DATA COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER NETWORKS

Data communication is the exchange of data between two devices via some form of transmission
medium such as a wire cable. For data communications to occur, the communicating devices must be part
of a communication system made up of a combination of hardware (physical equipment) and software
(programs).
Data- refers to information presented in a form agreed by parties creating and using data.

Components of Data Communication

The different components of Data communication are shown in the following figure.

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:
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.
COMMUNICATION DEVICES/NODES
A communications device is any type of hardware capable of transmitting data,
instructions, and information between a sending device and a receiving device.

a) Routers

A router is a communications device that connects multiple computers or other routers together
and transmits data to its correct destination (Routing) on the network.

b) Network switch
A network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, and, by the IEEE, MAC
bridge) is networking hardware that connects devices on a computer network by using
packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.

c) Bluetooth devices
 d) Infrared devices
e) Modem (over phone line)
f) Network card (using Ethernet)
g) Smartphone
h) Wi-Fi devices

Different Data Flow Directions

It refers to the direction of flow of information (Data) between two communicating devices. Communication
between any two devices can be simplex, half-duplex, or full-duplex.
1. Simplex:
In simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional, as on a one-way street. Only one of the
two devices on a link can transmit; the other can only receive which can be represented in the
following figure.

Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex devices. The keyboard can only
introduce input; the monitor can only accept output. The simplex mode can use the entire
capacity of the channel to send data in one direction.
2. Half-Duplex:

In half-duplex mode, 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 which will represent in the
following figure.
The half-duplex mode is like a one-lane road with traffic allowed in both directions. When cars
are traveling in one direction, cars going the other way must wait. In a half-duplex transmission,
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.

The half-duplex mode is used in cases where there is no need for communication in both
directions at the same time; the entire capacity of the channel can be utilized for each direction.

3.Full-Duplex:

In full-duplex mode (also called duplex), both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously
as shown in the following figure.

The full-duplex mode is like a two-way street with traffic flowing in both directions at the same
time. In full-duplex mode, 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 transmission paths, one for sending and the other for receiving;
or the capacity of the channel is divided between the signals traveling in both directions.

One common example of full-duplex communication is the telephone network. When two
people are communicating by a telephone line, both can talk and listen at the same time. The
full-duplex mode is used when communication in both directions is required all the time. The
capacity of the channel, however, must be divided between the two directions.
Characteristics of Effective Data Communication Systems
The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four fundamental characteristics:
delivery, accuracy, timeliness, and jitter.

1. Delivery:
The system must deliver data to the correct destination. Data must be received by the intended
device or user and only by that device or user.
2. Accuracy:
The system must deliver the data accurately. Data that have been altered in transmission and left
uncorrected are unusable.
3. Timeliness:
The system must deliver data in a timely manner. Data delivered late are useless. In the case of
video and audio, timely delivery means delivering data as they are produced, in the same order
that they are produced, and without significant delay. This kind of delivery is called real-time
transmission.
4. Jitter:
Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It is the uneven delay in the delivery of
audio or video packets.

Computer Networks

A computer network is a group of computers linked to each other that enables the computer to
communicate with another computer and share their resources, data, and applications.

A computer network can be categorized by their size. A computer network is mainly of four
types:
 o LAN(Local Area Network)
o PAN(Personal Area Network)
o MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
o WAN(Wide Area Network)

a) PAN(Personal Area Network)

Personal Area Network is a network arranged within an individual person, typically within a range
of 10 meters. It used for connecting the computer devices of personal use. Personal computer
devices that are used to develop the personal area network are the laptop, mobile phones, media
player and play stations. There are two types of Personal Area Network:

o Wired Personal Area Network

o Wireless Personal Area Network

Wireless Personal Area Network: Wireless Personal Area Network is developed by simply using
wireless technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth. It is a low range network.

b) LAN(Local Area Network)

 Local Area Network is a group of computers connected to each other in a small area such
as building, office.
  LAN is used for connecting two or more personal computers through a communication
medium such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, etc.
 It is less costly as it is built with inexpensive hardware such as hubs, network adapters, and
Ethernet cables.
 The data is transferred at an extremely faster rate in Local Area Network.
 Local Area Network provides higher security.

c) MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)

 A metropolitan area network is a network that covers a larger geographic area by
interconnecting a different LAN to form a larger network.

Uses of Metropolitan Area Network:

o MAN is used in communication between the banks in a city.
o It can be used in an Airline Reservation.
o It can be used in a college within a city.
o It can also be used for communication in the military.

d) WAN(Wide Area Network)

o A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large geographical area such as
states or countries.
o A Wide Area Network is not limited to a single location, but it spans over a large
geographical area through a telephone line, fibre optic cable or satellite links.
o The Internet is one of the biggest WAN in the world.

Network Topology
What is Network Topology?
Network topology refers to the manner in which the links and nodes of a network are arranged to relate to
each other. Topologies are categorized as either physical network topology, which is the physical signal
transmission medium, or logical network topology, which refers to the manner in which data travels
through the network between devices, independent of physical connection of the devices. Logical network
topology examples include twisted pair Ethernet, which is categorized as a logical bus topology, and
token ring, which is categorized as a logical ring topology.

a) Bus Topology

In bus topology there is a main cable and all the devices are connected to this main cable
through drop lines. There is a device called tap that connects the drop line to the main cable.
Since all the data is transmitted over the main cable, there is a limit of drop lines and the
distance a main cable can have.

Advantages of bus topology

1. Easy installation, each cable needs to be connected with backbone cable.
2. Less cables required than Mesh and star topology

Disadvantages of bus topology

1. Difficultly in fault detection.

2. Not scalable as there is a limit of how many nodes you can connect with backbone
cable.

b) Mesh Topology

In mesh topology each device is connected to every other device on the network through
a dedicated point-to-point link. When we say dedicated it means that the link only carries
data for the two connected devices only. Let’s say we have n devices in the network then
each device must be connected with (n-1) devices of the network. Number of links in a
mesh topology of n devices would be n(n-1)/2.
Advantages of Mesh topology
1. No data traffic issues as there is a dedicated link between two devices which means the
link is only available for those two devices.
2. Mesh topology is reliable and robust as failure of one link doesn’t affect other links
and the communication between other devices on the network.
3. Mesh topology is secure because there is a point to point link thus unauthorized access
is not possible.
4. Fault detection is easy.

Disadvantages of Mesh topology

1. Amount of wires required to connected each system is tedious and headache.
2. Since each device needs to be connected with other devices, number of I/O ports
required must be huge.
3. Scalability issues because a device cannot be connected with large number of devices
with a dedicated point to point link.

c) Star Topology
In star topology each device in the network is connected to a central device called hub.
Advantages of Star topology
1. Less expensive because each device only need one I/O port and needs to be connected
with hub with one link.
2. Easier to install
3. Less amount of cables required because each device needs to be connected with the
hub only.
4. Robust, if one link fails, other links will work just fine.
5. Easy fault detection because the link can be easily identified.

Disadvantages of Star topology

1. If hub goes down everything goes down, none of the devices can work without hub.
2. Hub requires more resources and regular maintenance because it is the central system
of star topology.

d) Ring Topology

In ring topology each device is connected with the two devices on either side of it.
There are two dedicated point to point links a device has with the devices on the either
side of it.

Advantages of Ring Topology

1. Easy to install.
2. Managing is easier as to add or remove a device from the topology only two links are
required to be changed.
Disadvantages of Ring Topology
1. A link failure can fail the entire network as the signal will not travel forward due to
failure.
2. Data traffic issues, since all the data is circulating in a ring.

e) Hybrid topology

A combination of two or more topology is known as hybrid topology. For example a

combination of star and mesh topology is known as hybrid topology.

Advantages of Hybrid topology

1. We can choose the topology based on the requirement for example, scalability is our
concern then we can use star topology instead of bus technology.
2. Scalable as we can further connect other computer networks with the existing networks
with different topologies.

Disadvantages of Hybrid topology

1. Fault detection is difficult.
2. Installation is difficult.
3. Design is complex so maintenance is high thus expensive.