Data Communication &

Computer Networks
Week # 01

Dr. Arshad Ali

Associate Professor
CS&IT Department
The University of Lahore
Email: [email protected]
https://sites.google.com/a/cs.uol.edu.pk/dccn/
Powerpoint Templates
Recommended Text book
 Book 1: Data Communications
and Networking, 5th edition
Author: Behrouz A. Forouzan
Reference books
 Book 2: William Stallings,
Data and Computer
Communication, 8th or 9th
Edt.
 Book 3: Computer Networks
by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and
David J. Wetherall,
Prentice Hall; 5th Editio
 Book 4: Computer Networks
and Internets By Douglas E.
Comer (5th Edition)
Grading Criteria

 Assignments/Project [10%]
 Quizzes [10%]
 Midterm [20%]
 Lab Tasks [20%]
 Final Exam [40%]
Course Overview (1/4)
Topics that we are planning to cover:
 Fundamentals of data communications & Networks
 Network Models (System Architecture)
 OSI (overview)
 TCP/IP (in Detail)
 Digital and analog data/signals
 Transmission impairments
 Channel Capacity
 Signal to Noise ratio
 Nyquist Bandwidth formula
 Shannon’s channel capacity
Course Overview (2/4)
Topics that we are planning to cover:
 Digital and Analog Transmissions
 Modulation schemes
 Data encoding schemes
 Asynchronous and Synchronous transmission
 Transmission Media
 Guided Media
 Unguided Media
 Multiplexing
 Switched and IP Networks
 Circuit Switched Networks
 Packet Switching
 Structure of a Switch
Course Overview (3/4)
Topics that we are planning to cover:
 Overview of
 Wired (Ethernet) and
 Wireless LANs
 Data Link Layer
 Functions of data link layer
 Framing
 MAC protocols
 Error Control
 Flow control
 Bridging
Course Overview (4/4)
Topics that we are planning to cover:
 Network Layer
 Services & Performance
 IPV4 Addresses
 Network Layer Protocols (IP, ...)
 Routing Protocols
 Next Generation IP (IPv6)
 Transport Layer Protocols (UDP,TCP, SCTP)
 Application layer protocols
 Lab exercises using packet tracer
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
These lecture slides contain material from slides prepared
by Behrouz Forouzan for his book Data Communication
and Networking (4th/5th edition).
 Week 1: Course Plan (1/2)
Fundamentals of data communications
 Definition of Data Communication [Book1: 1.1]
 Data Communication System
 Characteristics [Book1: 1.1]
 Components [Book1: 1.1.1]
 Data Representation [Book1: 1.2]
 Data Flow or Transmission modes [Book1: 1.3]
 Week 1: Course Plan (2/2)
Fundamentals of Networks
 Brief Intro to Networks [Book1: 1.2]
 Computer Network Criteria [Book1: 1.2.1]
 Network Applications
 Physical structure of Networks [Book1: 1.2.2]
 Based on type of Connection
 Based on type of Topology
Data Communication (1/2)
“Data Communication is the exchange of information from
one entity to the other using a transmission medium”.

As you can clearly notice, the definition of Data

Communication, although simple, leaves many questions
unanswered:

Exchange ??????
Information ?????
Entities ???????
Transmission ????
Medium ????
 Data Communication (2/2)
 When we communicate, we share information
 Information sharing can be LOCAL or REMOTE
 Between individuals
 LOCAL communication occurs face to face
 REMOTE communication occurs over a long distance
 Telecommunication means communication at a distance:
telephony, telegraph and television
 Data refers to information presented in whatever form is agreed
upon by the parties creating and using the data
Data Communication System

For Data Communication to occur

The communicating devices must be a part of a communication
system made up of some specific kind of hardware (Physical
equipment) and software (Programs),
This type of a system is known as a “Data Communication System”
Characteristics of
Data Communication System
 The effectiveness of a data communications system
depends on
 Delivery of data to the correct destination
 Accuracy: data must be delivered accurately (as it is)
 Timeliness: data must be delivered on time
 Real time transmission of audio and video data
 A data communication system must transmit data
to the correct destination in an accurate and
timely manner
Components Of
Data Communication System (1/3)
Any system is made up of more than one component. Similarly,
a data communication system is made up of 5 components:
Components Of
Data Communication System (2/3)
Sender is the device which sends the data messages. It can be a
computer, workstation, telephone handset etc.

Receiver is the device which receives the data messages. It can be a

computer, workstation, telephone handset etc.

Message is the information to be communicated. Popular forms of

information include text, pictures, audio, video etc.

Protocol is a set of rules that governs the data communications.

It represents an agreement between the communicating devices.
Without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not
communicating.
It determines what is communicated, how it is communicated and when
it is communicated.
Components Of
Data Communication System (3/3)
Medium is the physical path by which a message travels from sender to
receiver. Some examples include
 Copper wire (Telephone)
 Coaxial cable (Cable TV)
 Fiber Optic Cable
 Radio waves (known as wireless medium)

Data is required to be transferred in the form of electromagnetic (EM)

signals
 So medium should be able to carry the EM signals
Data Representation (1/2)
Forms of Information
 Text (represented as a bit pattern (0s or 1s))
 Different set of bit patterns are designed to represent text symbols
and each set is called a code
 Coding: process of representing symbols
 Currently prevailing Unicode system uses 32 bits to represent
a symbol
 ASCII constitutes of first 127 characters of Unicode
 Numbers (represented as a bit pattern (0s or 1s))
 A number is directly converted to a number to simplify
math operations
 Data Representation (2/2)
Forms of Information
 Images (also represented by bit patterns)
 Composed of a matrix of pixels (picture elements)
 More pixels, better resolution, more memory
 Each pixel is assigned a bit pattern
 Audio
 recording or broadcasting of sound or music
 Different from text, numbers, or images (by nature )
 Continuous, not discrete
 Video
 recording or broadcasting of a picture or movie
 can either be produced as a continuous entity (e.g., by a TV camera), or
 can be a combination of images, each a discrete entity, arranged to convey
the idea of motion.
 Can be changed to a digital or an analog signal
 Data Flow (1/2)
Communication between two devices
 Simplex
 One way communication
 One device can only transmit, other can only receive
 Keyboards (introduces inputs), monitor (accepts output)
 Use of entire capacity in one direction
 Half-duplex
 each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same
time
 used in cases where there is no need for communication in
both directions at the same time
 Use of entire capacity for each direction
 Walkie-Talkies
 Data Flow (2/2)
Communication between two devices
 Full-duplex
 both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously
 Sharing of capacity between signals in both directions
 Used when communication in both directions is required
 Telephone network
Computer Networks
 Organization of computer systems is strongly influenced by the
merging of computers and communications

 The old model: a single computer serving all of the organization’s

computational needs
replaced by one in which a large number of separate but
interconnected computers do the job

 These separate but interconnected computers are called computer

networks
What is a network?
 A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes)

connected by communication transmission channels (links) that

allow people to communicate over distances, large and small

 In simple words, a network is the interconnection of a set of

devices capable of communication
Computer Networks
 Computer Networks: a collection of autonomous computers
interconnected by a single technology

 Two computers are said to be interconnected if they are able to

exchange information

 Networks are usually connected together to make larger networks

(network of networks)

 Internet: the most well-known example of a network of networks

Network Criteria (1/3)
Most Important criteria that a network must be able to meet
are performance, reliability and security
Performance
 Measured in many ways

Transit time: amount of time required for a message to

travel from one device to another (part of response time)
Response time: elapsed time between an inquiry and
response
 Depends on a number of factors

Number of users
Type of transmission medium
Hardware capabilities and efficiency of the software
Network Criteria (2/3)
Performance
 Evaluated in terms of throughput and delay metrics

 Network throughput is the amount of data moved

successfully from one place to another in a given time period,
and
typically measured in bits per second (bps), Mbps or Gbps
 We need more throughput and less delay (tradeoff)
Send more data to network, increase throughput, but
increases the delay as well due to congestion
Network Criteria (3/3)
Reliability (accuracy of delivery) is measured by
 the failure rate of network components (failure frequency)

 availability (the time taken by a link to recover from

failure), and
 network’s robustness (to cope with errors ----continue

operating despite abnormalities)

Security
 Data protection against corruption/loss of data due to

Errors
Malicious users (unauthorized access)
Viruses
 Implementation of policies and procedures for recovery

from breaches and data losses

Network Applications
Sales
 Online shopping

 Online reservation systems

Marketing
 Collecting, exchanging and analyzing data keeping in view

customer’s trends and needs

Finance
 Online Banking systems

 Transfer of Foreign exchange

Teleconferencing
 Online Conferences (without physical presence at the same

place) , can be voice and video conferences

 Chats

Cable TV Network
Physical Structures (1/4)
1: Based on the Type of Connection
For communication to occur, two devices must be connected in
some way to the same link at the same time
Two possible types of connections
 Point to Point: single transmitter and receiver

 Provides dedicated link between two devices

 Entire capacity is reserved
 Through wire/cable links, microwaves or satellite links
 Example: Remote control and TV control system
Physical Structures (2/4)
1: Based on the Type of Connection

Two possible types of connections

 Multipoint: multiple recipients of single transmission

 More than two specific devices share a single link

 Capacity of the channel is shared
 Spatially shared capacity: if several can use the link
simultaneously
 Temporally shared capacity: If users use the link in turns
(timeshared)
Physical Structures (3/4)
1: Based on the Type of Connection
Physical Structures (4/4)
 2: Based on the Type of Topology
 Physical Topology refers to the way in which a network is laid

out physically
Two or more devices connect to a link and two or more links
form a topology
Topology is geometric representation of the relationship of all
the links and nodes
(devices connected to one another through links)
A fully connected mesh topology (five devices)

Example: Connection of telephone regional offices as

each regional office needs to be connected with every
other regional office
A star topology connecting four stations

Used in local area networks

A bus topology connecting three stations

- Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps
- Was used in early LANs
A ring topology connecting six stations

was used in LANs (Ethernet) introduced by IBM

A hybrid topology:
a star backbone with three bus networks
Categories of Networks
 Personal Area Networks (PANs)

 Local Area Networks (LANs)

 Metropolitan Area Networks

 Wide Area Networks

Personal Area Networks (PAN)
 interconnection of information technology devices
within the range of an individual person

 generally within a range of 10 meters

 Wireless PAN (Bluetooth) connecting a computer with its

peripherals like mouse, printer, keyboard
 Wired PAN (USB)

Bluetooth PAN configuration

Local Area Networks (LAN)
 Local Area Networks (LANs)
Usually privately owned by the company using it
Operates within short distances like home, office, building, campus
etc.
Designed to provide local interconnectivity
Connects hosts
Uses different transmission technologies like copper wires, optical
fiber
Speed from 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps
Wireless LAN standard: IEEE 802.11 (WiFi)
Wired LAN standard: IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet)
Local Area Networks (LAN)
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)
 A network with a size between a LAN and a WAN
 designed for customers

who need a high-speed connectivity, normally to the Internet, and

have endpoints spread over a city or part of city

 usually based on LAN technology

 Example: High speed wireless Internet access WiMAX

(standardized as IEEE 802.16)
30 to 40 Mbps data rates, with updates to 1 Gbps
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)
Another Example: cable TV-based network
 both television signals and Internet being fed into the

centralized cable head-end

for subsequent distribution to people’s homes
Wide Area Networks (WAN)
Long distances (may cover continent or planet)
Provide connectivity over large areas
Interconnects connecting devices such as switches, routers or
modems
Create and run by communication companies
Leased by company that uses it
Wired WAN: A company with branch offices in different cities