What we will cover

Three general areas

Data communication
Deals with the transmission of signals in a reliable and efficient

manner. Topics: signal transmission, transmission media, signal

encoding, interfacing, data link control, and multiplexing

Networking
Deals with the technology and architecture of communications
network used to interconnect communication devices. Topics:
LAN and WAN
Protocols
Discussion includes a treatment of protocol architectures as well
as an analysis of individual protocols at various layers of the
architecture

Effectiveness of Data Communication depends

on 3 fundamental characteristics
1.

2.

3.

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.
Accuracy the system must deliver data accurately.
Data that have been altered in transmission and left
uncorrected are unusable.
Timeliness the system must deliver data in a timely
manner. Data delivered late are useless. In the case of
video, audio, and voice data, timely delivery means
delivering data as they are produced, in the same order
that they are produced, and without significant delay.
This kind of delivery is called real-time transmission.

A Communication Model
Fundamental Purpose: Exchange of data between two

parties
Key elements of the model

Source generates data to be transmitter

Transmitter transforms and encode the information in such as
way as to produce electromagnetic signal
Transmission media a simple or complex transmission line
Receiver converts signal into a form that can be handled by the
destination device (Ex. Analog to digital bit stream)
Destination takes the incoming data

Components of Data Communication

Message is the information ( data) to be communicated
Sender is the device that sends the data message. It can

be a computer, workstation, camera, etc

Receiver is the device that receives the message
Medium physical path by which a message travels from
sender to receiver. It can consists of TP, coax, fiber optic,
laser, radio waves (satellite microwave, terrestrial)
Protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication.
It represents and agreement between communication
devices. Without protocol, two devices may be connected
but not communicating.

Key Elements of Protocol

Syntax refers to the structure or format of the

data, meaning the order in which they are

presented
Semantics refers to the meaning of each
section of bits. How is a particular pattern to be
interpreted, and what action is to be taken based
on that interpretation
Timing refers to two characteristics : when the
data should be sent and how fast they can be
sent

The Communication Model

information

Input
Device

data

Transmitter

transmission medium

Receiver

data

Output
Device

information

Implementation
Modem

Computer

Telephone line

Modem

Data Representation
Text
represented as a bit pattern, a sequence of bits( 0s or 1s).
Sets of bit patterns called Codes

ASCII: 7-bit for each symbol

Extended ASCII: an extra 0 is added at the left
Unicode: 16-bit
ISO: 32-bit

Numbers - directly converted to a binary number.

Data Representation cont

Images - divided into a matrix of pixels (picture

elements), where each pixel is a small dot.

Audio- a representation of sound. Continuous
Video - can be produced either as a continuous
entity or it can be a combination of images, each
a discrete entity, arranged to convey the idea of
motion.

Data Flow
Simplex mode communication is unidirectional.

Data Flow
Half Duplex mode communication can be done both

way but not at the same time.

Data Flow
Full Duplex mode both stations can transmit at the

same time. Also called duplex.

Computer Network
Is a collection of hosts connected by networking

devices.
A host is any device that sends and receives

information on the network

Peripherals are devices that are connected to
hosts.
Some devices can serve as either hosts or

peripherals.
For example, a printer connected to your laptop that
is on a network is acting as a peripheral. If the printer
is connected directly to a networking device, such as
a hub, switch, or router, it is acting as a host.

Benefits of networking computers

Fewer peripherals are needed.
Example: printer can be shared among network users
Increased communication capabilities
Online collaboration tools like email, forums, chat, voice, video and instant
messaging
Avoid file duplication and corruption
Confidential or sensitive data can be protected and shared with the users who
have permission to access
Lower-cost licensing
Many software vendors offer site licenses for networks, which can reduce the
cost of software
Centralized administration
Reduces the number of people needed to manage the devices and data on the
network, reducing time and cost to the company
Conserve resources
Data processing can be distributed across many computers to prevent one
computer from becoming overloaded with processing tasks.

Network Criteria
An effective and efficient network

must meet these parameters:

Performance

Reliability
Security

Performance
Can be measured in many ways

including transmit time (the

amount of time required for a
message to travel from one device
to another.)
and response time (the elapsed
time between an inquiry and a
response.)

Performance
However, Network performance depends on many factors

such as:
Number of users
Type of transmission medium
Hardware
Software

Performance is often evaluated by two networking

metrics: throughput and delay.

Note:
Bandwidth -> maximal amount of data per unit time that can be transmitted from one node to the
other
Throughput -> rate of successful message delivery over a communication channel; defines how much
useful data can be transmitted per unit time

Reliabilty
How reliable is your system?
Frequency of failures
Time for the link to recover

from failure
Robustness of the network in
catastrophic events

Security
Network security issues include
protecting data from unauthorized

access,
protecting data from damage and
development, and
implementing policies and procedures
for recovery from breaches and data
losses.

A computer network is identified by the

following specific characteristics
The area it serves
How the data is stored
How the resources are managed
How the network is organized
The type of networking devices used
The type of media used to connect the devices

A computer network is identified by the

following specific characteristics
The area it serves
How the data is stored
How the resources are managed

How the network is organized

The type of networking devices used
The type of media used to connect the devices

 Overall view of the interconnection of different types of

networks

Local Area Network (LAN)

Is a group of interconnected devices that is under the

same administrative control.

In the past, LANs were considered to be a small network that

existed in a single physical location.

Over time, the definition has evolved to include interconnected
local networks consisting of many hundreds of devices, installed in
multiple buildings and locations

Remember that all the local networks within a LAN are

under one administrative control group that governs the

security and access control policies that are in force on
the network
In this context, the word Local in LAN refers to local
consistent control rather than being physically close to
each other.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Are networks that connect LANs in geographically

separated locations.
Common example of WAN is the Internet
Internet is a large WAN that is composed of millions of

interconnected LANs.
Internet Service Providers (ISP) are used to interconnect these
LANs at different locations

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

In a traditional LAN, devices are interconnected using

copper cabling. In some environment, installing copper

cabling may not be practical, desirable, or even possible.
In these situations, wireless devices are used to transmit
and receive data using radio waves.
This network are called WLAN

In WLAN, wireless devices connect to access points (AP)

within a specified area. Aps typically are connected to the

network using copper cabling.
WLAN coverage can be small and limited to the area of a
room or can have a greater range

A computer network is identified by the

following specific characteristics
The area it serves
How the data is stored

How the resources are managed

How the network is organized
The type of networking devices used
The type of media used to connect the devices

Peer-to-peer networks
Devices are connected directly to each other without any

additional networking devices between them. If you need

a third computer in the computer, you would need to use a
hub or a switch
In this type of network, each device has equivalent
capabilities and responsibilities.
Individual users are responsible for their own resources and can

decide which data and devices to share.

It has no central point of control or administration

Peer-to-peer networks disadvantages

They have no centralized network administrator, which

makes it difficult to determine who controls resources in

the network
The have no centralized security. Each computer must
use separate security measures for data protection
The network becomes more complex and difficult to
manage as the number of computers on the network
increases
There may be no centralized data storage. Separate data
backups must be maintained. This responsibility falls on
the individual users.

Client/Server Network
The client requests information or services from the

server, the server provides the requested information or

service to the client.
Servers on a client/server network commonly performs

some of the processing work for client machines, such as

sorting through a database before delivering only the
records requested by the client
Servers are :
Maintained by network administrators
Centralized data backup, user access on resources, etc

A computer network is identified by the

following specific characteristics
The area it serves
How the data is stored
How the resources are managed

Type of connection
The type of networking devices used
The type of media used to connect the devices

Types of Connection
refers to the way two or more communication devices

attach to a link.
A link is the communication pathway that transfers data
from one device to another.
Two types
Point-to-point
Multipoint

Point-to-point
Each connection has exactly two end points: a source and

a destination.

Multipoint

a single channel is shared by numerous devices.

Multipoint
Also called multidrop
Types
Spatially Shared: is when devices

use the link simultaneously.

Timeshared: is when users take turn
in using the link.

A computer network is identified by the

following specific characteristics
The area it serves
How the data is stored
How the resources are managed
Type of connection

Topology
The type of networking devices used

The type of media used to connect the devices

Topology
Four basic topologies
Mesh
Star
Bus
Ring

Device Relationship
In considering what topology to adopt, consideration

should be given on the relative status of each device to be

linked.

Two types
Peer to Peer :devices share the link
equally.
Primary-secondary: One device controls
traffic and the others must transmit
through it.

Device Relationship
Ring/Mesh - Convenient for peer

to peer transmissions.
Star - Convenient for primarysecondary transmissions.
Bus - Convenient for both.

Mesh Topology
Has a dedicated point-point link to other device.

(dedicated means that the link only carries traffic between

the two devices it connects.)

Mesh Topology

where n
no. of links
no. of I/O ports

= no. of stations
= n(n-1)/2
= n-1

MESH Advantages

No traffic problem
Robust
Privacy/security
Trouble shooting and
maintenance is easier

MESH Disadvantages
Very costly
Difficult to install

Star Topology
each node has a dedicated point to

point link only to a central controller

usually a hub or a switch.
Devices are not directly linked to each
other but to the controller.
The Controller acts as an exchange.

Star Topology

Star Advantages
Cheaper than mesh
Easy to install and reconfigure
Robust

Easy to maintain

Star Disadvantages

Compared to other topologies(

tree, ring and bus), it requires
more cables since it has to be
connected to a hub.
Dependency on the hub

Bus Topology
An example of a multipoint

connection.
One long cable acts as a
backbone to link all the devices in
the network.
Nodes are attached to the bus by
drop lines and taps.

Bus Topology

Bus Advantages
easy to install
less cabling than Mesh, star or

tree

Bus Disadvantages
difficult reconfiguration and fault

isolation
a fault or break in the bus cable
stops all transmission.

Ring Topology
each device or node has a point to

point line configuration only with

the two devices on either side of it.
A signal is passed along the ring in
one direction, from device to
device, until it reaches its
destination.

Ring Topology
Each device in the ring incorporates a repeater. When a

device receives a signal intended for another device, its

repeater regenerates the bits and passes them along.

Ring Advantages
easy to install
fault isolation is simplified.

Ring Disadvantage
a break in the ring can disable the

whole network.

Hybrid Topology
topologies that combine several topologies together to

form one big network.