TOPIC 7:

COMPUTER COMMUNICATION
Unit One: Introduction to
Computer Communication
Homeland college ICT Department
2021

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 Unit Objectives
To be able to know the:  Transmission media
 Definition of types.
terminologies associated  Wireless Broadcast
with computer  Data Transmission
communication  Networking hardware
 Importance of computer  Communications
communication software
 Limitations of computer  Network topologies
communication

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Definition of terminologies
 Computer Communication
Computer communication is the transmission
of data and information over a channel
between two computers.
 Communications between computers can be
as simple as cabling two computers to the
same printer.

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Computer Communication
(Illustration)
 Computer Communication

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 Definition of terminologies
 Computer Network
 A computer Network is a collection of two or more
computers and devices connected by channels so
that they can communicate with each other and
share resources:
 Examples of resources
 data, a single internet connection,
 software,
 peripheral devices, processing power.
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Definition of terminologies
 Encoding
This is the process through which Information
(e.g. data, text, voice or video) from the
sending device is converted into signals
which the communication medium can carry.
 010110

Sending device Receiving device

send digital signal receive analog signal
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Definition of terminologies
 Transmission
This is the process through which the signals
are broad cast/ sent out through the medium
to the receiving device.
 Decoding
 This is the process through which the signals
are converted back into the information in its
original form in the receiving device.
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 Definition of terminologies
 Telecommunication refers to transmission of data and information
over a long-distance, eg television
 Teleprocessing: This refers to access and modification of computer
files located elsewhere.
 Downloading: To Download is to transfer a file to your computer from
another.
 Uploading means to transfer a file from your computer to another.
 Throughput refers to the rate of how much data is moved during a
certain amount of time.
 The amount of signals that can travel over a communications channel
sometimes is called the Bandwidth. The higher the bandwidth, the more
data and information the channel can transmit.

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 Definition of terminologies
 Data Encryption
 This is Process of converting data into coded form
(cypher text) to prevent it from being read or
understood by unauthorized people.
 Encrypted data is difficult to decode without a secret
key
 Communications Software
 This refers to a set of instructions (software) needed
by a computer before it starts sending and receiving
data from other computers.
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 Importance of computer
communication
 It allows sharing of hardware like printers.
 It allows sharing of software between two or
more computers, hence reducing on cost.
 It allows sharing and transfer of data and
information stored on other computers on the
network.
 Facilitate communications between people e.g.
through electronic-mail, Mobile phones,e.t.c.
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 Importance of computer
communication
 Computer communication has security & tight
control measures over data access.
 It enables online learning and collaborative
research.
 It allows access to common databases for
example in banks.
 Has enabled improved travel service through e-
bookings and e-reservation.
 Provides for online employment e.g.
telecommuting.
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 Limitations of computer
communication
 Data theft. If a computer is a standalone, physical access becomes
necessary for any kind of data theft. However, if a computer is on a
network, a computer hacker can get illegal access.
 Rapid Spread of Computer Viruses: If any computer system in a
network gets infected by computer virus, there is a possible threat
of other systems getting infected.
 Expensive Set Up: The initial set up cost of a computer network
can be high depending on the number of computers to be
connected.
 Dependency on the Main File Server: In case the main File Server
of a computer network breaks down, the system becomes useless.

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 Limitations of computer
communication
 Exposure to External Exploits. Someone on a different computer
can send data to the computer in such a way as to attack it - make
it lock up or crash, make it slow down, or even take control of it.
 Automatic Downloads. If a computer is connected to a network, it's
easier to download and install software from the network onto the
computer without any human intervention. If the new software
hasn't been tested, it could cause unpredictable behavior.
 Computer Networks can Fail. Computer networks can be so
powerful and useful that it is very vital for them to be used. All of
the computers in an office building might become completely
useless if a single network component fails.

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 Transmission media
(Channels)
 Transmission media refers to the physical
materials that are used to transmit data
between computers.
 For communications between computers that
are linked by cable, there are three choices:
 Twisted wire,
 Coaxial cable,
 Fiber optic line.
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 Twisted wire
Advantages:
 Twisted pair cable  It is of low cost
comes  small in size
in two varieties:  easy to install
 It is the most popular and
Shielded and
generally the best for schools.
Unshielded Disadvantage:
Twisted Pair (UTP).  Subject to interference
 UTP is the most  limited distance, usually less
than 100 meters
popular

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 Coaxial cable
 Coaxial cable consists of a
single copper wire Advantages
surrounded by at least three  Coaxial cable is insulated more
heavily than twisted-pair cable. So it
layers: is highly resistant to signal
 An insulating material interference.
 A woven or braided metal  Used for longer distances (300 – 600
meters)
 A plastic outer coating.
 Transmits faster than UTP
 Cable TV wiring often uses
Disadvantages
coaxial cable because it can
 Heavy & bulky
be cabled over longer
 Needs booster over longer
distances than twisted-pair
distances
cable.
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Fiber Optic Cable
 Each strand, called an optical
fiber, is as thin as a human Advantages:
hair.  Carry significantly more signals than
 Each optical fiber is other cables.
surrounded by an insulating  Faster data transmission.
glass cladding and a  Less vulnerable to electrical noise from
protective coating. other devices
 Fiber-optic cables are used  Better security for signals during
by many local and long- transmission.
distance telephone  Smaller size, and much thinner and
companies, cable TV, and in lighter than other cables.
Disadvantages:
high-traffic networks or as the
main cable in a network.  Expensive as compared to other media
 Harder to install and modify.
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 Wireless Broadcast
 Wireless telecommunications technologies transport
digital communications without cables between
communications devices.
 Wireless transmission media used in communications
include broadcast radio, cellular radio, microwaves,
communications satellites, and infrared & bluetooth.
 Wireless transmission is more convenient than
installing cables but it has Slower data transfer than
hard-wired methods and it is also Subject to
interference
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 Microwave
 Microwaves are high-frequency radio waves that are sent
through the atmosphere and space to deliver
telecommunications services, including TV distribution.
It is dependent on line of sight.
 Advantage:
 Speed of light
 Microwave signals can carry thousands of channels
at the same time
 Disadvantage:
 Line-of-sight only-
(there is need for radio transmitters
in networks using air interface (radio waves)
to be positioned free of obstacles)
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 Satellite
 A satellite is basically a
microwave station placed in
outer space. The satellite
receives a signal from the
earth, amplifies it, and then
rebroadcasts it at a different
frequency to any number of
earth-based stations.
 Advantage: Always in sight
 Disadvantage: Expensive
uplink and downlink facilities

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Infrared and Bluetooth
 IrDA (Infrared Data Association) ports transmit data via infrared light
waves. As long as the devices are within a few feet and nothing
obstructs the path of the
 infrared light wave, data can be transferred without the use of cables.
 Bluetooth port is an alternative to IrDA. Bluetooth technology uses
radio waves to transmit data between two devices.
 Many computers, peripherals, smart phones, PDAs, cars, and other
consumer electronics are Bluetooth-enabled, which means they
contain a small chip that allow them to communicate with other
Bluetooth-enabled computers and devices.

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DATA TRANSMISSION
 Telecommunications involves the transmission of
data, information, and instructions among computers.
 Any transmissions sent during these communications
can be categorized by a number of characteristics
including the signal type, transmission mode,
transmission direction, and transmission rate.
 Signal Type: Recall that computers produce digital
signals yet telephone equipment originally was
designed to carry only voice transmission in the form
of an analog signal.
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 Analog Signals
 An analog signal uses variations which are
represented by a continuous waveform to convey
information.
 It is particularly useful for wave data like sound
waves.
 Analog signals are what normal phone line and
sound speakers use.

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 Digital Signals
 A digital signal is a series of discrete (discontinuous)
bits which are simply the presence or absence of an
electric pulse. The state of being on or off represents
the binary digit of 1 or 0, respectively.
010110

 Advantages of digital signals include:

 Digital signals can be copied exactly without any
loss of quality
 Digital signals can be further processed by
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 Transmission Modes
 When two devices exchange data, the data flows
between the devices as a continuous stream of bits.
 There are two basic transmission techniques for
separating the groups of bits: asynchronous
transmission and synchronous transmission

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Asynchronous transmission
 Asynchronous transmission transmits one byte at a
time over a line at random intervals.
 Each byte is framed by controls—a start bit for
marking the beginning of the byte, a stop bit for
marking the end of the byte, and a parity bit for error
checking.
 Asynchronous transmission is relatively slow and
used for low-speed transmission.

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Synchronous transmission
 Synchronous transmission transmits groups of
bytes simultaneously at regular intervals.
 The beginning and ending of a block of bytes is
determined by the timing of the sending device and
receiving devices.
 Although synchronous transmission requires more
complicated and expensive communications
devices, it provides much higher speeds and
greater accuracy than asynchronous transmission.
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Transmission Direction
 The direction in which data flows along
transmission media is characterized as
 simplex,
 half-duplex,
 full-duplex or
 multiplex

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 Simplex transmission
 Simplex transmission sends data in one direction
only.
 Simplex transmission is used only when the sending
device does not require a response from the receiving
device. One example of simplex transmission is
television broadcasting.

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Half-duplex transmission
 Half-duplex transmission allows data transmission
in either direction, but only one way at a time.
 Many fax machines, police radio calls, credit card
verification systems and automatic teller machines
use half-duplex transmission.

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Full-duplex transmission
 In full-duplex transmission, data can flow in both
directions at the same time. A regular telephone
line, for example, supports full-duplex transmission,
allowing both parties to talk at same time.

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Multiplex transmission
 In multiplex transmission, several different types of
signals can be carried at once through the same
line. E.g. During Video calls where Images

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 Networking hardware
 Networking hardware includes all computers,
peripherals and Communications devices that
enable two or more computers to exchange
items such as data, instructions, and
information with each other.
 Examples include: a server computer,
clients/work stations, network interface card,
modems, Hub/Switch, repeater, Router, etc.
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 1. SERVER
 A server is the host or central computer that
manages the resources on a network.
 A server provides a centralized storage area for
programs, data, and information.
 A dedicated server is a server that performs a
specific task. Examples of dedicated Servers
include: file server, print server, database server,
and a network server

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Roles of Dedicated Servers
 A file server stores and manages files on a
network
 A print server manages printers and print
jobs.
 A database server stores and provides access
to a database
 A network server (e.g., a DNS) manages
network traffic.
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 Requirements of a server
computer
 It needs a computer with very high processing
speed
 It needs large amounts of RAM
 It needs a very big storage capacity
 It needs a very fast Network interface card
 It needs network operating system such as Novell
Netware, Windows NT Server or Apple Share

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 2. NETWORK INTERFACE CARD
 A network card, also called
network interface card (NIC), is
a device that enables the
computer or device that does
not have built-in networking
capability to access a network.
 Examples include
adapter card, PC Card,
USB network adapter, flash
card e.t.c
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3 MODEMS (signal converters)
 The modem, is a device which Modulates a digital
signal from computers into an analog one to send
data out over the phone line. Then for an incoming
signal it Demodulates, the analog signal into a
digital one.

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 4. HUBS and SWITCHES
 A hub, (also called a multi-station access unit
(MAU)) is a device that provides a central point for
cables in a network.
 Unlike the hubs, a switch does not broadcast the
data to all the computers, it sends the data packets
only to the destined computer.

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 5. REPEATER
 A repeater is a device that accepts a signal
from a transmission medium, amplifies it, and
retransmits it over the medium.
 As a signal travels over a long distance, it
undergoes a reduction in strength, an
occurrence called attenuation.

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6. A ROUTER
 A Router connects multiple
networks and routs
communications traffic to
the appropriate network
using the fastest available
path.
 A router allows multiple
computers to share a single
high-speed Internet
connection such as
through a cable modem
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 7. NETWORK BRIDGE
 A bridge  A bridge knows all of the addresses on
connects two each side of the bridge and can send
pieces of land information accordingly.
together offering
a path from one
to another.
 A network bridge
is device that
connects two
networks making
each accessible
to the other.
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 8. MULTIPLEXER
 A multiplexer is a device that combines two or more
input signals from various devices into a single
stream of data and then transmits it over a single
transmission medium.
 By combining the separate data streams into one, a
multiplexer increases the efficiency of
communications and reduces the need for using
multiple separate transmission media.

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 COMMUNICATIONS
SOFTWARE
 The principal functions of communications software are
network control, access control, transmission control, error
detection/correction, and network security.
 Communications software consists of programs that :
1. (1) help users establish a connection to another computer or network;
2. (2) manage the transmission of data, instructions, and information;
3. (3) provide an interface for users to communicate with one another.
 The first two are system software and the third is application
software.

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 Networking Operating
System
 A network operating system (NOS) is the  Examples of
system software that organizes and NOSs include:
coordinates the activities on a network.  Novell NetWare
The principal functions of NOS include  Microsoft
network control, access control, Windows
transmission control, error server 2003
detection/correction, and network security. and 2008.
 System maintenance tasks such as backup  AppleShare
 File management tasks  Unix /NFS
 Prioritizing print jobs on the network  Sun Solaris

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 Network Protocols
 This refers  The principal functions of protocol in a
to a set of network include:
rules and  identifying each device in the
procedures communication path;
governing  securing the attention of the other device;
transmissio  verifying correct receipt of the transmitted
n between message;
component  determining that a message requires
s in a retransmission if it is incomplete or has
computer errors;
network.  performing recovery when errors occur.
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Packets and Packet Switching
 When a computer sends data over the Internet, the data is
divided into small pieces called packets.
 Each packet contains the data, as well as the recipient
(destination), the origin (sender), and the sequence
information used to reassemble the data at the destination.
 Each packet travels along the fastest individual available
path to the recipient's computer via communications
devices called routers.
 This technique of breaking a message into individual
packets, sending the packets along the best route available,
and then reassembling the data is called packet switching.
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 Common protocols
 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - an internet protocol for
transferring of e-mails.
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP): It allows files containing text,
programs, graphics, numerical data, and so on to be
downloaded off or uploaded onto a network.
 Internet Protocol (IP) - does the packet forwarding and routing.
 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a
network standard that defines how messages (data) are routed
from one end of a network to the other, ensuring the data arrives
correctly.
 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) - responsible for delivery
of data over the network.
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 Common protocols
 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): It allows Web browsers and
servers to send and receive Web pages.
 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): It allows the
management of networked nodes to be managed from a single
point.
 Telnet Protocol: It provides terminal emulation that allows a
personal computer or workstation to act as a terminal, or access
device, for a server.
 Sequential Packet Exchange (IPX/SPX) - works with the Novell's
internet work' packet / sequential exchange; responsible for
delivery of sequential data over the network
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 Comminucations
application software.
 These are computer  e-mail,
software programs that  FTP,
help to accomplish  Web browsers,
specific tasks related to  newsgroup/message
telecommunications. boards,
 A variety of examples of  chat rooms,
application software for  instant messaging,
communications include:  video conferencing,
and
 VoIP.
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NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
 A network topology is a description of the possible
physical connections within a network.
 In other words, a topology is the physical
arrangement of the devices in a communications
network.
 Three commonly used network topologies are bus,
ring, and star. However, Most computer networks are
hybrids—combinations of these topologies.
 In a network topology, any network hardware
component is also called a node.
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 Bus topology
 A bus or linear network topology consists of a single
central cable that connects all computers and devices
together.
 The physical cable that connects the computers and
other devices is known as the bus or the backbone.

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 Merits of BUS Topology
 Easy to implement and extend (quick setup)
 Cheaper than other topologies.
 Computers and devices can be attached and detached at any
point on the bus without disturbing the rest of the network.
 Failure of one device usually does not affect the rest of the
bus network.
 Data, instructions, and information in a bus network can be
transmitted in both directions.
 Cable faults are easily identified.
 Weight reduction due to less wires
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 Demerits of
BUS Topology
 If there is a problem with the cable, the entire network goes
down.
 There is no central host computer to control the network.
 Only one device can transfer items at a time.
 If many computers are attached, the amount of data flowing
along the cable increases, data collisions occur and the
network slows down.
 Limited cable length and number of stations.
 Performance degrades as additional computers are added or
on heavy traffic.(shared bandwidth)
 It is slower than the other topologies.
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 Ring Topology
 Ring network consists of a cable
forming a closed ring, or loop,
with all the computers and
devices in a network
 A ring network links all nodes
together in a circular chain.
 The node examines any data that
passes by to see if it is the
addressee; if not, the data is
passed on to the next node in the
ring.
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 Advantages
of Ring Topology
 Ring topology Can cover a larger distance as
compared to a bus network and is commonly used
in wide area networks (WAN)
 No collisions occur because data takes one
direction only
 Very orderly network where every device has
access to the token and the opportunity to transmit
 The speed of data transmission is faster than in a
bus topology.
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 Demerits
of a Ring Topology
 Ring Topology Network is More difficult to establish.
 If the cable fails, the whole network goes down.
 Data messages travel in only one direction from device
to device around the entire ring
 If a node on a ring network fails, all nodes after the
failed nodes cannot function.
 There is no central host computer to control the
network.
 Moves, adds and changes of devices can affect the
network
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 Star Topology
 On a star network, all of
the computers and
devices (nodes) on the
network connect to a
central hub or switch.
 All data that is
transferred from one
computer to another
passes through the
hub.
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Merits of a Star Topology
 Easy to install and maintain.
 Better performance: The star topology prevents the
passing of data packets through an excessive number
of nodes.
 Computers and devices can be added to or removed
from the network with little or no disruption to the
network.
 Reliable because each device connects directly to the
hub, if one device fails, only that device is affected.
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Demerits of a Star Topology
 If the hub fails, the entire network fails
 Lots of cable required so that the installation cost is
expensive.
 Network size is limited by the number of
connections that can be made to the hub.
 Performance for the entire network depends on the
capabilities of the hub.
 Set up of the system can be very complex.

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 Mesh Topology
 This is the type of network
topology in which each of the
nodes of the network is
connected to each of the other
nodes in the network.
 Fully connected Mesh
topology makes it possible for
data to be simultaneously
transmitted from any single
node to all of the other nodes.
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 Merits of Mesh Topology
 Data will always be delivered.
 All of the data that is transmitted between
nodes in the network takes the shortest path
between nodes.
 In the case of a failure or break in one of the
links, the data takes an alternate path to the
destination.

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Demerits of Mesh Topology
 Mesh topology is generally too costly and complex
for practical networks, and very hard to setup.
 Lots of cable required so that the installation cost is
expensive.
 Network size is limited by the number of
interconnections that can be made between the
computers.
 It requires that the nodes of the network possess
some type of logical 'routing' algorithm to determine
the correct path to use at any particular time.
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 Tree Topology
 Tree network
topology is also
known as a the
hierarchical
network
topology.
 This is because it
contains different
levels of
hierarchy.
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 Tree Topology
 The type of network topology in which a central 'root' node (the
top level of the hierarchy) is connected to one or more other
nodes that are one level lower in the hierarchy (i.e., the second
level),
 Each of the second level nodes will also have one or more other
nodes that are one level lower in the hierarchy (i.e., the third
level) connected to it.
 The hierarchy of the tree is symmetrical - Each node in the
network having a specific fixed number, of nodes connected to
it at the next lower level in the hierarchy.
 It usually has three layers: the core layer, the distribution layer
and the Access layer.
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 Factors to consider When
Choosing a Topology:
 Cost.
 Future growth:
 Length of cable needed.
 Number of computers to be connected
 Level of security required

ICT Topic: Computer Communication

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 END OF UNIT

NEXT UNIT:
702: Computer Networks

ICT Topic: Computer Communication

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