote access server also known as ____________________

a.
b.
c.
d.

Communication
Communication server
Layer
None of these

65. RAS technology can be divided into two segments _________

a. Enterprise
b. Infrastructure

c. Both a & b
d. None of these

66. VPN stands for

a. Virtual Public networking
b. Virtual private networking
c. Virtual package networking
d. Virtual packet networking
67. PPP provides three principal components
a. Encapsulating datagrams
b. Establishment, configurations and testing
c. Establishment and configurations
d. All of these
68. PPP is able to function across any _______ interface

a.
b.
c.
d.

DTE
DCE
Both a & b
None of these

69. PPP may include

a.
b.
c.
d.

RS232C
RS-423
Both a & b
None of these

e.
70. In PPP, the default maximum length of the information field is ________

a.
b.
c.
d.

1000bytes
1500bytes
2000bytes
2500bytes

e.
71. The protocols that are differentiate PPP from HDLC are the

a. Link Control Protocol(LCP)

b. Network Control Protocol(NCP)
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
72. For terminate PPP ,the four steps are
a. Link establishment
b. Link configuration negotiation
c. Configuration acknowledgement frame
d. Configuration terminates
e. All of these
73. The LCP can terminates the link at any time is done by

a.
b.
c.
d.

Request to the user

Not Request to the user
Both a & b
None of these

74. The termination of link may happen

a. Due to physical event
b. Due to logical event
c. Due to window event
d. None of these
75. The three classes of LCP frames are
a. Link establishment frame
b. Link termination frame
c. Link maintenance frame
d. All of these
76. The NCP phase in PPP link connection process is used for establishing and configuring
different network layer protocols such as

a.
b.
c.
d.

IP
IPX
AppleTalk
All of these

77. In NCP, The link traffic consists of any possible combination of

a. NCP
b. LCP

c. Network-layer protocol packets

d. All of these

78. The IP control Protocol(IPCP) is the

a. IP-specific LCP protocol
b. IP-specific NCP protocol
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
79. If the calling peer has an IP address, it tells the
a. Called peer What it is
b. The called peer can assign the caller one from a pool of addresses
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
80. If the calling peer does not have an IP address, it tells the
a. Called peer What it is
b. The called peer can assign the caller one from a pool of addresses
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
81. The authentication process involves transmission of password information between
a. RADIUS server
b. RAS(Remote Access Server)
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
82. The Authentication transaction used between a Remote access user and RAS can be
divided into two categories are
a. PAP(Password Authentication Protocol)
b. CHAP(Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol)
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
83. The digest is a

a.
b.
c.
d.

One-way encryption
Two- way encryption
Three- way encryption
Four- way encryption

84. The technology which is useful for creating Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has been
developed by
a. Microsoft Corporation

b. U.S. Robotics
c. Several remote access vendor companies, known as PPTP forum
d. All of these
85. PPTP means
a. Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
b. Point-to-Point Termination Protocol
c. Private-to-Private termination protocol
d. Private-to-Private Tunneling Protocol
86. The PPTP is used to ensure that message transmitted from one VPN node to another are

a.
b.
c.
d.

Not secure
Secure
Networks
IPX

87. What is the extension of PPTP

a. PPP
b. RAS
c. L2TP(Layer Two Tunneling Protocol)
d. None of these
88. The two main components that make up L2TP are the
a. L2TP Access Concentrator(LAC)
b. L2TP Network Server(LNS)
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
89. A user connects to NAS through

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

ADSL
Dialup POTS
ISDN
Other service
All of these

90. Which is a platform on which Internet service providers(ISP) and other service providers
enables their user to access the various internet based services

a.
b.
c.
d.

RAS
TCP
ARQ
SLIP

118

Glossory
AAL -- ATM Adaptation Layer. The standards layer that allows multiple
appliations to have data converted to and from the ATM cell. A protocol used
that translates higher layer services into the size and format of an ATM cell.
Advanced Data Communications Control Procedure (ADCCP) -- ANSI
counterpart to HDLC. One of more than 20 protocols transported by FastComm
FRADs.
Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) -- Carrier offering more than 'pipes' to
users.
Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) -- IBM SNA facility that provides
distributed processing based on Type 2.1 network nodes and Logical Unit (LU)
6.2.
Advanced Program-to-Program Communications (APPC) -- Implementation of
SNA LU 6.2 sessions that permits personal computers in an SNA network to
communicate in real time with the mainframe host and other networks.
Allowed Cell Rate -- An ABR service parameter, ACR is the current rate in
cells/sec at which a source is allowed to send.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) -- The coordinating body for
voluntary standards groups within the United States. ANSI is a member of the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) -- This is the code
that most computers use to represent displayable characters. An ASCII file is a
straightforward text file without special control characters.
ANSI T1.403.T1E1 -- The performance-monitoring, data-link, and networkinterface requirements for ESF CSUs as defined by the Exchange Carriers
Standards Association. T1.403 specifies automatic performance reports

transmitted to the network once per second via the data link. (In an E1
environment, Performance Monitor is the equivalent of T1.403).
Application Program Interface (API) -- Means of communication between
programs to give one program transparent access to another.
Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL) -- A new standard for transmitting
at speeds up to 7 Mbps over a single copper pair.
Asynchronous Balance Mode (ABM) -- A communication mode used in HDLC
that allows either of two workstations in a peer-oriented point-to-point
configuration to initiate a data transfer.
Asynchronous Time Division (ATD) -- ETSI proposal for pure cell relay, without
SONET
or
other framing.
Asynchronous Time Division Multiplexing -- A multiplexing technique in which
a transmission capability is organized in a priori unassigned time slots. The time
slots are assigned to cells upon request of each application's instantaneous real
need.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) -- (1) The CCITT standard for cell relay
wherein information for multiple types of services (voice, video, data) is
conveyed in small, fixed-size cells. ATM is a connection-oriented technology
used in both LAN and WAN environments. (2) A fast-packet switching
technology allowing free allocation of capacity to each channel. The SONET
synchronous payload envelope is a variation of ATM. (3) ATM is an international
ISDN high speed, high-volume, packet switching transmission protocol
standard. ATM currently accommodates transmission speeds from 64 Kbps to
622 Mbps.
Automatic Number Identification (ANI) -- A charge number parameter that is
normally included in the Initial Address Message to the succeeding carrier for
billing purposes.
Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) -- A feature that automatically initiates a
request for retransmission when an error in transmission is detected.

120

Available Bit Rate (ABR) -- A class of service in which the ATM network makes
its "best effort" to meet traffic bit rate requirements.
B Channel -- In ISDN, a full-duplex, 64 Kbps channel for sending data.
B-ICI Signaling ATM Adaptation Layer (B-ICI SAAL) -- A signaling layer that
permits the transfer of connection control signaling and ensures reliable delivery
of the protocol message. The SAAL is divided into a Service Specific part and a
Common part (AAL5).
B-ISDN Inter-Carrier Interface (B-ICI) -- An ATM Forum defined specification for
the interface between public ATM networks to support user services across
multiple public carriers.
Backward Explicit Congestion Notification (BECN) -- A bit in the frame relay
header. The bit is set by a congested network node in any frame which is
traveling in the reverse direction of the congestion. (In frame relay, a node can be
congested in one direction of frame flow but not in the other.)
Bandwidth -- (1) Measure of the information capacity of a transmission channel.
(2) The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies of a band that can
be passed by a transmission medium without undue distortion, such as the AM
band 535 to 1705 kilohertz.
Baseband -- Transmission scheme in which the entire bandwidth, or datacarrying capacity, of a medium (such as a coaxial cable) is used to carry a single
digital pulse, or signal, between multiple users. Because digital signals are not
modulated, only one kind of data can be transmitted at a time. Contrast with
broadband.
Basic Rate Interface (BRI) -- ISDN standards and specifications for provision of
low-speed ISDN services. Supports two "B" channels of 64 Kbps each and one
"D" channel of 16 Kbps on a single wire pair.
Baud (Bite at Unit Density) -- A measure of the speed of transmission of data;
number of elements transmitted per second.

Binary Synchronous Communication/Bisinc-Character -- Oriented data link

protocol for half-duplex applications. Supported on FastComm FRADs.
Bridge/Router -- A device that can provide the functions of a bridge, router, or
both concurrently. Bridge/router can route one or more protocols, such as
TCP/IP and/or XNS, and bridge all other traffic.
Broadband -- A data-transmission scheme in which multiple signals share the
bandwidth of a medium. This allows the transmission of voice, data, and video
signals over a single medium. Cable television uses broadband techniques to
deliver dozens of channels over one cable.
Broadband Bearer Capability (BBC) -- A bearer class field that is part of the initial
address message.
Broadband Connection Oriented Bearer/Class A (BCOB-A) -- Indicated by ATM
end user in SETUP message for connection-oriented, constant bit rate service.
The network may perform internetworking based on AAL information element
(IE).
Broadband Connection Oriented Bearer/Class X (BCOB-X) -- Indicated by ATM
end user in SETUP message for ATM transport service where AAL, traffic type,
and
timing
requirements
are
transparent
to
the network.
Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN) -- A technology suite
designed for multimedia. The two transmission types are: ATM (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode) and STM (Synchronous Transfer Mode).
Broadband Inter Carrier Interface (BICI) -- A carrier-to-carrier interface like
PNNI (private network-to-network interface) but lacking some information
offered by PNNI. Carriers are not likely to let their switches share routing
information or detailed network maps with their competition's equipment. BICI
now supports only permanent virtual circuits between carriers; the ATM Forum
is currently addressing switched virtual circuits.
Broadband Inter -- Switching System Interface (B-ISSI). Between ATM nodes.

122

Broadcast Address -- A special address that is reserved for simultaneous

broadcast to all stations.
Broadcast Domain -- Defines the set of all devices which will receive broadcast
frames originating from any device within the set. Broadcast domains are
normally bounded by routers.
Broadcast Storm Firewalls -- A mechanism that limits the rate at which
broadcast/multicast packets are forwarded through the system.
Brouter -- Concatenation of "bridge" and "router." Used to refer to devices which
perform both bridging and routing functions.
Buffer -- A storage area used for handling data in transit. Buffers are often used
to compensate for differences in processing speed between network devices.
Byte -- The fundamental unit that a computer uses in its operation. It is a group
of adjacent binary digits, usually 8, often used to represent a single character.
C-Notched Noise -- The C-message frequency weighted noise on a voice channel
with a holding tone, which is removed at the measuring and through a notch
(very narrow band) filter.
Caching -- (1) Speeds information processing by storing information from a
transaction to use for later transactions. (2) Storing or buffering data in a
temporary location, so that the information can be retrieved quickly by an
application program.
Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) -- A channel
access mechanism wherein devices wishing to transmit first check the channel
for a carrier. If no carrier is sensed for some period of time, devices can transmit.
If two devices transmit simultaneously, a collision occurs and is detected by all
colliding devices, which subsequently delays their retransmissions for some
random length of time. CSMA/CD access is used by Ethernet and IEEE 802.3.
Carrierless Amplitude and Phase Modulation (CAP) -- A modem technique
applied to 50 Mbps LAN.

Category 3 Unshielded Twisted Pair (CAT-3) -- Industry standard for unshielded

twisted wire pair capable of supporting voice and low-grade data traffic.
Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (CAT-5) -- The highest grade of unshielded
twisted-pair cable available, as defined by EIA/TIA 568. Category 5 UTP is
required to run standard compliant CDDI to 100 meters.
Cell Delay Variation (CDV) -- ATM performance parameter which specifies the
potential variation (+/-) from the expected average transit delay through the
network over a given virtual circuit.
Cell Delay Variation Tolerance (CDVT) -- ATM layer functions may alter the
traffic characteristic of ATM connections by introducing Cell Delay Variation.
When cells from two or more ATM connections are multiplexed, cells of a given
ATM connection may be delayed while cells of another ATM connection are
being inserted at the output of the multiplexer. Similarly, some cells may be
delayed while physical layer overhead or OAM cells are inserted. Consequently,
some randomness may affect the inter-arrival time between consecutive cells of a
connection as monitored at the UNI. The upper bound on the "clumping"
measure is the CDVT.
Cell Error Ratio (CER) -- ATM performance parameter which specifies the ratio
of errored cells to the total cells transmitted over a given virtual circuit.
Cell Header -- ATM Layer protocol control information.
Cell Loss Priority (CLP) -- A 1-bit field in an ATM cell header that provides a two
level priority indicator. Used to bias the discarding of cells toward lower priority
cells in the event of congestion. Similar to the DE bit in frame relay.
Cell Loss Ratio (CLR) -- ATM performance parameter that specifies the ratio of
lost (non-delivered) cells to the total cells transmitted over a given virtual circuit.
Cell Misinsertion Rate (CMR) -- The ratio of cells received at an endpoint that
were not originally transmitted by the source end in relation to the total number
of cells properly transmitted.

124

Cell multiplexing/demultiplexing -- The ATM layer function that groups cells

from different virtual paths or circuits and transmits them in a stream to the
destination switch, where they are demultiplexed and routed to the appropriate
end-points.
Cell Transfer Delay (CTD) -- ATM performance parameter which specifies the
average transit delay of cells between a source and destination over a given
virtual circuit.
Central Office (CO) -- (1) A local telephone company office which connects to all
local loops in a given area and where circuit switching of customer lines occurs.
(2) A local Telephone Company switching system, where Telephone Exchange
Service customer station loops are terminated for purposes of interconnection to
each other and to trunks. In the case of a Remote Switching Module (RSM), the
term Central Office designates the combination of the Remote Switching Unit
and its Host.
Central Office Local Area Network (CO-LAN) -- A data switching service based
on a data PBX in a carrier's CO.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) -- A standard that allows Web servers to run
external applications such as search engines.
Circuit Switching -- Switching system in which a dedicated physical circuit path
must exist between sender and receiver for the duration of the "call". Used
heavily in the phone company network, circuit switching often is contrasted with
contention and token passing as a channel-access method, and with message
switching and packet switching as a switching technique.
Class of Service (COS) -- The categories of traffic type in ATM used to
distinguish between real time and non-real time usage, as well as between
variable and constant bit rages.
CMOT (CMIP over TCP) -- An effort to use the OSI network management
protocol to manage TCP/IP networks. CMOT is historical, we are not aware of
any running implementations of this protocol.

Committed Information Rate (CIR) -- The transport speed the frame relay
network will maintain between service locations.
Common Channel Signaling -- A method of signaling in which signaling
information relating to a multiplicity of circuits, or relating to a function for
network management, is conveyed over a single channel by addressed messages.
Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP) -- An ITU-TSS standard for the
message formats and procedures used to exchange management information in
order to operate, administer, maintain, and provision a network.
Common Part Convergence Sublayer-Service Data Unit (CPCS-SDU) -- Protocol
data unit to be delivered to the receiving AAL layer by the destination CP
convergence sublayer.
Common Protocol Convergence Sublayer (CPCS) -- Pads PDU to N x 48 bytes,
maps control bits, adds FCS in preparation for SAR.
Competitive Access Provider (CAP) -- -Alternative to LEC for local loop to IXC
or for dial tone. A company that builds and operates communication networks in
metropolitan areas and provides its customers with an alternative to the local
telephone company.
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) -- A company that builds and
operates communication networks in metropolitan areas and provides its
customers with an alternative to the local telephone company.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) -- The name given to the merger of
traditional telecommunications (PBX) equipment with computers and computer
applications. The use of Caller ID to automatically retrieve customer information
from a database is an example of a CTI application.
Connection Admission Control (CAC) -- The function of an ATM network that
determines the acceptability of a virtual circuit connection request and
determines the route through the network for such connections.

126

Connectionless Broadband Data Service (CBDS) -- A connectionless service

similar to Bellcore's SMDS defined by European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI).
Connectionless Network Protocol (CLNP) -- The OSI protocol for providing the
OSI Connectionless Network Service (datagram service). CLNP is the OSI
equivalent to Internet IP, and is sometimes called ISO IP.
Connectionless Service (CL) -- A service which allows the transfer of information
among service subscribers without the need for end-to-end establishment
procedures.
ConnectionLess Transport Service (CLTS) -- OSI datagram protocol.
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) -- Delay intensive applications such as video and voice,
that must be digitized and represented by a continuous bit stream. CBR traffic
requires guaranteed levels of service and throughput.
Convergence -- The industry trend towards sharing network resources among
disparate applications and traffic types.
Convergence Layer PDU (CS-PDU) -- Info plus new header and trailer to make a
packet that is segmented into cells or SUs.
Convergence
Sublayer
(CS)
-The
portion
of
the AAL that formats information; a convergence sublayer protocol data unit
(CS-PDU) before it is segmented into cells and reformats it after reassembly
at its destination.
Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI) -- FDDI packets transmitted over
Category 5 unshielded twisted pair cable.
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) -- (1) Telephone terminal devices, such as
handsets and private branch exchanges (PBXs), located on the customer's
premises. (2) Terminating equipment, such as terminals, phones, routers and
modems, supplied by the phone company, installed at customer sites, and
connected to the phone company network.

Cut-Through Switching -- Refers to a method of Frame Switching where the

switching device commences forwarding a frame after it has determined the
destination port without waiting for the entire frame to have been received on
the incoming port. Also known as on-the-fly switching.
Data Communicating Equipment (DCE) -- In RS232 communications, a device
implementing the interface and handshaking of a data communications device
(such as a modem).
Data Exchange Interface (DXI) -- (1) ATM: A variable-length frame-based ATM
interface between a DTE and a special ATM DSU/CSU. The ATM DSU/CSU
converts between the variable-length DXI frames and the fixed-length ATM cells.
(2) Defines the format for transmitting information that has gone through the
ATM convergence sublayer.
Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI) -- A value in frame relay that identifies a
logical connection.
Data Link Control (DLC) -- The SNA layer responsible for transmission of data
between two nodes over a physical link.
Data Link Switching (DLSw) -- A reliable means of transporting SNA and
NetBIOS traffic in a multiprotocol router network using IP encapsulation.
Defined in RFC1434 and RFC 1795.
Data
Terminal
Equipment
(DTE)
-The
part
of
a data station that serves as a data source, destination, or both, and that provides
for the data communications control function according to protocol. DTE
includes computers, protocol translators, and multiplexers.
Demodulation -- Opposite of modulation; the process of retrieving data from a
modulated carrier wave.
Destination End Station (DES) -- An ATM termination point which is the
destination for ATM messages of a connection and is used as a reference point
for ABR services.

128

Destination MAC Address (DA) -- A six octet value uniquely identifying an

endpoint which is sent in IEEE LAN frame headers to indicate frame destination.
Destination Service Access Point (DSAP) -- Address field in header of LLC frame
to identify a user within a station address (Layer 2).
Digital Access and Cross-Connect System (DACS) -- A digital switching device
for routing T-1 lines and DS-0 portions of lines, among multiple
T-1 ports.
Digital Access Cross-Connect Switch (DCS) -- A digital switching device for
routing time slots among multiple E1/T1 ports.
Digital Certificates -- A virtual security document which ensures the association
between the user's public key and the user's identity and security privileges.
Digital Cross Connect System (DCS) -- (1) An electronic switching node that
enables circuits to be cross-connected. (2) An electronic cross-connect which has
access to the lower-rate channels in higher-rate multiplexed signals and can
electronically rearrange (cross-connect) those channels.
Digital Data Service Unit (DSU) -- Converts RS-232 or other terminal interface to
line coding for local loop transmission.
Digital Data System (DDS) -- U.S. private data transmission network, established
in 1974 by AT&T and based on AT&T's Dataphone data service. DDS is a digital
overlay network built on the existing loop and trunking network.
Digital Modem -- A system component which allows modem users to
communicate over digital access facilities. They work by converting the PCMencoded digital data streams sent by analogue modem users into their original
analogue waveform.
Digital Signal 1 (DS-1) -- North American Digital Hierarchy signaling standard
for
transmissions
at
2.544 Mbps. Supports 24 simultaneous DS-O signals. Term often used
interchangeably with T-1, although DS-1 signals may be exchanged over other
transmission systems.

Digital Signal 3 (DS-3) -- North American Digital Hierarchy signaling standard

for transmission at 44.736 Mbps. Supports 28 simultaneous DS-1 signals.
Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP) -- A metrics based
algorithm for routing multicast packets.
Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB) -- Communication protocol proposed by
IEEE 802.6 committee for use in MANs.
DNS Spoofing -- Assuming the DNS name of another system by either
corrupting the name service cache of a victim system, or by compromising a
domain name server for a valid domain.
Document Conferencing -- A conferencing technology that enables customers to
review a document and collaborate with others, right from their computer using
either analog and modem dial-up or existing Internet accesses (LAN, dial-up,
etc.)
Domain Name System (DNS) -- The distributed name/address mechanism used
in the Internet.
Domestic Satellite -- A satellite that provides transmission of information
between points within the United States by an authorized common carrier.
Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation (DBA) -- A process that optimizes overall
network efficiency by automatically increasing or decreasing the bandwidth of a
channel to accommodate changes in data flow from end-user equipment.
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) -- This is a method of transferring data between
two Windows applications while they are running.
Dynamic Password -- An automatically generated single-use password.
Edge Device -- A physical device which is capable of forwarding packets
between legacy interworking interfaces (e.g., Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.) and
ATM interfaces based on data-link and network layer information but which
does not participate in the running of any network layer routing protocol. An

130

Edge
Device
obtains
distribution protocol.

forwarding

descriptions

using

the

route

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) -- (1) Method for passing orders, invoices, and
other transactions electronically between locations or organizations. (2) The
exchange of structured transactional information between autonomous
computers.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) -- An electronic system that transfers money and
records financial transactions, replacing the use of paper.
Electronic Industries Association (EIA) -- A group that specifies electrical
transmission standards.
Emulated Local Area (ELAN) -- A logical network initiated by using the
mechanisms defined by LAN Emulation. This could include ATM and legacy
attached end stations.
Encapsulation
-The
wrapping
of
data
particular
protocol
header.
For
example,
data
is
wrapped
in
a
specific
Ethernet
before network transit.

in
a
Ethernet
header

Encryption
-Applying
a
specific
algorithm
to
data
in order to alter the data's appearance and prevent other devices from reading
information. Decryption applies the algorithm in reverse to restore the data to its
original form.
End System to Intermediate System Protocol (ES-IS) -- The OSI protocol by which
end systems such as network personal computers announce themselves to
intermediate systems such as hubs.
Error Free Seconds (EFS) -- A unit used to specify the error of performance of T
carrier systems, usually expressed as EFS per hour, day, or week. This method
gives a better indication of the distribution of bit errors than a simple bit error
rate (BER).

ES-IS -- End system to Intermediate system protocol. The OSI protocol used for
router detection and address resolution.
Ethernet -- A baseband LAN specification invented by Xerox Corporation and
developed jointly by Xerox, Intel, and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet
networks operate at 10 Mbps using CSMA/CD to run over coaxial cable.
Ethernet is similar to a series of standards produced by IEEE referred to as IEEE
802.3.
Excess Burst (Be) -- Transient capacity above CIR in FR net.
Explicit Forward Congestion Indicator (EFCI) -- A bit in the PTI field of the ATM
cell header. The bit is set by a congested network node in any cell passing
through the node.
Explorer Super Frame (ESF) -- Frame sent out by a networked device in a source
route bridging environment to determine the optimal route to another
networked device.
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interexchange Code (EBCDIC) -- Usually
pronounced Eb-suh-dick. The character code used by most mainframe
computers. Each character is composed of eight bits, as opposed to ASCII, which
is composed of seven bits.
Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) -- A standard bus interface,
commonly used by PCs and some UNIX workstations and servers.
Extended Superframe (EF) -- An Extended Superframe consists of 24 frames of
193 bits each (4632 bits total). In each frame, one "F bit" is followed by 24 8-bit
bytes. The 8 Kbps of F-bit overhead is divided into 2 Kbps for framing, 2 Kbps of
CRC-6 code for logic error checking, and a 4 Kbps Data Link for maintenance
communications. As in the Superframe (D4) format, 1.536 Mbps is the available
bandwidth for user information.
Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) -- The service by which gateways exchange
information about what systems they can reach; generally, an exterior gateway
protocol is any internetworking protocol for passing routing information
between autonomous systems.

132

Extranet -- A collaborative network that uses Internet technology to link

businesses with their suppliers, customers, or other businesses that share
common goals.
FDDI II -- The proposed ANSI standard to enhance FDDI. FDDI II will provide
isochronous transmission for connectionless data circuits and connectionoriented voice and video circuits.
Fiber Channel -- FC Fiber Channel is a high performance serial link supporting
its own, as well as higher level protocols such as the FDDI, SCSI, HIPPI, and IPI.
The fast (up to 1 Gbps) technology can be converted for Local Area Network
technology by adding a switch specified in the Fiber Channel standard.

Case Study

1.)

2.)

Give some advantages and disadvantages of combining the session,

presentation, and application layer in the OSI model into one single
application layer in the Internet model.
A file contains 3 million bytes. How long does it take to download tis file
using a 100-Kbps channel?

3.) Which characteristics of an analog signal are changed to represent the digital
signal in each of the following digital-to-analog conversions?
a.) ASK
b.) FSK
c.) PSK
d.) QAM
4.) Two channels, one with a bit rate of 150 kbps and another with a bit rate of
140 kbps , are to be multiplexed using pulse stuffing TDM with no
synchronization bits. Answer the following questions:
a.) What is the size of a frame in bits?
b.) What is the frame rate?
c.) What is the duration of a frame?
d.) What is data rate?

134

M.Sc.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
(FIRST SEMESTER)EXAMINATION, 2012
(Held in February 2013)
(New Scheme)
DATA COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER
NETWORKS
PAPER: T-103
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
Maximum Marks80
(1) No supplementary answer-book will be given to any candidate. Hence the
candidates should write the answers precisely in the Main answer-book only.
(2) All the parts of question should be answered at one place in the answer-book.
One complete question should not be answered at different places in the answer
book.

Attempt FIVE questions in out of nine

All question carry equal marks

1.

Differentiate between (any two) :(a) Digital data and Analog data transmission
(b) Coaxial cable and Twisted pair
(c) Asynchronous and Synchronous transmission.

2.

What do you understand by flow control? Explain stop-and wait and

sliding window control in detail.

3.

(a) Explain different phases of communication via circuit switching.

(b)
Explain space division switching in brief.

4.

Explain different routing strategies of packet switching network.

5.

Define the following:(a) Checksum

(b) Frame relay
(c) MAC
(d) Parity Bit
(e) Topology
(f) Token Bus
(g) Virtual Circuit
(h) Attenuation

6.

Explain different layers of OSI model in brief.

7.

(a) Differentiate b/w internet and internet. Explain different types of

internet connections.
(b) Write a note on E-mailing

8.

Explain the following protocols (any two)

(a) FTP
(b) ICMP
(c) IP

9.

Explain the following:(a) Transmission of Modes

(b) Firewall
(c) Error Detection and Correction
(d) Components of Network
--------------------------------

136

M.Sc.(Information Technology)
(FIRST SEMESTER)EXAMINATION, 2011
(New Scheme)
DATA COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER NETWORK
PAPER: T-103
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
Maximum Marks80
Note:(1) No supplementary answer-book will be given to any candidate. Hence the
candidates should write the answers precisely in the Main answer-book only.
(2) All the parts of question should be answered at one place in the answer-book.
One complete question should not be answered at different places in the answer
book.

Attempt FIVE questions in out of nine

All question carry equal marks

1.
2

3.

4.
5.

What is Modulation? Discuss Pulse Code Modulation & Baseband

Modulation in detail.
(a) Why is frequency modulation superior to amplitude modulation?
Explain demodulation in detail.
(b) Why is digital transmission better than analog transmission?
Explain the following :
(a) Telnet
(b) SONET
(c) Transmission modes
(d) Interanet
Discuss in detail the various layers of OSI model and compare it with
TCP/IP. Illustrate the OSI model also.
Differentiate between the following:

6.
7.
8.
9.

(a) Sub netting and super netting

(b) ARP and RARP
Discuss various routing methods and protocols in detail.
Explain the concept of ISDN and explore its role in internet technology.
What is the important of Firewall and how does it secure the network ?
Explain with the help of suitable diagram and examples.
(a) What do you mean by the Satellite Communication?
(b) What are the different measures to secure Internet? Discuss.

----------------------------------

138

Bibliography
1.) Data Communications and Networking by Behrouz A. Forouzan.
2.) Data Comms & Networks by Achyut S Godbole
3.) Computer Networks by Andrew S. Tanenbaum
4.) Data And Computer Communications, 8/E by Stallings

Best sites for Data Communication and Networking:1.) http://www.ietf.org

2.) www.acm.org