CHAPTER-3

Communication Network Architecture

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 3.1. Network line configuration

• Line configuration refers to the way two or more communication devices

attached to a link. Line configuration is also referred to as connection.
• A Link is the physical communication pathway that transfers data from one
device to another.
• For communication to occur, two devices must be connected in same way
to the same link at the same time.
• There are two possible line configurations.
1. Point-to-Point.
2. Multipoint.
Point-to-Point
• A Point to Point Line Configuration Provide dedicated link
between two devices use actual length of wire or cable to connect
the two end including microwave & satellite link. Infrared remote
control & tvs remote control.
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• The entire capacity of the channel is reserved for transmission between
those two devices.
• Most point-to-point line configurations use an actual length of wire or
cable to connect the two ends, but other options, such as microwave or
satellite links, are also possible.
• Point to point network topology is considered to be one of the easiest
and most conventional network topologies. It is also the simplest to
establish and understand. To visualize, one can consider point to point
network topology as two phones connected end to end for a two way
communication.

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 Multipoint Configuration

• Multipoint Configuration also known as Multidrop line

configuration one or more than two specific devices share a single link
capacity of the channel is shared.
• More than two devices share the Link that is the capacity of the channel is
shared now. With shared capacity, there can be two possibilities in a
Multipoint Line Config:
– Spatial Sharing: If several devices can share the link simultaneously,
its called Spatially shared line configuration.
– Temporal (Time) Sharing: If users must take turns using the link ,
then its called Temporally shared or Time Shared Line Configuration.

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 3.2. Networking and Internetworking devices

• Hub
• Hubs work in the physical layer of the OSI model.
• A hub is a device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices and making
them act as a single network segment.
• It has multiple inputs and output ports in which a signal introduced at the
input of any port appears at the output of every port except the original
incoming port.
• A hub can be used with both digital and analog data. Hubs do not perform
packet filtering or addressing function, they send the data packets to all the
connected devices.

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 Repeater

• A repeater operates at the physical layer of the OSI model.

• A Repeater connects two segments of a network cable.
• Sometimes it regenerates the signals to proper amplitudes and sends them
to the other segment.
• If the signal becomes weak, it can copy the signal bit by bit and regenerate
it at the original strength.
• It is a 2-port device.

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 Bridge

• A bridge operates at the data link layer of the OSI model. It can read only
the outmost hardware address of the packet but cannot read the IP address.
It reads the outmost section of the data packet to tell where the message is
going. It reduces the traffic on other network segments. It does not send all
the packets. So, a bridge can be programmed to reject packets from a
particular network.

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 Switch

• Switches may operate at one or more layers of the OSI model. They may
operate in the data link layer and network layer; a device that operates
simultaneously at more than one of these layers is known as a multilayer
switch.
• A Switch can check the errors before forwarding the data, which makes it
more efficient and improves its performance. A switch is the better version
of a hub. It is a multi-port bridge device.

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 Router

• Routers are small physical devices that operate at the network layer to join
multiple networks together.
• A router is a device like a switch that routes data packets based on their IP
addresses.
• Routers normally connect LANs and WANs and have a dynamically
updating routing table based on which they make decisions on routing the
data packets.
• A Router divides the broadcast domains of hosts connected through it.
• Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet.
• A data packet is typically forwarded from one router to another through the
networks that constitute the internetwork until it reaches its destination
code.

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 Gateway

• A gateway is an internetworking capable of joining together two networks

that use different base protocols.
• A network gateway can be implemented completely in software, hardware,
or a combination of both, depending on the types of protocols they support.
• A network gateway can operate at any level of the OSI model.
• A broadband router typically serves as the network gateway, although
ordinary computers can also be configured to perform equivalent functions.
• A gateway is a router or proxy server that routes between networks.
• A gateway belongs to the same subnet to which the PC belongs.

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 3.3. Network Topologies

• The term topology in computer networking refers to the way in which a

network is laid out physically. Two or more devices connect to a link; two
or more links form a topology.
• The topology of a network is the geometric representation of the
relationship of all links and linking devices (usually called nodes) to one
another.
• The cost and flexibility of a network installation are partly affected by as is
system reliability.
• Many network topologies are commonly used, but they all have certain
similarities.
• Information is carried either through space (wireless) or cable.
• The cable must control the movement of information on the network so that
data can be transmitted in a reliable manner.
• There are four basic topologies possible: mesh, star, bus, and ring.
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Network Topologies …continued

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 Bus Topology

• The Bus topology consists of a single cable that runs to every work-station.
• In other words, all the nodes (computers and servers) are connected to the
single cable (called bus), by the help of interface connectors.
• This central cable is the back bone of the network and every workstation
communicates with the other device through this bus.

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 Bus Topology

Advantage Disadvantage
1) It is easy to set-up and extend 1) There is a limit on central cable length
and number of nodes that can be
bus network.
connected.
2) Cable length required for this 2) If the main cable (i.e. bus) encounters
topology is the least compared to some problem, whole network breaks
other networks. down.
3) Proper termination is required to dump
3) Bus topology very cheap. signals. Use of terminators is must.
4) Linear Bus network is mostly 4) Efficiency of Bus network reduces, as the
used in small networks. number of devices connected to it
increases.
5) It is not suitable for networks with heavy
traffic.
6) Security is very low because all the
computers receive the sent signal from
the source. 14
 Ring Topology

• The ring topology connects computers on a single circle of cable.

• There are no terminated ends.
• A ring topology connects one host to the next and the last host to the first.
• The signal travels around the loop in one direction and pass through each
computer.
• Unlike the passive bus topology, each computer acts like a repeater to boost
the signal and send it on to the next computer.
• Because the signal passes through each computer, the failure of one
computer can impact the entire network.

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 Ring Topology

Advantage Disadvantage
1) This type of network topology is very 1) Each packet of data must pass
organized. Each node gets to send the data
through all the computers between
when it receives an empty token. This helps
to reduces chances of collision. Also in ring source and destination. This makes it
topology all the traffic flows in only one slower than Star topology.
direction at very high speed.
2) If one workstation or port goes
2) Even when the load on the network
increases, its performance is better than that of
down, the entire network gets
Bus topology. affected.
3) There is no need for network server to 3) Network is highly dependent on
control the connectivity between workstations. the wire which connects different
4) Additional components do not affect the components.
performance of network.
5) Each computer has equal access to 4) MAU‟s and network cards are
resources. expensive as compared to Ethernet
cards and hubs. 16
 Star Topology

• In the star topology, computers are connected by cable segments to

centralized component, called a hub or switch.
• Signals are transmitted from the sending computer through the hub or
switch to all computers on the network.
• This topology originated in the early days of computing with computers
connected to a centralized mainframe computer.
• It is now a common topology in microcomputer networking.
• Each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only to a central controller,
usually called a hub. The devices are not directly linked to one another.
• Unlike a mesh topology, a star topology does not allow direct traffic
between devices. The controller acts as an exchange: If one device wants to
send data to another, it sends the data to the controller, which then relays
the data to the other connected device.

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Star Topology

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 Star Topology

Advantage
Disadvantage
1) As compared to Bus topology it gives
far much better performance, signals 1) Too much dependency on
don’t necessarily get transmitted to all central device has its own
the workstations. A sent signal reaches drawbacks. If it fails whole
the intended destination after passing
through no more than 3-4 devices and 2- network goes down.
3 links. 2) The use of hub, a router or a
2) Easy to connect new nodes or devices. switch as central device
In star topology new nodes can be added
increases the overall cost of the
easily without affecting rest of the
network. Similarly components can also network.
be removed easily. 3) Performance and as well number
3) Centralized management. It helps in of nodes which can be added in
monitoring the network.
such topology is depended on
4) Failure of one node or link doesn’t
affect the rest of network. At the same
capacity of central device.
time it is easy to detect the failure and 19
troubleshoot it.
 Mesh Topology

• In a mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to

every other device. The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic
only between the two devices it connects.
• In a mesh topology, Node1 must be connected to n1 nodes, node2 must be
connected to (n – 1) nodes, and finally node n must be connected to (n – 1)
nodes.
• We need n (n - 1) physical links.
• In other words, we can say that in a mesh topology, we need n(n-1)/2.

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 Mesh Topology

Advantage Disadvantage
• Data can be transmitted from
• There are high chances of
different devices simultaneously.
redundancy in many of the
This topology can withstand high
network connections.
traffic.
• Overall cost of this network is
• Even if one of the components
way too high as compared to other
fails there is always an alternative
network topologies.
present. So data transfer doesn’t
get affected. • Set-up and maintenance of this
topology is very difficult. Even
• Expansion and modification in
administration of the network is
topology can be done without
tough.
disrupting other nodes.

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 Hybrid Topology

• Hybrid, as the name suggests, is mixture of two different things.

• Similarly in this type of topology we integrate two or more different
topologies to form a resultant topology which has good points (as well as
weaknesses) of all the constituent basic topologies rather than having
characteristics of one specific topology.
• This combination of topologies is done according to the requirements of the
organization.
• For example, if there is an existing ring topology in one office department
while a bus topology in another department, connecting these two will
result in Hybrid topology.
• Remember connecting two similar topologies cannot be termed as Hybrid
topology.
• Star-Ring and Star-Bus networks are most common examples of hybrid
network.
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 Hybrid Topology

• Hybrid, as the name suggests, is mixture of two different things.

• Similarly in this type of topology we integrate two or more different
topologies to form a resultant topology which has good points (as well as
weaknesses) of all the constituent basic topologies rather than having
characteristics of one specific topology.
• This combination of topologies is done according to the requirements of the
organization.
• For example, if there is an existing ring topology in one office department
while a bus topology in another department, connecting these two will
result in Hybrid topology.
• Remember connecting two similar topologies cannot be termed as Hybrid
topology.
• Star-Ring and Star-Bus networks are most common examples of hybrid
network.
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Hybrid Topology

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 Hybrid Topology

Advantage Disadvantage
1) Reliable: The part in which fault is detected 1) Complexity of Design: One of the biggest
can be isolated from the rest of network and drawbacks of hybrid topology is its design.
required corrective measures can be taken, It is not easy to design this type of
WITHOUT affecting the functioning of rest of the architecture and it’s a tough job for
network. designers. Configuration and installation
2) Scalable: It’s easy to increase the size of process needs to be very efficient.
network by adding new components, without 2) Costly Hub: The hubs used to connect
disturbing existing architecture. two distinct networks, are very expensive.
3) Flexible: Hybrid Network can be designed These hubs are different from usual hubs
according to the requirements of the organization as they need to be intelligent enough to
and by optimizing the available resources. Special work with different architectures and
care can be given to nodes where traffic is high as should be function even if a part of
well as where chances of fault are high. network is down.
4) Effective: Hybrid topology is the combination 3) Costly Infrastructure: As hybrid
of two or more topologies, so we can design it in architectures are usually larger in scale,
such a way that strengths of constituent topologies
they require a lot of cables; cooling
are maximized while there weaknesses are
systems, sophisticate network devices, etc
neutralized.
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 3.4. Connection Oriented and connectionless Services

• There are two ways to establish a connection before sending data from
one device to another, that are:
– Connection-Oriented and
– Connectionless Service.
• Connection-oriented service involves the creation and termination of the
connection for sending the data between two or more devices.
• In contrast, connectionless service does not require establishing any
connection and termination process for transferring the data over a
network.

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 Connection-Oriented Service

• A connection-oriented service is used to create an end to end connection

between the sender and the receiver before transmitting the data over
the same or different networks.
• In connection-oriented service, packets are transmitted to the receiver in
the same order the sender has sent them.
• It uses a handshake method that creates a connection between the user
and sender for transmitting the data over the network.
• Hence it is also known as a reliable network service
– Suppose, a sender wants to send data to the receiver. Then, first, the sender sends a request packet to
a receiver in the form of an SYN packet. After that, the receiver responds to the sender's request with
an (SYN-ACK) signal/packets. That represents the confirmation is received by the receiver to start the
communication between the sender and the receiver. Now a sender can send the message or data to
the receiver.
– Similarly, a receiver can respond or send the data to the sender in the form of packets. After
successfully exchanging or transmitting data, a sender can terminate the connection by sending a
signal to the receiver. In this way, we can say that it is a reliable network service.

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 Connection-Oriented Service

• What is a TCP?
• TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a connection-oriented protocol
that allows communication between two or more computer devices by
establishing connections in the same or different networks. It is the most
important protocol that uses internet protocol to transfer the data from
one end to another. Hence, it is sometimes referred to as TCP/IP. It
ensures that the connection is established and maintained until the data
packet is transferring between the sender and receiver is complete.

Four way handshake of

connection oriented services

SYN = Synchronization request

ACK = Acknowledgement

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 Connectionless Service

• Connectionless service is used in the network system to transfer data

from one end to another end without creating any connection. So it does
not require establishing a connection before sending the data from the
sender to the receiver.
• It is not a reliable network service because it does not guarantee the
transfer of data packets to the receiver, and data packets can be received
in any order to the receiver.
• Therefore we can say that the data packet does not follow
a defined path.
• In connectionless service, the transmitted data packet is not received by
the receiver due to network congestion, and the data may be lost.

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 Connectionless Service

• For example, a sender can directly send any data to the receiver without
establishing any connection because it is a connectionless service. Data
sent by the sender will be in the packet or data streams containing the
receiver's address. In connectionless service, the data can be travelled
and received in any order. However, it does not guarantee to transfer of
the packets to the right destination.
• What is UDP?
• The UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless protocol that
allows communication between two or more devices without
establishing any connection. In this protocol, a sender sends the data
packets to the receiver that holds the destination address. A UDP does
not ensure to deliver the data packets to the correct destination, and it
does not generate any acknowledgment about the sender's data.
Similarly, it does not acknowledge the receiver about the data. Hence, it
is an unreliable protocol. 30

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 End of Chapter-3

READ THE REFERENCE BOOK

FOR DETAIL INFORMATION
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