Overview

1.1 Data Communication

Components

Data Representation

Direction of Data Flow

• Data communications: the exchange of
data between two devices via a transmission
medium ( e.g. a wire cable)
• The effectiveness of data communication
system depends on:
1. Delivery. Must deliver data to the correct
destination.
2. Accuracy. Must deliver unaltered data.
3. Timeliness. Deliver data in timely manner. Data
delivered late are useless.
– Real time transmission (in video audio case): deliver the
data as they are produced, in the same order as they are
produced.
4. Jitter ( the variation of packet arrival time): the
uneven delay in video\audio packets results in an
uneven quality in the video.
 Components
1. Message: data  text, number, audio …
2. Sender: device that sends the data – computer, telephone, camera
3. Receiver: device that receives the data – computer, telephone, camera
4. Transmission medium: physical path by which MSG. travels.
5. Protocols: Set of rules that govern data communications/ an
agreement between the communicating devices

Figure 1.1 Five components of data communication

• Data representation : form of information.
– Text : represented as a bit pattern. ASCII code.
– Numbers: bit pattern, not ASCII, numbers converted
to binary numbers.
– Images: bit pattern, image is composed of matrix of
pixels (picture element). Where each pixel is a small
dot, each pixel is assigned a bit pattern.
– Audio: broadcasting of sound, audio is continuous not
discrete.
– Video: broadcasting of movie,
 Data Flow: Simplex

Communication is unidirectional. One way street, one device

transmit and the other receive, e.g. keyboard - monitor
 Data Flow: half duplex

Each station can both transmit and receive but not at the
same time, one lane road, e.g. Walkie-Talkies.
 Data Flow: full duplex

Both station can transmit and receive simultaneously, two way street,
e.g telephone network.
Sharing can occur in two ways:
• The link must contain two physically separated paths
• The capacity of the channel is divided between signals traveling in
both direction
1.2 Networks :

Distributed Processing

Network Criteria

Physical Structures

Categories of Networks

Network: set of devices (nodes) connected by communication links

• Distributed Processing: a task is divided among multiple
computers, instead of one single large machine being responsible for
all aspect of a process, separate computers handle a subset.

• Network Criteria:
– Performance: transit time, response time, also throughput and
delay.
– Reliability : frequency of failures, recovery time, robustness against
catastrophe (great disaster)
– Security: protecting data from unauthorized access.

• Physical Structures
– Connection : point-to-point , multipoint
– Topology: Mesh, Star, Bus , Ring , hybrid

• Categories of Networks
– LAN
– MAN
– WAN
 Figure 1.5 Point-to-point connection

Dedicated link between two devices , the entire capacity of the

link is reserved for transmission between those two devices.
 Figure 1.6 Multipoint connection

The capacity of the channel is shared.

 Physical topology

The topology of a network is the geometric representation of the

relationship of all links and linking devices (nodes)

There are four basic topologies:

Figure 1.7 Categories of topology

 Mesh

In Mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point to point link to

every other device.
We need n(n-1)/2 duplex mode link

Advantages:
• Eliminate the traffic
problem
• Reliable/robust
• Privacy / security

Disadvantages:
The amount of cabling and
number of I/O ports required
• Insulation and
reconnection are Difficult
• Wiring is greater than the
available space
• Expensive
Point-to-point
Figure 1.8 Fully connected mesh topology (for five devices) connection
 Star topology
Each device has a dedicated point to point link only to a central
controller (hub). The devices are not directly linked to one another.

To exchange data, one device send data to the controller, which directs
it to the other connected device.
Advantages:
• Less expensive than mesh
• Easy to install and configure
• Robust
• Easy fault identification and
fault isolation
Disadvantages:
• The dependency of the whole
topology on one single point
(the hub). If the hub goes down
the system is dead.

Figure 1.9 Star topology Point-to-point

connection
 Bus topology

Advantages:
One long cable acts as a backbone to link all • Ease of installation
the devices in the network. • Bus uses less cabling than
Nodes are connected to the bus cable by mesh or star
drop lines and tapes.
Disadvantages:
• Difficult reconnection –
difficult to add new device.
• fault isolation.

multipoint
Figure 1.10 Bus topology connection
 Ring topology

each device has a dedicated point-to-point with only the two devices on
either side of it.
A signal is passed along the ring in one direction from device to device
until it reaches its destination.

Repeater

Figure 1.11 Ring topology

Unidirectional traffic (in simple ring):

Easy to install and configure break in the ring can disable the network.
Solution use Dual ring
Categories of networks
LAN
• Usually privately owned,
network devices are linked
in single building or
campus.
• Can be as simple as 2 PCs
and a printer.
• Recourses (software,
hardware) can be shared.
• Most common LAN
topologies are bus, star,
and ring.
 WAN
• Provide long distance transmission of data over large
geographic areas over countries or the whole world
• Can be complex: the backbones that connect the internet
(referred to as switched WAN)
• Or simple: dial up line that a home computer to the internet
(referred to as point-to-point WAN).

Figure 1.15 WAN

 MAN
Network with a size between LAN and WAN.
Usually covers towns or cities.
e.g. part of the telephone company network that provide high speed DSL
to the customer.
The cable TV network that is used to provide high speed data connection
to the internet.

Figure 1.14 MAN

1.3 The Internet

A Brief History

The Internet Today

 The Internet
– The Internet is a global network of connected computer
networks
 The Internet is a global network of networks enabling
computers of all kinds to directly and transparently
communicate and share services throughout much
of the world.
– The Internet, simply “the Net”, is a worldwide system of
computer networks – a network of networks in which users at
any one computer can, if they have permission, get
information from any other computer.

• Protocol
– Formal description of a set of rules, conventions, and
procedures that govern the exchange of information
between devices on a network
– TCP/IP was the first set of protocols developed for use in
an internet
 History
• 1957-1969
– US forms the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) within the
Department of Defense (DoD). To find a way to connect computers so that
the funded researchers could share their findings.
– A four-node prototype was built.
• 1971
– A 15-node ARPANET running
– R. Tomlinson invents email program
• 1972
– The @ sign chosen for email addresses
– First computer-to-computer chat program
– Telnet specified
• 1973
– First international connection to the ARPANET
– FTP specified
• 1978
– TCP splits into TCP and IP
• 1984
– Domain Name System (DNS) introduced
• 1994
– Shopping malls arrive on the Internet
– Pizzas can be ordered online from Pizza Hut
Internet today:
• Internet is made up of many wide and local area
networks joined by connecting devices and switching
stations.
• Today, users who want internet connection use the
internet service providers (ISPs)
• ISPs run by private companies, not the governments.
internet service providers.
• International internet service providers.
– Connects nations together.
• National internet service providers.
– Backbone networks connected by complex switching stations
(Network access points NAP).
– Normally operate at high data rate (up to 600 Mbps)
• Regional internet service providers
– Smaller ISPs that are connected to one or more national ISPs .
• Local internet service providers.
– Provide direct service to the end users.
– They can be connected to regional or national ISPs
– They can be company that owns employee or university that
runs its own network.
Figure 1.16 Internet today
 PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDS
• A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communications.

A protocol defines what is communicated, how it is communicated,

and when it is communicated.

The key elements of a protocol are syntax, semantics, and timing.

– syntax The term syntax refers to the structure or format of the

data, meaning the order in which they are presented.

– Semantics. The word semantics refers to the meaning of each

section of bits. How is a particular pattern to be interpreted,
and what action is to be taken based on that interpretation?

– Timing. The term timing refers to two characteristics: when

data should be sent and how fast they can be sent.
 STANDARDS
• Data communication standards fall into two categories:
de facto (meaning "by fact" or "by convention") and
de jure (meaning "by law" or "by regulation").

– De facto. Standards that have not been approved by an

organized body but have been adopted as standards through
widespread use are de facto standards. De facto standards are
often established originally by manufacturers who seek to define
the functionality of a new product or technology.

– De jure. Those standards that have been legislated by an

officially recognized body are de jure standards.

Standards are developed through the cooperation of standards

creation committees, forums, and government regulatory
agencies.