CMSC 137 Lecture Notes 1
CMSC 137 Lecture Notes 1
Unit 1: Introduction
• The word data refers to information presented in whatever form is agreed upon by the parties
creating and using the data.
• Data communications are the exchange of data between two devices via some form of transmission
medium such as a wire cable.
Fundamental Characteristics:
• Delivery
• Accuracy
• Timeliness
• Jitter
Components
Data Representation
• Numbers
• Images ( Divided into pixel with size in bit patterns, has color scheme of RGB- red,
green, and blue or YCM- yellow, cyan, and magenta.
• Audio
• Video
Data Flow
◼ Simplex
◼ Duplex
◼ Half Duplex
◼ Full Duplex
1.2 NETWORKS
• A node can be a computer, printer, or any other device capable of sending and/or receiving data
generated by other nodes on the network.
Categories of topology
A fully connected mesh topology (five devices)
Easy to install and reconfigure. Fault isolation is simplified. If one device does not receive a signal within a
specified period, it can issue an alarm. The alarm alerts the network operator to the problem and its
location.
The only constraints are media and traffic considerations (maximum ring length and number of devices).
Unidirectional traffic can be a disadvantage. In a simple ring, a break in the ring (such as a disabled station)
can disable the entire network. Solution: Dual Ring.
• It has affected the way we do business as well as the way we spend our leisure time.
• The Internet is a communication system that has brought a wealth of information to our fingertips
and organized it for our use.
Brief History
◼ Came into existence in 1969 only after Packet Switched Network was invented in 1961 at MIT by
Leonard Kleinrock.
◼ DoD (Dept of Defense) through ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) represented ARPANET in
ACM (Association of Comuting Machinery) meeting in 1967.
◼ 1972, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn came up with paper on TCP with networking concepts of
encapsulation, datagram, gateways, end to end delivery of packets.
◼ In 1981, UC Berkeley modified the UNIX operating system to include TCP/IP which popularized
Internetworking.
◼ Then came creation of CSNET in 1981. Computer Science Network (CSNET) was a network
sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
◼ In 1983, ARPANET split into two networks: Military Network (MILNET) for military users and
ARPANET for nonmilitary users.