Networks

Communication
• Is the process of transferring messages from
one point to another.
• The sender(source) which carries the
message.
• A medium, which carries the message.
• A receiver(sink, which receives the
message.
 What is a Network
• A network is a collection of terminals,
computers, servers, and components which
allows for the easy flow of data and use of
resources between one another.
 Types of Networks
• LAN
• WAN
 LOCAL AREA NETWORK
• A group of computers and other devices in a
relatively limited area (such as a single building)
that are connected by a communications link,
which enables any device to interact with any
other device on the network.

• A LAN, or local area network, is a group of

computers, printers or other hardware that are all
connected in a reasonably small geographic
location
 Hardware Required for LAN
• Cables
• NIC
• Connectors
• Terminators
• Hub
 Software required for LAN
• Any network software .
• Example Novell Netware, Windows NT
 Wide Area Network

• WANs are networks that span the distance between

buildings, cities and even countries. WANs are
LANs connected together using wide area network
services from telecommunications carriers and
typically use technologies such as standard phone
lines (called POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)
or PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)),
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), Frame
Relay, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) or
other high speed services.
 Hardware Requirements for a
WAN
• Modem
Elements of a communication
system

Carries the
SENDER message RECEIVER
 Data Transmission
Modes(Simplex)
• Communication can take place in only one direction.Devices
connected to such a circuit are either a send-only or a receive-only
device.

• Ex : pager

(a) Simplex
SENDER RECEIVER
 Half Duplex
• A half duplex system can transmit data in
both directions, but only in one direction at
a time.
• Requires 2 wires.
• Ex: A Walkie- Talkie

SENDER RECEIVER
 Full Duplex
• A full duplex system allows information to flow
simultaneously in both directions on the
transmission path.
• Data transmission over a circuit capable of
transmitting in both directions simultaneously .
• Ex: Telephone

SENDER RECEIVER
 Serial Transmission
• The characters are transmitted in a Sequence over a
single Line
• Where data is transmitted across a single line one
bit at a time.
• Serial data transmission is one of two ways, the
other being parallel, of sending data along a cable.
Serial data transmission sends individual bytes of
data, one at a time down a wire. This type of
transmission is used for long distance transmissions
and very high data transmission rates can be
acheived, for example when using fibre-optic cable.
 Parallel Transmission
• A method of transmission in which all bits
of a character are sent simultaneously over
separate lines to a high speed printer or
other locally attached peripheral. Contrast
with Serial Transmission.
 Topology
• The specific physical, i.e., real, or logical,
i.e., virtual, arrangement of the elements of
a Network is known as Network Topology
 Different Types of Topology
• Bus
• Ring
• Star
 Bus
• A network topology in which all nodes, i.e.,
stations, are connected together by a single
bus.
• A type of network setup where each of the
computers and network devices are
connected to a single cable or Backbone
 Advantages of Bus Topology
• Easy to connect a computer or peripheral to
a linear bus.
• Requires less cable length.
 Disadvantages of Bus Topology
• Entire network shuts down if there is a
break in the main cable.
• Terminators are required at both ends of the
backbone cable.
• Difficult to identify the problem if the entire
network shuts down.
• Not meant to be used as a stand-alone
solution in a large building.
 Star Topology
• A star topology is a network topology
in which all nodes are connected to a
central node through which all data are
transmitted.
 Advantages of Star Topology
• Easy to install and wire.
• Has minimal line cost because only n-1
lines are required for connecting n nodes.
• If any of the local computers fails, the
remaining portion of the n/w is unaffected.
• No disruptions to the network then
connecting or removing devices.
• Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.
 Disadvantages of Star Network
• The system crucially depends on the central
node. If the host computer fails, the entire
network fails.
• More expensive than linear bus topologies
because of the cost of the
concentrators/hub.
 Ring Network
• A network topology in which terminals are
connected in a point-to-point serial fashion in an
unbroken circular configuration
• A network in which every node has exactly two
branches connected to it and in which there are
exactly two paths between any two nodes. A
network configuration in which devices are
connected by unidirectional transmission links to
form a closed path.
• A network that is configured in the shape of a
closed loop or circle, with each node connecting to
the next node.
 Advantages of Ring Network
• One of the advantages of ring networks is
that they can span larger distances than
other types of networks, such as bus
networks, because each node regenerates
messages as they pass through it.
• It is not dependent on a single host
computer.If link between 2 comp. Breaks
down alternate routing is possible
 Disadvantage of Ring Network
• In a ring network,communication delay is
directly proportional to the number of nodes
in the network. Hence addition of new
nodes in the network increase the
communication delay.
 Data Transmission Terms
• Baud Rate :Speed at which data is transmitted
serially.
• Parity bit
• Checksum:A checksum is a value which is
computed which allows you to check the validity
of something. Typically, checksums are used in
data transmission contexts to detect if the data has
been transmitted successfully.
 Example of Checksum
• For example, the simplest checksum is to
sum up all the bytes of a transmission,
computing the sum in an 8-bit counter. This
value is appended as the last byte of the
transmission. The idea is that upon receipt
of n bytes, you sum up the first n-1 bytes,
and see if the answer is the same as the last
byte.
 Circuit Switching

• A circuit switched network is one where switches

are used to connect two computer systems for a
given length of time. The path does not change.
• A type of communications in which a dedicated
channel (or circuit) is established for the duration
of a transmission. The most common circuit-
switching network is the telephone system, which
links together wire segments to create a single
unbroken line for each telephone call.
 Advantages
• No waiting for messages to arrive.
 Dis-advantages
• There may not be a line available.
 Packet Switching
• Packet-switched describes the type of network in
which relatively small units of data called packets are
routed through a network based on the destination
address contained within each packet. Breaking
communication down into packets allows the same
data path to be shared among many users in the
network. This type of communication between sender
and receiver is known as connectionless (rather than
dedicated). Most traffic over the Internet uses packet
switching and the Internet is basically a
connectionless network.
 Advantages
• Communications channels are used more
efficently because channels are not 'tied up'
when transmission is not in progress. Also,
because data is sent in packets, data
compression can be used.
• More more resiliant to network failure.
• Data is more secure becuase packets are
sent down various routes.
 Disadvantages
• May be significantly slower.
 Protocol
• Is the special set of rules that end points in a
telecommunication connection use when they
communicate. Protocols exist at several levels
in a telecommunication connection. There are
hardware telephone protocols. There are
protocols between each of several functional
layers and each corresponding layer at the
other end of a communication. Both end points
must recognize and observe a protocol.
Protocols are often described in an industry or
international standard.
 Examples of protocol
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which
uses a set of rules to exchange messages with
other Internet points at the information packet
level
• Internet Protocol (IP), which uses a set of rules
to send and receive messages at the Internet
address level
• Additional protocols that are usually packaged
with a TCP/IP suite, including the
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and
File Transfer Protocol (FTP), each with defined
sets of rules to use with corresponding
programs elsewhere on the Internet
 Asynchronous Transmission
• One character at a time is sent with each character
being preceded by a start bit and followed by a
stop bit.
• The start bit alerts the receiving device and
synchronises the clock inside the receiver ready to
receive the character.
• The baud rate at the receiving end has to be set up
to be the same as the sender’s baud rate or the
signal will not be received correctly.
• Ex: PC
 Synchronous Transmission
• In a synchronous transmission mode, timing
signals (computer’s internal clock) control
the rate of transmission and there is no need
for start and stop bits to accompany each
character.
• Ex:Mainframe computers use S.T.