CS8591 – Computer

Networks
Unit I
Introduction
1-1 DATA COMMUNICATIONS
The term telecommunication means communication at a
distance. The word data refers to information presented
in whatever form is agreed upon by the parties creating
and using the data. Data communications are the
exchange of data between two devices via some form of
transmission medium such as a wire cable.
Effectiveness of data communication depends on
4 fundamental characteristics
1.Delivery
 2.Accuracy
3.Timeliness
4.Jitter
Figure 1.1 Components of a data communication system

1. Message (Information or Data)

2. Sender
3. Receiver
4. Transmission Media
5. Protocol
Figure 1.2 Data flow (simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex)
Simplex
•The communication is unidirectional.
•Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit; the other can
only receive.
•Use the entire capacity of the channel to send the data in one
direction.

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.
•Use the entire capacity for each direction of data transmission.

Full-Duplex(Duplex)
•Both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously.
•Used when both directions is required at all the time.
•The capacity of the channel must be divided between the two
directions.
1-2 NETWORKS

A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes)

connected by communication links. A node can be a
computer, printer, or any other device capable of sending
and/or receiving data generated by other nodes on the
network. A link can be a cable, air, optical fiber, or any
medium which can transport a signal carrying
information.
Topics discussed in this section:
 Network Criteria
 Physical Structures
 Categories of Networks
Network Criteria

 Performance (Transmit & Response time)

 Depends on Network Elements
 Measured in terms of Delay and Throughput
 Reliability(frequency of failure)
 Failure rate of network components
 Measured in terms of availability/robustness
 Security
 Data protection against corruption/loss of data due to:
 Errors
 Malicious users
Physical Structures

 Type of Connection
 Point to Point - single transmitter and receiver
 Entire capacity of the channel used between two devices
 Multipoint - multiple recipients of single transmission
 The capacity of the channel is shared, either spatially(If several devices use
the link simultaneously) or temporally(If devices must take turns- timeshared
connection).
 Physical Topology
 Connection of devices
 Type of transmission - unicast, mulitcast, broadcast
Figure 1.3 Types of connections: point-to-point and multipoint
Figure 1.4 Categories of topology
Figure 1.5 A fully connected mesh topology (five devices)

Application – connection of telephone regional offices

Mesh

 Every device has a dedicated(link carries only between two

devices) point-to-point link to every other device.
 For a mesh network with n nodes, we need n(n-1)/2 duplex-mode
links
 To accommodate that many links, every device must have n-1
input/output(I/O) ports to be connected to other n-1 stations.
 Advantages:
 Dedicated link – eliminates traffic problem
 Robust – If one system becomes unusable, it doesn’t
incapacitate the entire system
 Privacy and security
 Fault identification and fault isolation are easy
 Disadvantages:
 Amount of cabling and the no of I/O ports
 Installation and reconnection are difficult
 Accommodate more space
Figure 1.6 A star topology connecting four stations

Application – LAN(Local Area Networks)

Star

 Each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only on a central

controller, usually called a hub.
 The devices are not directly linked to other devices – hence it does
not allow direct traffic between devices.
 The controller acts as an exchange: If one device wants to send
data to another, it sends data to the controller and then it relays
the data to the other connected device.
 In star, each device needs only one link and one I/O port to
connect to any other devices.
 Adv:
 Less cabling needed
 Less expensive than mesh topology
 Robustness, fault identification and fault isolation are easy.
 Disadv:
 Dependency of the whole topology on a single point, the hub.
If the hub goes down, the whole system is dead.
Figure 1.7 A bus topology connecting three stations

Application – Ethernet LANs ( first LANs)

Bus
 Multipoint connection – One long cable acts as a backbone to link
all the devices in the network.
 Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines(connection
running between the device and the main cable) and
taps(connectors that either splices into the main cable or
punctures the sheathing of a cable to create a contact with the
metallic core).
 Adv:
 Ease of installaion
 Uses less cabling than mesh and star topologies
 Redundancy is eliminated – Only one backbone cable
stretches through the entire facility.
 Disadv:
 Difficult in reconnection and fault isolation
 Difficult to add new devices
 Does not Robust – if a fault or break in the bus cable, then it
stops all transmission.
Figure 1.8 A ring topology connecting six stations

Application – High Speed LANs

Ring
 Each device has a dedicated point-to-point connection with only
the two devices on either side of it.
 A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to
device, until it reaches the destination.
 Each device in a ring incorporates a repeater – regenerates the
bits and passes them along
 Adv:
 Easy to install and configure
 Fault isolation is simplified – if one device does not receive a
signal within a period, it can issue an alarm. Then the alarm
alerts the network operator to the problem and its loction.
 Disadv:
 Unidirectional traffic
 A break in the ring can disable the entire network.
 This weakness is solved by a dual ring or a switch capable of
closing off the break.
Figure 1.9 A hybrid topology: a star backbone with three bus networks
Categories of Networks
 Local Area Networks (LANs)
 Short distances
 Designed to provide local interconnectivity
 Common topologies – bus, ring and star.
 Data rates – 4 to 6 Mbps
 Speed – 100 or 1000 Mbps
 Wide Area Networks (WANs)
 Long distances
 Provide connectivity over large areas
 Switched WAN –X.25(ATM(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) netowrk), Frame Relay
 Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
 Provide connectivity over areas such as a city, a campus
 Size- between LAN and WAN – high speed connectivity
 Telephone company network – DSL line, Cable TV network
Figure 1.10 An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet
Figure 1.11 WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN
Figure 1.12 A heterogeneous network made of four WANs and two LANs
 1-3 THE INTERNET

The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our daily

lives. It has affected the way we do business as well as the
way we spend our leisure time. The Internet is a
communication system that has brought a wealth of
information to our fingertips and organized it for our use.
The internet is a collaboration of more than hundreds of
thousands of interconnected networks.

Topics discussed in this section:

Organization of the Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Figure 1.13 Hierarchical organization of the Internet
1-4 PROTOCOLS

A protocol is synonymous with rule. It consists of a set of

rules that govern data communications. It determines
what is communicated, how it is communicated and when
it is communicated. The key elements of a protocol are
syntax, semantics and timing

Topics discussed in this section:

 Syntax
 Semantics
 Timing
Elements of a Protocol

 Syntax
 Structure or format of the data
 Indicates how to read the bits - field delineation
 Semantics
 Interprets the meaning of the bits
 Knows which fields define what action
 Timing
 When data should be sent and what
 Speed at which data should be sent or speed at which it is being
received.