Chapter 1

Friday, December 17, 2021 11:15 AM

Telecommunication:
The term telecommunication, which includes telephony, telegraphy, and television,
means communication at a distance (tele is Greek for "far").

Data Communication:
Data communications are the exchange of data between two devices via some form
of transmission medium such as a wire cable.

The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four fundamental

characteristics:
1. Delivery
2. Accuracy
3. Timeliness
4. Jitter(Packet arrival time)
Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It is the uneven
delay in the delivery of audio or video packets.

Real-Time Transmission:(Video, Audio)

• Delivering data as they are produced
• In the same order they are produced
• Without significant delay

Components of a data communication system:

1. Message
The message is the information (data) to be communicated. Popular forms
of information include text, numbers, pictures, audio, and video.
2. Sender
The sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be a
computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.
3. Receiver
The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can be a computer,
workstation, telephone handset, television, and so on
4. Transmission Medium
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 4. Transmission Medium
The transmission medium is the physical path by which a message travels
from sender to receiver. Some examples of transmission media include
twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio waves.
5. Protocol
A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communications. It represents
an agreement between the communicating devices. Without a protocol,
two devices may be connected but not communicating, just as a person
speaking French cannot be understood by a person who speaks only
Japanese.

Data Representation:
1. Text
2. Numbers
3. Images
4. Audio
5. Video

Data Flow

1. Simplex:
○ the communication is unidirectional
○ Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit; the other can only
receive
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 receive
○ Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex devices.
2. Half-duplex:
○ each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same time.
○ When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and vice versa
○ the entire capacity of a channel is taken over by whichever of the two
devices is transmitting at the time
○ Walkie-talkies and CB (citizens band) radios are both half-duplex systems.
3. Full-duplex:
○ both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously
○ signals going in one direction share the capacity of the link: with signals
going in the other direction.
○ This sharing can occur in two ways:
○ Either the link must contain two physically separate t:nmsmissiIDn paths,
one for sending and the other for receiving;
○ or the capacity of the channel is divided between signals traveling in both
directions.

Network:
A network is a set of devices connected by communication links.
A link is a communications pathway that transfers data from one device to another.

Distributed Processing:
Most networks use distributed processing, in which a task is divided among
multiple computers. Instead of one single large machine being responsible for all
aspects of a process, separate computers (usually a personal computer or
workstation) handle a subset.

Network Criteria:
Performance:
Transit time:
Transit time is the amount of time required for a message to travel from one
device to another.
Response time:
Response time is the elapsed time between an inquiry and a response.
Performance also depends on:
Throughput and delay.
these two criteria are often contradictory. If we try to send more data to the
network, we may increase throughput but we increase the delay because of traffic
congestion in the network.
Reliability:
1. Accuracy of delivery
2. Frequency of failure and the time to recover from a failure

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 2. Frequency of failure and the time to recover from a failure
3. Network's robustness
Security:
1. Protecting data from unauthorized access
2. Protecting data from damage
3. Development and implementing policies and procedures for recovery from
breaches and data losses.

Type of Connection:
Point-to-point:
• A point-to-point connection provides a dedicated link between two devices.
• The entire capacity of the link is reserved for transmission between those two
devices.
• Most point-to-point connections use an actual length of wire or cable to
connect the two ends
• When you change television channels by infrared remote control, you are
establishing a point-to-point connection between the remote control and the
television's control system.
Multi-point:
• A multipoint (also called multidrop) connection is one in which more than two
specific devices share a single link
• In a multipoint environment, the capacity of the channel is shared
Spatially: If several devices can use the link simultaneously.
Timeshared: If users must take turns.

Physical Topology:
The term physical topology refers to the way in which a network is laid out
physically.
Two or more devices form a link. Two or more links form a topology. The topology
of a network is the geometric representation of the relationship of all the links and
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of a network is the geometric representation of the relationship of all the links and
linking devices (usually called nodes) to one another.

Topologies:
1. Mesh: In a mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to
every other device.

Advantage:
○ the use of dedicated links guarantees that each connection can carry its
own data load
○ a mesh topology is robust. If one link becomes unusable, it does not
incapacitate the entire system.
○ there is the advantage of privacy or security. When every message travels
along a dedicated line, only the intended recipient sees it.
○ Physical boundaries prevent other users from gaining access to messages.
○ Finally, point-to-point links make fault identification and fault isolation
easy.
Disadvantage:
○ The main disadvantages of a mesh are related to the amount of cabling
and the number of I/O ports required.
○ installation and reconnection are difficult.
○ the hardware required to connect each link (I/O ports and cable) can be
prohibitively expensive.
• the connection of telephone regional offices in which each regional office
needs to be connected to every other regional office.
2. Star Topology: In a star topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point
link only to a central controller, usually called a hub.

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 Advantages:
○ A star topology is less expensive
○ each device needs only one link and one I/O port to connect it to any
number of others
○ it easy to install and reconfigure
○ Far less cabling needs to be housed, and additions, moves, and deletions
involve only one connection: between that device and the hub.
○ If one link fails, only that link is affected. All other links remain active.
○ easy fault identification and fault isolation.
Disadvantages:
○ disadvantage of a star topology is the dependency of the whole topology
on one single point, the hub.
○ If the hub goes down, the whole system is dead.
• The star topology is used in local-area networks (LANs).
3. Bus Topology: A bus topology is multipoint. One long cable acts as a backbone
to link all the devices in a network.

Advantages:
○ ease of installation
○ a bus uses less cabling than mesh or star topologies
Disadvantages:
○ Entire network shuts down if there is a break in the main cable.
○ Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
○ difficult reconnection and fault isolation.
4. Ring Topology:
In a ring topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point connection with
only the two devices on either side of it.

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 Advantages:
○ To add or delete a device requires changing only two connections.
○ In addition, fault isolation is simplified.
○ Generally, in a ring a signal is circulating at all times. If one device does
not receive a signal within a specified period, it can issue an alarm. The
alarm alerts the network operator to the problem and its location.
Disadvantages:
○ unidirectional traffic can be a disadvantage
○ In a simple ring, a break in the ring (such as a disabled station) can disable
the entire network.
Comparison between topologies:
Point Mesh Star Bus Ring
Delay Manages high Good response Slow because Data has to make a
amounts of time, depends on one computer lot of stops
traffic, because delay of hub transmit at a
multiple time
devices can
transmit data
simultaneously
Complexity Installation is average Easy to Average
complex in complexity each connect or To add or delete a
mesh device connects remove nodes device requires
topology, as to central device in a network changing only two
each node is with only one link without connections.
connected to only affecting any
more than one other node
node.
Security It provides Security depends Any computer data travels from
high privacy on central device that is one device to the
and security, security connected to next until they
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 and security, security connected to next until they
due to point- bus topology reach their
to-point links network will be destination
able to see all
the data
transmissions
on all the other
computers
Reliability A failure of one If hub fails, then If the common If the cable fails or
device does the whole system cable fails, any computer shuts
not cause a will crash down. then the whole down, then the
break in the system will whole system will
network or crash down crash down.
transmission of
data
Cost The length of Star topology Cost of the High cost because
cable used requires more cable is less as of costly connection
very long, The wires & hub, compared to device.
cost to compared to the another
implement is ring and bus topology
higher than topology.
other network
topologies

Difference between a lan and a wan:

Lan Wan
Stands for Local Area Network Wide Area Network
Coverage Local areas only (e.g., homes, Large geographic areas
offices, schools) (e.g., cities, states, nations)
Definition LAN (Local Area Network) is a WAN (Wide Area Network)
computer network covering a is a computer network that
small geographic area, like a covers a broad area (e.g.,
home, office, school, or group of any network whose
buildings. communications links cross
metropolitan, regional, or
national boundaries over a
long distance).
High speed (1000 mbps) Less speed (150 mbps)
Data Transmission Experiences fewer data Experiences more data
transmission errors transmission errors as
compared to LAN
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 compared to LAN
Congestion Less congestion More congestion
Connectivity One LAN can be connected to Computers connected to a
other LANs over any distance via wide-area network are
telephone lines and radio waves. often connected through
public networks, such as
the telephone system. They
can also be connected
through leased lines or
satellites.
Layer 2 devices like switches and Layers 3 devices Routers,
bridges. Layer 1 devices like hubs Multi-layer Switches
and repeaters.

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