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10 views4 pages

LEKSIONE

Uploaded by

Suela
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Networking Basics

1.2 Data Transmission


The Bit

Did you know that computers and networks only work with binary digits, zeros and
ones? It can be difficult to imagine that all of our data is stored and transmitted as a
series of bits. Each bit can only have one of two possible values, 0 or 1. The term bit is
an abbreviation of “binary digit” and represents the smallest piece of data. Humans
interpret words and pictures, computers interpret only patterns of bits.

A bit is stored and transmitted as one of two possible discrete states. This can include
two directions of magnetization, two distinct voltage or current levels, two distinct levels
of light intensity, or any other physical system of two discrete states. For example, a
light switch can be either On or Off; in binary representation, these states would
correspond to 1 and 0 respectively.

Every input device (mouse, keyboard, voice-activated receiver) will translate human
interaction into binary code for the CPU to process and store. Every output device
(printer, speakers, monitors, etc.) will take binary data and translate it back into human
recognizable form. Within the computer itself, all data is processed and stored as
binary.

Computers use binary codes to represent and interpret letters, numbers and special
characters with bits. A commonly used code is the American Standard Code for
Information Interchange (ASCII). With ASCII, each character is represented by eight
bits. For example:

 Capital letter: A = 01000001


 Number: 9 = 00111001
 Special character: # = 00100011

Each group of eight bits, such as the representations of letters and numbers, is known
as a byte.

Codes can be used to represent almost any type of information digitally including
computer data, graphics, photos, voice, video, and music.

In the figure, enter up to five characters in the Characters field, then click the Show
Me button to see the ASCII bit translation. Click Reset to enter a different group of
characters.

1.2.3 Common Methods of Data Transmission


After the data is transformed into a series of bits, it must be converted into signals that
can be sent across the network media to its destination. Media refers to the physical
medium on which the signals are transmitted. Examples of media are copper wire, fiber-
optic cable, and electromagnetic waves through the air. A signal consists of electrical or
optical patterns that are transmitted from one connected device to another. These
patterns represent the digital bits (i.e. the data) and travel across the media from source
to destination as either a series of pulses of electricity, pulses of light, or radio waves.
Signals may be converted many times before ultimately reaching the destination, as
corresponding media changes between source and destination.

There are three common methods of signal transmission used in networks:

 Electrical signals - Transmission is achieved by representing data as electrical


pulses on copper wire.
 Optical signals - Transmission is achieved by converting the electrical signals
into light pulses.
 Wireless signals - Transmission is achieved by using infrared, microwave, or
radio waves through the air.

Click Play in the figure to see an animation of the three types of signal transmissions.

In most homes and small businesses, network signals are transmitted across copper
wires (cables) or Wi-Fi enabled wireless connections. Larger networks employ fiber-
optic cables in order to reliably carry signals for longer distances.
1.3.2 Throughput

Like bandwidth, throughput is the measure of the transfer of bits across the media over
a given period of time. However, due to a number of factors, throughput does not
usually match the specified bandwidth. Many factors influence throughput including:

 The amount of data being sent and received over the connection
 The types of data being transmitted
 The latency created by the number of network devices encountered between
source and destination

Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one given
point to another.

Throughput measurements do not take into account the validity or usefulness of the bits
being transmitted and received. Many messages received through the network are not
destined for specific user applications. An example would be network control messages
that regulate traffic and correct errors.

In an internetwork or network with multiple segments, throughput cannot be faster than


the slowest link of the path from sending device to the receiving device. Even if all or
most of the segments have high bandwidth, it will only take one segment in the path
with lower bandwidth to create a slowdown of the throughput of the entire network.

There are many online speed tests that can reveal the throughput of an internet
connection.

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