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1 Introduction

The document provides an overview of computer networks, covering data communications, networks, the internet, and protocols. It discusses key concepts such as data flow types, network criteria, physical structures, and categories of networks, along with the importance of protocols in governing data communication. The chapter also highlights the significance of the internet in modern life and its organizational structure.

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Mansi Salar
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
6 views

1 Introduction

The document provides an overview of computer networks, covering data communications, networks, the internet, and protocols. It discusses key concepts such as data flow types, network criteria, physical structures, and categories of networks, along with the importance of protocols in governing data communication. The chapter also highlights the significance of the internet in modern life and its organizational structure.

Uploaded by

Mansi Salar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 35

COMPUTER NETWORKS

Course Code:1811CI611
Course Credits: 3

Course Instructor: Dr. Nancy Singla


Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter addresses four issues:

1. Data communications,
2. Networks, the internet, and
3. Protocols and standards
1-1 DATA COMMUNICATIONS
The term telecommunication means communication at a
distance.
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.

Topics discussed in this section:


 Components of a data communications system
 Data Flow
Effectiveness of a data communications system
depends on four fundamental characteristics:

1. Delivery: Data must be received by the intended


device or user

2. Accuracy: deliver the data accurately. Data that have


been altered in transmission and left uncorrected are
unusable

3. Timeliness: Data delivered late are useless

4. Jitter: variation in the packet arrival time


Figure 1.1 Components of a data communication system
Data Representation
Information today comes in different forms such as
– Text
• ASCII, UNICODE
– Numbers
• represented in bit patterns, not ASCII
– Images
• bits: matrix of pixels, size of the pixel depends on the resolution
• E.g.: black and white can represent in 0 and 1 (one bit)
• Two bits (00 (black), 01(dark gray), 10 (light gray), 11(white)
• Color can be in combination of RGB and YCM (yellow, cyan, magenta)
– Audio
• Different from text, it is continuous signal not discrete
– Video
Data flow (simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex)
Simplex:
•unidirectional (Keyboards is a simplex device)
•use the entire capacity of the channel to send data in one direction

Half-duplex
•each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same time
•the entire capacity of the channel can be utilized for each direction
•Walkie-talkies and CB (citizens band) radios are both half-duplex
systems

Full-duplex
•both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously
•the link may contain two physically separate transmission paths,
•One for sending and the other for receiving;
•OR the capacity of the channel is divided between signals traveling
in both directions.

•telephone network is an example


1-2 NETWORKS

A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes)


connected by communication links.
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.
A link can be a cable, air, optical fiber, or any medium
which can transport a signal carrying information.

Topics discussed in this section:


 Network Criteria
 Physical Structures
 Categories of Networks
Network Criteria

• Performance
– Depends on Network Elements
– Measured in terms of Delay and Throughput

• Reliability
– Failure rate of network components
– Measured in terms of availability/robustness

• Security
– Data protection against corruption/loss of data due to:
– Errors
– Malicious users
Physical Structures
• Type of Connection
– Point to Point - single transmitter and receiver
• Dedicated link
– Multipoint - multiple recipients of single transmission
• Capacity of channel is shared spatially or temorally

• Physical Topology: way in which network is laid


physically
– Connection of devices: geometric representation of the
relationship of all the links and linking devices to one another
– Type of transmission
• unicast,
• mulitcast,
• broadcast
Figure 1.3 Types of connections: point-to-point and multipoint
Figure 1.4 Categories of topology
Figure 1.5 A fully connected mesh topology (five devices)

Each device has a dedicated point to point link to every other device.
Figure 1.6 A star topology connecting four stations

• Each device has a dedicated point to point link only to a central


controller, usually called a hub.
• Unlike mesh, it does not allow direct traffic between devices.
Figure 1.7 A bus topology connecting three stations

• Multipoint, one long cable act as backbone to link all the devices.
• A drop line is a connection running between the device and the main
cable using a tap.
Figure 1.8 A ring topology connecting six stations

• Each device has a dedicated point to point connection with only the
two devices on either side of it.
• Signal is passed along the ring in one direction.
•Each device incorporates a repeater, which regenerates the bits and
passes them along.
Figure 1.9 A hybrid topology: a star backbone with three bus networks
Categories of Networks

• Local Area Networks (LANs)


– Short distances
– Designed to provide local interconnectivity

• Wide Area Networks (WANs)


– Long distances
– Provide connectivity over large areas

• Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)


– Provide connectivity over areas such as a city, a campus
Figure 1.10 An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet
Figure 1.11 WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN
Figure 1.12 A heterogeneous network made of four WANs and two LANs
SWITCHING

• An internet is a switched network in which a switch


connects at least two links together.
• A switch needs to forward data from a network to
another network when required.
• The two most common types of switched networks
are circuit-switched and packet-switched
networks.
Circuit Switched Network

• In a circuit-switched network, a dedicated connection,


called a circuit, is always available between the two end
systems

• This means that a circuit-switched network is efficient only


when it is working at its full capacity; most of the time, it is
inefficient because it is working at partial capacity.
Packet Switched Network

• In a computer network, the communication between the two ends is


done in blocks of data called packets.
• In other words, instead of the continuous communication we see
between two telephone sets when they are being used, we see the
exchange of individual data packets between the two computers.
• This allows us to make the switches function for both storing and
forwarding because a packet is an independent entity that can be
stored and sent later.
1-3 THE INTERNET

The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our daily


lives.
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.

Topics discussed in this section:


Organization of the Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Figure 1.13 Hierarchical organization of the Internet
1-4 PROTOCOLS

A protocol is synonymous with rule.


It consists of a set of rules that govern data
communications.
It determines what is communicated, how it is
communicated and when it is communicated.
The key elements of a protocol are syntax, semantics and
timing
Topics discussed in this section:
 Syntax
 Semantics
 Timing
Elements of a Protocol

• Syntax (What is to be communicated)


– Structure or format of the data
– Indicates how to read the bits - field delineation

• Semantics (How it is to be communicated)


– Interprets the meaning of the bits
– Knows which fields define what action

• Timing (When it should be communicated)


– When data should be sent and what
– Speed at which data should be sent or speed at which it is being
received.

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