CSC 407: Data Communication and Network: (3 Units) (2+1+0)

Course Objectives

Introduction, waves Fourier analysis, measure of communication channel characteristics, transmission media, noise and
distortion, modulation and demodulation; multiplexing TDM FDM and FCM. Parallel and serial transmission (synchronous vs
asynchronous). Bus structures and loop systems, computer network. Examples and design consideration: data switching
principles; broadcast techniques; network structure for packet switching, protocols, description of network e.g. ARPANET, DSC
etc.

FUNDAMENTALS OF DATA COMMUNICATIONS

Data & Communication meanings

Data, refers to a collection of numbers, characters and is a relative term. • Data is collected and analyzed to create information
suitable for making decisions. • Communication is the activity of exchanging information and meaning across space and time
using various technical or natural means, whichever is available or preferred. • Communication requires a sender, a message, a
medium and a recipient. • Although the receiver does not have to be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at
the time of communication. • Thus, communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.

Data Communication Trends

Three different forces have driven the architecture and evolution of data communications and networking facilities:

• Traffic growth,

• Development of new Services,

• Advances in technology.

Fourier analysis is a method of defining periodic waveform s in terms of trigonometric function s. The method gets its name from a
French mathematician and physicist named Jean Baptiste Joseph, Baron de Fourier, who lived during the 18th and 19th
centuries. Fourier analysis is used in electronics, acoustics, and communications.
Many waveforms consist of energy at a fundamental frequency and also at harmonic frequencies (multiples of the fundamental).
The relative proportions of energy in the fundamental and the harmonics determines the shape of the wave. The wave function
(usually amplitude , frequency, or phase versus time ) can be expressed as of a sum of sine and cosine functions called a Fourier
series , uniquely defined by constants known as Fourier coefficient s. If these coefficients are represented by a , a 1 , a 2 , a 3 ,
..., a n , ... and b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , ..., b n , ..., then the Fourier series F ( x ), where x is an independent variable (usually time), has the
following form:

F ( x ) = a /2 + a 1 cos x + b 1 sin x + a 2 cos 2 x + b 2 sin 2 x + ...

+ a n cos nx + b n sin nx + ...

In Fourier analysis, the objective is to calculate coefficients a , a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , ..., a n and b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , ..., b n up to the largest
possible value of n . The greater the value of n (that is, the more terms in the series whose coefficients can be determined), the
more accurate is the Fourier-series representation of the waveform.

waveform
A waveform is a representation of how alternating current (AC) varies with time. The most familiar AC waveform is the sine wave,
which derives its name from the fact that the current or voltage varies with the sine of the elapsed time. Other common AC
waveforms are the square wave, the ramp, the sawtooth wave, and the triangular wave. Their general shapes are shown below.
Some AC waveforms are irregular or complicated. Square or sawtooth waves are produced by certain types of electronic
oscillators, and by a low-end UPS (uninterruptible power supply) when it is operating from its battery. Irregular AC waves are
produced by audio amplifiers that deal with analog voice signals and/or music.

The sine wave is unique in that it represents energy entirely concentrated at a single frequency. An ideal,
unmodulated wireless signal has a sine waveform, with a frequency usually measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).
Household utility current has a sine waveform with a frequency of 60 Hz in most countries including the United States, although in
some countries it is 50 Hz.
DataCommunicationTrends

A Communications Model
Three different forces have
driven the architecture and
evolution of data
communications and

DC-IN, Lec#1 , Spring 2015

networking facilities:
• Traffic growth,
• Development of new
Services,
• Advances in technology.
Key Elements of the Communicationsmodel:

• Source: This device generates the data to be transmitted; examples

are telephones and personal computers.

• Transmitter: transforms and encodes the information in such a way

as to produce electro magnetic signals that can be transmitted
across some sort of transmission system.

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• Transmission system: This can be a single transmission line or a
complex network connecting source and destination.

• Receiver: The receiver accepts the signal from the transmission

system and converts it into a form that can be handled by the
destination device.
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• Destination: Takes the incoming data from the receiver.
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Communications Tasks

Transmission system utilization Addressing

Interfacing Routing
Signal generation Recovery

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Synchronization Message formatting
Exchange management Security
Error detection and correction Network
management
Flow control
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Data Communications Aspects

• The Transmission of Information:

• Transmission media: twisted-pair, coaxial cables, fiber optic,

wireless,..
• Antennas: dipole, yagi-uda, dish (parabolic) , microstrip,..
• …

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• Communication Techniques:

• Encoding : source, channel

• Modulation: Analog, Digital
• ..
• Transmission efficiency:

• Capacity issue: Multiplexing, compression,..

• Data rate
• ... 13
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Networks

• LAN - Local Area Network

• single building or cluster of buildings

• ethernet, token ring, star, wireless
• WAN - Wide Area Network

• city-to-city, country-to-country

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• telephone, ISDN, ATM, etc.
• Wireless Network

• radio, microwave, satellite

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Internet

• Internet evolved from ARPANET in 1969 U.S. DoD.

• Developed to solve the dilemma of communicating across

arbitrary, multiple, packet-switched network

• TCP/IP provides the foundation

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Internet – Key Elements

 © Ahmad El-Banna
E-Banna
INTRODUCTION TO LAYERED 16
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS
The Need for Protocol Architecture

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• A protocol is a set of rules or conventions that allow peer

layers to communicate.

• To transfer data several tasks are performed

1. The source must activate the communications path or inform

network of destination
2. The source must make sure that destination is prepared to receive
data
3. The file transfer application on the source must confirm file
management program at destination is prepared to accept and
store the file
4. A format translation function may need to be performed if the
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formats on the systems differ
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Protocol Architecture Logic

• Logic is divided into subtask modules

• Implemented separately
• Modules are arranged in a vertical stack

• Each layer in the stack performs a subset of functions

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• Rely on next layer for more primitive functions
• Changes in one layer should not require changes in other layers

• The key features of a protocol are:

• Syntax – format of data blocks

• Semantics – control information for coordination and error
handling
• Timing – speed matching and sequencing 18
A simple Protocol Architecture

• Three agents involved

• Applications (e.g. email, file transfer)

• Computers
• Networks
• Application sends data via module(s) to network to another
computer which must get it to the intended
application

For more details, refer to:

• Chapter 1&2, W. Stallings, Data and Computer
Communications,
8th edition, 2007