St.

PAUL’S DEGREE & PG COLLEGE

(Affiliated to Osmania University)
Street No. 8, Himayathnagar, Hyderabad. Ph.No: 27602533

Fundamentals Of Information Technology

Unit-V
DATA COMMUNICATION
Data:
Data in computing is a collection of facts and figures that computers can interpret
and use. It can be in the form of numbers, words, measurements, observations, or
descriptions of things.
Information:
Computer information is data that has been processed by a computer and given
context, allowing it to be used in a meaningful way. Data can be any collection of
numbers, characters, or symbols that can be input into a computer. Data on its own
has no meaning, but once a computer processes it, it becomes information.
Communication:
Computer communication is the process of exchanging data between computers or
computer programs. It involves the creation, exchange, and perception of
information using networked communication.
Component of Data Communication:
1. Message
2. Sender
3. Receiver
4. Transmission Medium
5. Set of rules (Protocol)
Protocols:
A network protocol is a set of rules that dictate how devices on a network communicate with each
other to exchange information. Network protocols allow devices to communicate regardless of
their internal processes, hardware, or software. They are essential for digital communications and
using the internet.

Types Of Protocols:
Transmission Media:
1. Twisted-pair Cable
Twisted pair cables have two conductors that are generally made up of copper and
each conductor has insulation. These two conductors are twisted together, thus
giving the name twisted pair cables.
One of the conductors is used to carry the signal and the other is used as a ground
reference only. The receiver uses the difference of signals between these two
conductors.
2. Coaxial Cable

Coaxial Cable is a type of guided media made of Plastics, and copper wires which
transmit the signal in electrical form rather than light form. Coaxial cable is also known
as coax. The core copper conductor is used for the transmission of signals and the
insulator is used to provide insulation to the copper conductor the insulator is
surrounded by a braided metal conductor which helps to prevent the interference of
electrical signals and prevent cross talk.

3. Fiber-optic cable
 Fiber optics is used
for long-distance and high-performance data networking. It is also commonly used in
telecommunication services, such as internet, television and telephones.
A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an
electrical cable but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light.

Modem:
A modem, or modulator-demodulator, is a device that connects a computer to the
internet by converting digital signals into analog signals that can be transmitted over
telephone lines or cable networks.

Types of modem are Onboard modem, Internal modem, External Modem, Removable modem

Network:
Collection of computers connected together to share data and resources is called as
network. The network consists of

• Computer systems
• Communication link
• Connecting devices such as router, hub, bridge etc.
Types of networks

The following are the different types of networks.

i. LAN(Local Area Network)

ii. MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
iii. WAN(Wide Area Network)
iv. PAN(Personal Area Network)
v. Campus Area Network (CAN)

1. Local Area Network

The systems which are in the same building are connected together to share data and
resources is called as local area network. The speed of local area network is more
compared to WAN and MAN. Local area network covers 1 km distance. Example of
local area network is Ethernet.

Advantages of a LAN
• Privacy: LAN is a private network, thus no outside regulatory body controls it, giving it a privacy.
• High Speed: LAN offers a much higher speed(around 100 mbps) and data transfer rate comparatively
to WAN.
• Supports different transmission mediums: LAN support a variety of communications transmission
medium such as an Ethernet cable (thin cable, thick cable, and twisted pair), fiber and wireless
transmission.
• Inexpensive and Simple: A LAN usually has low cost, installation, expansion and maintenance and LAN
installation is relatively easy to use, good scalability.

Disadvantages of LAN
• The initial setup costs of installing Local Area Networks is high because there is special software
required to make a server.
• Communication devices like an ethernet cable, switches, hubs, routers, cables are costly.
• LAN administrator can see and check personal data files as well as Internet history of each and every
LAN user. Hence, the privacy of the users are violated
• LANs are restricted in size and cover only a limited area
• Since all the data is stored in a single server computer, if it can be accessed by an unauthorized user,
 can cause a serious data security threat.

2. Metropolitan Area Network

The systems which are in metropolitan cities are connected together to share data
and resources is called as metropolitan area network. It covers the distance of 50
kilometers. The speed of MAN is more compared to WAN but less compared to LAN.
Example of Metropolitan area network is cable TV.

Advantages of MAN
• MAN offers high-speed connectivity in which the speed ranges from 10-100 Mbps.
• The security level in MAN is high and strict as compared to WAN.
• It support to transmit data in both directions concurrently because of dual bus architecture.
• MAN can serve multiple users at a time with the same high-speed internet to all the users.
• MAN allows for centralized management and control of the network, making it easier to monitor and
manage network resources and security.
Disadvantages of MAN
• The architecture of MAN is quite complicated hence, it is hard to design and maintain.
• This network is highly expensive because it required the high cost to set up fiber optics.
• It provides less fault tolerance.
• The Data transfer rate in MAN is low when compare to LANs.

3. Wide Area Network

WAN is a type of computer network that connects computers over a large geographical
distance through a shared communication path. It is not restrained to a single location but
extends over many locations. WAN can also be defined as a group of local area networks
that communicate with each other with a range above 50km. Here we use Leased-Line &
Dial-up technology. Its transmission speed is very low and it comes with very high
maintenance and very high cost. The most common example of WAN is the Internet.
 Different systems in the same city are connected by using connecting device

Sys A Sys A Sys B

Sys B

Connecting
device Sys C
Sys C

Network in India Network in USA

The systems which are geographically separated are connected together to share
data and resources is called as wide area network. It covers unlimited distance. The
Speed of WAN is very less compared to LAN and MAN. Example of wide area network
is Internet.

4.Personal Area Network (PAN)

PAN is the most basic type of computer network. It is a type of network designed to connect devices within a
short range, typically around one person. It allows your personal devices, like smartphones, tablets, laptops,
and wearables, to communicate and share data with each other. PAN offers a network range of 1 to 100
meters from person to device providing communication. Its transmission speed is very high with very easy
maintenance and very low cost. This uses Bluetooth, IrDA, and Zigbee as technology. Examples of PAN are USB,
computer, phone, tablet, printer, PDA, etc.
 5.Campus Area Network (CAN)
CAN is bigger than a LAN but smaller than a MAN. This is a type of computer network that is
usually used in places like a school or colleges. This network covers a limited geographical area
that is, it spreads across several buildings within the campus. CAN mainly use Ethernet
technology with a range from 1km to 5km. Its transmission speed is very high with a moderate
maintenance cost and moderate cost. Examples of CAN are networks that cover schools,
colleges, buildings, etc.

Advantages of CAN
• Speed: Communication within a CAN takes place over Local Area Network (LAN) so data
transfer rate between systems is little bit fast than Internet.
• Security: Network administrators of campus take care of network by continuous
monitoring, tracking and limiting access. To protect network from unauthorized access
firewall is placed between network and internet.
• Cost effective: With a little effort and maintenance, network works well by providing fast
data transfer rate with multi-departmental network access. It can be enabled wirelessly,
where wiring and cabling costs can be managed. So to work with in a campus using CAN is
cost-effective in view of performance

Topologies:-

The physical or logical arrangement of the systems in the network is called as

topology. Or geometric connections of the systems in the network is called as
topology. The following are the different types of topologies.

i. Bus topology
ii. Ring topology
iii. Star topology
iv. Mesh topology
v. Hybrid topology
vi. Tree topology

Bus topology

In Bus topology all the systems are connected to a single communication line called
Bus. That is all the systems make use of single communication line for
communication. Because of single communication line collision of data may occur. If
collision of data occurs then the receiver will not receive the data even though it
receives the data it can not understand because whenever collision occurs there is a
possibility that 1 will be replaced with 0 and 0 will be replaced with 1.

Ring topology

In ring topology all the systems are arranged in a ring shape. There is a token rotates
freely in a circular path. Before going to transmit the data the sender has to obtain
the token. The ring allows only one sender to transmit the data at a time. It is
designed to over come the limitations of Bus topology. The ring topology allows only
one sender to transmit the data so there is no collision of data. In this network if any
system is not working then the entire network will not work.
 Star topology

In star topology all the systems are connected to a central system called HUB. Hub is
responsible for controlling communication between the systems. In this topology
every system has a separate communication line with HUB. The benefits of having
separate communication line are :

• There is no collision of data.

• If one system is not working then it will not affect other communication
lines.
In this topology if HUB is not working then entire network will not work.

Mesh topology

In mesh topology every system is connected with every other system. There are
multiple communication lines between the systems. The benefit of having
multiple communication lines is that, if any communication line is not working
then the sender can select other communication line to transmit the data. The
following are the disadvantages of mesh topology.

• Implementation of mesh topology is difficult.

• Maintenance cost is more.
 Hybrid topology

It is a combination of 2 or more other types of topologies . as shown in the below

diagram.

Tree Topology
Tree topology is the variation of the Star topology. This topology has a hierarchical flow
of data. In Tree Topology, protocols like DHCP and SAC (Standard Automatic Configuration) are
used.

In tree topology, the various secondary hubs are connected to the central hub which contains the
repeater. This data flow from top to bottom i.e. from the central hub to the secondary and then to the devices
or from bottom to top i.e. devices to the secondary hub and then to the central hub. It is a multi-point
connection and a non-robust topology because if the backbone fails the topology crashes.
Network devices, or networking hardware, are physical devices that are required for
communication and interaction between hardware on a computer network.

The following are different types of network connecting devices.

i. Repeater

ii. Hub

iii. Bridge

iv. Switch

v. Router

Iv . Gateway

vii. Brouter

viii. Network

Adapters (NIC)

Repeater

A repeater operates at the physical layer. Its job is to regenerate the signal over the
same network before the signal becomes too weak or corrupted so as to extend the
length to which the signal can be transmitted over the same network. An important
point about repeaters is that they do not amplify the signal. When the signal
becomes weak, they copy the signal bit by bit and regenerate it at the original
strength. It is a 2 port device.
Hub

A hub is basically a multiport repeater. A hub connects multiple wires coming from
different branches, for example, the connector in star topology which connects
different stations. Hubs cannot filter data, so data packets are sent to all connected
devices. In other words, collision domain of all hosts connected through Hub remains
one. Also, they do not have the intelligence to find out best path for data packets
which leads to inefficiencies and wastage.

Bridge

A bridge operates at data link layer. A bridge is a repeater, with add on the
functionality of filtering content by reading the MAC addresses of source and
destination. It is also used for interconnecting two LANs working on the same
protocol. It has a single input and single output port, thus making it a 2 port device.

Switch

A switch is a multiport bridge with a buffer and a design that can boost its efficiency(a
large number of ports imply less traffic) and performance. A switch is a data link layer
device. The switch can perform error checking before forwarding data, that makes it
very efficient as it does not forward packets that have errors and forward good
packets selectively to correct port only. In other words, switch divides collision
domain of hosts, but broadcast domain remains same.

Routers

A router is a device like a switch that routes data packets based on their IP addresses.
Router is mainly a Network Layer device. Routers normally connect LANs and WANs
together and have a dynamically updating routing table based on which they make
decisions on routing the data packets. Router divide broadcast domains of hosts
connected through it.

Gateway

A gateway, as the name suggests, is a passage to connect two networks together

that may work upon different networking models. They basically work as the
messenger agents that take data from one system, interpret it, and transfer it to
another system. Gateways are also called protocol converters and can operate at any
network layer. Gateways are generally more complex than switch or router.

Brouter

It is also known as bridging router is a device which combines features of both bridge
and router. It can work either at data link layer or at network layer. Working as
router, it is capable of routing packets across networks and working as bridge, it is
capable of filtering local area network traffic.
Network Adapters (NIC)

A network adapter or network interface card (NIC) is the hardware installed in

computers that enables them to communicate on a network. Network adapters are
manufactured in a variety of forms. The most common form is the printed circuit
board, which is designed to be installed directly into a standard expansion slot inside
a microcomputer. Other network adapters are designed for mobile computing. They
are small and lightweight and can be connected to standard connectors on the back
of portable (laptop and notebook) computers so that the computer and network
adapter can be easily transported from network to network. Network adapters are
now being built into many computers, especially portable and laptop computers.

A)Modem:
Modem is abbreviation for Modulator –De-modulator. Modems are used for data
transfer from one computer network to another computer network through
telephone lines. The computer network works in digital mode, while analog
technology is used for carrying massages across phone lines.

Modulator converts information from digital mode to analog mode at the

transmitting end and de-modulator converts the same from analog to digital at
receiving end. The process of converting analog signals of one computer network.
into digital signals of another computer network so they can be processed by a
receiving computer is referred to as digitizing.

When an analog facility is used for data communication between two digital devices
called Data Terminal Equipment (DTE), modems are used at each end. DTE can be a
terminal or a computer.The modem at the transmitting end converts the digital signal
generated by DTE into an analog signal by modulating a carrier. This modem at the
receiving end demodulates the carrier and hand over the demodulated digital signal
to the DTE.
The transmission medium between the two modems can be dedicated circuit or a
switched telephone circuit. If a switched telephone circuit is used, then the modems
are connected to the local telephone exchanges. Whenever data transmission is
required connection between the modems is established through telephone
exchanges.
Types of computer modems

Below are the four versions of a computer modem found in computers.

▪ Onboard modem - Modem built onto the computer motherboard. These

modems cannot be removed, but can be disabled through a jumper or BIOS
setup.

▪ Internal modem - Modem that connects to a PCI slot inside a newer desktop
computer, or ISA slot on an older computer.

▪ External modem - Modem in a box that connects to the computer externally,

using a serial port or USB port.

▪ Removable modem - Modem used with older laptops PCMCIA slot and can
be added or removed as needed.