CHAPTER FOUR

Data Communication and Computer

Networks
Overview

Data communication: is the process of sharing ideas,

information and messages with others in a particular
time and place via communication medias.
 It is exchange of data between two or more parties.
 It includes :
 Writing and talking
 Nonverbal communication (such as facial expressions, body
language or gestures)
 Visual communication (the use of images or pictures such as
painting, photography, video or film)
 Electronic Communication such as telephone calls, electronic
mail, cable television, satellite broadcasts.
Basic components of data communications

1. Computers (input and display devices) that

send and receive the data involved.
2. A communication channel over which the
data is sent
3. Communications equipment that helps send
and receive data
4. Communications software that helps controls
the functions of the system.
Types of Signals

A. Analog signals
 Continuous wave that carries information by altering
the characteristics of waves
 It measures rather than counts
 For instance, Voice and all sounds are analog,
traveling to human ears in the forms of waves.
 Radio, telephone and recording equipments
historically have been analog, but they are beginning
to change –due to large to computers to the other
types of signals-digitals
Contd.

A. Digital signals
 Discrete on-off pluses that carry covey information
in terms of 0s and 1s just like CPU
 It counts but not measures
 Discrete pluses of data transmission rather than
continues wave
 More prevalent in computer based devices
 Flashing light and telegraph message are
traditional examples of on-off pluses, although not
in binary code
Advantages of Digital over Analog

 Suitability of computer systems (most which

are digitally designed)
 Digital signals tend to be less affected by
interface
 Most of the case, distance communication
has no impact on digital signals
Mode of data Transmission

1. Simplex (One way)

In this mode of data transmission, one device is
always sender and the other is always receiver.
Thus, data is transmitted in one direction only from
the sender to the receiver. The flow of information
is unidirectional.
Example A Doorbell, Radio and TV
broadcasting
Contd.
2. Half Duplex
In this mode of transmission data is transmitted in both
directions but only one device send data at a time. In this way
of communication, first a sender sends data and the receiver
acknowledges it and sends the response back to the previous
sender at different time. At one time one device can be a
sender and at another time it can be a receiver. This half duplex
is transmission of data in both directions at different time. In this
mode of communication happens in both directions, but only in
one direction at a time.
Example: Military radio
Contd.

3. Full Duplex
In this mode of transmission, data can be transmitted
in both directions at the same time.
The two devices can send data each other
simultaneously.
This mode of transmission is important when fast data
transfer is required. It is used to allows information to
flow simultaneously in both directions on the transmit
path.
Example: Telephone
Types of data Transmission
 Synchronous Data Transmission
The transmission occurs at fixed intervals and fixed rates.
The need for start and stop bits is eliminated in synchronous
transmission.
Allows for continues sending of characters
Each character is combined with others into a data packet.
The data packet is prefixed with a header field, and suffixed with
a trailer field. Which includes a checksum value (used by the
receiver to check for errors in sending)
The header field: used to address information (sender and
receiver), packet type and control data.
The data field – contains checksum information
Contd.

 Asynchronous communication
 Data is transmitted character by character.
 Data is transmitted at irregular time interval
 A start bit is transmitted directly before each character.
 To signify the end of the transmission, 1 or 2 stop bits are
transmitted directly after each character.
 The start bit and stop bit are always of opposite polarity.
 Usually, 0 is the start bit and 1 is the stop bit.
 Between the start bit and the stop bits, the data bits are
transmitted at uniformly spaced time interval.
Computer Networks

 Computer networking is an arrangement

/interconnection of computers for the
purpose of resource sharing and easy
management.

Cable
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Advantages of Networking

 Speed
 Resources sharing:.
 Communication facilities
 e-mail
 chat service
 Video conferencing and
 teleconferencing
A network has three layers of components:

1. Application software:- consists of

computer programs that interface with
network users and permit the sharing of
information, such as files, graphics, and
video, and resources, such as printers and
disks. One type of application software is
called client-server.
Contd.

2. Network software:- consists of computer programs

that establish protocols, or rules, for computers to
talk to one another. These protocols are carried out
by sending and receiving formatted instructions of
data called packets. Protocols make logical
connections between network applications, direct the
movement of packets through the physical network,
and minimize the possibility of collisions between
packets sent at the same time.
Contd.

3. Network hardware:- is made up of the physical

components that connect computers. Two important
components are the transmission media that carry
the computer's signals, typically on wires or fiber-
optic cables, and the network adapter (Network
Interface Card), which accesses the physical media
that link computers, receives packets from network
software, and transmits instructions and requests to
other computers.
Hardware requirements of a computer Network

 Computers.
 Network Interface Card/Network Adapter Card
 It is an expansion card that physically connects a computer
to the network.
 It takes the data from the computer’s internal bus and
converts it into standard packets of information that it then
sends along the cable.
 It takes the data from the computer and adds header.
 When receiving data, it looks at each packet and checks the
destination address in the header.
 If it recognizes its own address, it checks that it has no
errors and signals the CPU that there is data to be
processed.
 Cables
 Cables are used to physically connect the computers on the network
 There are three types of cables
1. Coaxial cables
2. Twisted Pair Cables
3. Fiber Optics
 Modem- Modulator/Demodulator
It lets computers exchange information though telephone lines.
When transmitting information, the modulator changes the
computers digital signal to analog signal.
When receiving information, the demodulator translates the analog
signal back to a digital signal.
Computer Networks

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

connected by media links. A node can be computer,
printer, or any other device capable of sending and/or
receiving data generated by other nodes on the
network. The links connecting the devices are often
called communication channels.
 Computer Networks can be divided in to three based
on the geographical area that they coverage:
1. Local Area Network (LAN)

 A local area network (LAN) is usually privately

owned and links the devices in a single office,
building or campus.
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Multiple Building LAN

2. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

 A metropolitan area network (MAN) is

designed to extend over an entire city.
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Hub

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Public City Network

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3. Wide Area Network (WAN)

 A wide area network (WAN) provides long distance

transmission of data, voice, image, and video
information over large geographical areas that may
comprise a country, a continent, or even the whole
world.
Network Topologies

The topology of a network is concerned with the

structure of connection between two computers on the
network and the layout in which the net work devices
are connected to each other.
The network topology is also concerned with the type
of wiring used in a network and various factors that
affects the network cabling such as whether the cable
will run through floor, walls or ceiling.
Basic Topologies

 A particular topology is selected on the basis of the

number of devices networked in the segment, the
speed in the network, and the budget for the network
.The basic network topologies are:
 Bus Topology
 Ring Topology
 Star Topology
 Mesh Topology
 Hybrid Topology
1. Bus topology

 The bus topology is the simplest of all the topologies.

 In this topology, all the devices on the network are
connected to each other through a central cable
(Coaxial cable) called the Bus.
 Using shared bandwidth and unable to support speeds
beyond 10Mbps, the Bus topology is good for a small
group of 15-20 computers.
 If the number goes above 20 computers, the network
slows down since only one machine can send data.
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Bus topology
2. Star Topology

In the star topology, all the network devices

are connected to each other through a central
concentrator forming a star-like structure.
The common devices used as the central
concentrators are Hub or switches.
The computers can be connected to the hub
or switch using UTP, STP, or optical fiber
cables.
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Star topology
 3. Ring topology

 In the ring topology, all the devices on the network are

connected to each other to form a ring.
 Each device has a receiver and transmitter that acts as a
repeater and send the signal to the next computer.
 In this topology, the signals travel in a circle, passing
through each computer on the network because there are
no terminated ends to the circle.
 The ring topology supports coaxial, twisted pair as well as
fiber-optics cables. Nowadays, however twisted pair and
optical fiber cables are commonly used
 Token

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Ring topology
4. Mesh Topology

 In this mesh topology, separate cables are

used to connect individual devices on the
network.
 This topology is expensive because of the
number of cables used in the network.
 The mesh topology is of two types, Full mesh
and Partial mesh.
4.1. Full Mesh

 In this topology, each device is interconnected

with all the devices on the network, by a
dedicated cable.
 If one device fails, the data traveling along the
network can be routed through another device
attached to the active device.
 The structure of the network is complex
because the devices in the network are
interconnected
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Full Mesh
4.2. Partial Mesh

 In this topology, each device on the network is not

connected to other devices. Only a few devices on the
network are connected using the full-mesh topology,
and the others are connected to one or more devices
on the network.
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5. Hybrid Topology

 This topology is a combination of bus, star, and ring

networks. In other words, this topology combines multiple
topologies to form a large topology. The hybrid topology is
widely implemented in wide area networks (WANs).
Terminator Terminator

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Media of Network (Cables)

The medium used to transmit information limits the

speed of the network, the effective distance between
computers, and the network topology.
Copper wires and coaxial cable provide transmission
speeds of a few thousand bits per second for long
distances and about 100 million bits per second (Mbps)
for short distances.
Optical fibers carry 100 million to 1 billion bits of
information per second over long distances. It is also
possible to use wireless communication between
computers.
Issues that should be considered during
cable selection for networks.

 The cost of the cable

 Attenuation (how long does a segment of a
cable transfer data with out the signal being
weakened.)
 Bandwidth (how many bits cab be transferred
per second, its speed of data transfer)
 And its resistance to different problems.
Cables

The common cable types used to connect

computers and devices in a LAN are:
1. Coaxial cables
2. Twisted-pair cables
3. Optical fiber cables
1. Coaxial Cable

 Coaxial cable is a common type of cable for

networks. The central copper wire helps to transfer
data.
 The commonly used coaxial cables in Ethernet
cables in Ethernet LANs are:
 10base2: also known as thinnet supports a data-transfer
rate of 10Mbs and can transmit signals without attenuation
over a distance of 185 meters.
 10base5: known as thicknet supports a data-transfer rate of
10Mbs and can transmit signals without attenuation over a
distance of 500 meters
2. Twisted pair cable

Pairs of cables are twisted and bundled in a plastic

jacket to form the twisted pair cable.
The twisting helps to reduce electromagnetic
interference by increasing the probability of
electromagnetic web canceling.
One problem commonly seen in twisted pair cable is
the problem of cross talk, the mixing of data from two
cables due to the removal of insulator between.
A typical twisted-pair cable consists of four pairs of
thin copper wire coated with PVC or Teflon, spiraled
around one another.
2.1 Shielded twisted pair (STP)

 In STP, an extra layer of metal foil is present between

the twisted pairs of copper wires and the outer sheath.
 The purpose of this layer is to provide additional
protection from EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) and
RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
 STP is more expensive than UTP and is generally used
in networks where cables pass closer to devices that
cause high EMI.
 In addition, the presence of shielding increases the
resistance to the signal and, therefore, restricts the
cable length and the throughput offered by STP.
2.2 Unshielded Twisted pair (UTP)

 UTP cables are the most commonly used in

communication medium in LANs.
 Of the four pairs in a UTP cable, however, only two
pairs are actually used for communication in LANs and
provide speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
 All the four pairs used only for higher transmission
rates such as 1000 Mbps.
 UTP cables are capable of supporting different
bandwidths and transmission speeds.
3. Fiber-optics

 Optical fiber cables transmit data in the form of light.

Optical fiber cables contain long thin strands of pure
glass, called the fiber, with each strand having a
diameter of about 5 microns. A typical fiber cable
consists of the following three components:
 Core: The core contains the optical fiber conductor (glass) that
transmits light.
 Cladding: The core is surrounded by another optical material
to prevent any light from escaping the core. The function of
cladding is to reflect the light back into the core.
 Sheath or outer jacket: The core and cladding are covered
with a sheath, usually made of plastic, to protect the fiber from
damage.
What is World Wide Web?

 World Wide Web (WWW), computer-based

network of information resources that
combines text and multimedia.
 The information on the World Wide Web can
be accessed and searched through the
Internet, a global computer network. The World
Wide Web is often referred to simply as “the
Web.”
Browser

 A browser is a program, such as Microsoft

Corporation’s Internet Explorer, that allows a
computer to display documents containing
text, graphics, photographs, sounds, videos,
and animations.
 Most browsers are used to view information on
the World Wide Web or on intranets of
companies or organizations.
What is website?

 Web Site, file of information located on a

server connected to the World Wide Web
(WWW). The WWW is a set of protocols and
software that allows the global computer
network called the Internet to display
multimedia documents. Web sites may include
text, photographs, illustrations, video, music, or
computer programs.
Q?