Computer Networks

Components of Data Communication

System & Concepts
Week 2
BCS 6th Spring 2022
Date: June 27, 29 & 30, 2022
Mahmood Khan (Assistant Professor)
Department of Computer Science SBBU
[email protected]

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Components of Data Communication System
A data communications system has five components

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Components of Data Communication System..

1. Message: Message is the information to be

communicated by the sender to the receiver.
2. Sender: The sender is any device that is capable of
sending the data (message).
3. Receiver: The receiver is a device that the sender
wants to communicate the data (message).

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Components of a Data Communication
System...
4. Transmission Medium: It is the path by which the
message travels from sender to receiver. It can be wired or
wireless and many subtypes in both.
 Medium

◦ Guided medium
 e.g. twisted pair, optical fiber
◦ Unguided medium
 e.g. air, water, vacuum

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Components of a Data Communication
System....
5. Protocol: It is an agreed upon set or rules used by the
sender and receiver to communicate data.
 A protocol is a set of rules that governs data

communication.
 A Protocol is a necessity in data communications

without which the communicating entities are like two

persons trying to talk to each other in a different
language without know the other language.

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Data Representation

Forms of data/information
• Text
• Numbers
• Images
• Audio
• Video

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Data Representation..
Data is collection of raw facts which is processed to
deduce information. There may be different forms in
which data may be represented. Some of the forms of data
used in communications are as follows:
1. Text: Text includes combination of alphabets in small
case as well as upper case. It is stored as a pattern of bits.
Prevalent encoding system: ASCII, Unicode

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Data Representation…
2. Numbers: Numbers include combination of digits from
0 to 9. It is stored as a pattern of bits. Prevalent encoding
system: ASCII, Unicode.
3. Images: An image is worth a thousand words‖ is a very
famous saying. In computers images are digitally stored.
 A Pixel is the smallest element of an image. To put it in

simple terms, a picture or image is a matrix of pixel

elements. The pixels are represented in the form of bits.
Depending upon the type of image (black n white or
color) each pixel would require different number of bits
to represent the value of a pixel.

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Data Representation….
 The size of an image depends upon the number of pixels
(also called resolution) and the bit pattern used to indicate
the value of each pixel.
 Example: If an image is purely black and white (two
color) each pixel can be represented by a value either 0 or
1, so an image made up of 10 x 10 pixel elements would
require only 100 bits in memory to be stored. On the
other hand an image that includes gray may require 2 bits
to represent every pixel value (00 - black, 01 – dark gray,
10 light gray, 11 white). So the same 10 x 10 pixel image
would now require 200 bits of memory to be stored.
Commonly used Image formats: jpg, png, bmp, etc.
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Data Representation…..
4. Audio: Data can also be in the form of sound which
can be recorded and broadcasted.
Example: What we hear on the radio is a source of
data or information. Audio data is continuous, not
discrete.
5. Video: Video refers to broadcasting of data in form
of picture or movie.

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A Simple Communication Model

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Characteristics of a Data Communication
System

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Transmission Method
 In data communication system the method used to
establish link to different devices and bit
synchronization with time for data transmission within
is called data transmission method.
 Types of data transmission method:

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Types of Data Transmission
 Based on number of wire connections data
transmission methods are of two types.
 Such as:
 Parallel data Transmission
 Serial data Transmission

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Parallel Data Transmission
 In Parallel data transmission, multiple data bits are sent
at the same time over multiple channels.
 Each channel carries one bit at the same time.

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Parallel Transmission..
Parallel transmission allows transfers of multiple data
bits at the same time over separate media.
• It is used with a wired medium
• The signals on all wires are synchronized so that a
bit travels across each of the wires at precisely the
same time

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Parallel Transmission…
The figure omits two important details:
1. A parallel interface usually contains other wires that allow
the sender and receiver to coordinate
2. To make installation and troubleshooting easy, the wires
are placed in a single physical cable

A parallel mode of transmission

has two chief advantages:
(1) High speed--it can send
N bits at the same time.
(2) It can match the speed
of the underlying hardware.
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Parallel Transmission….
 Parallel transmission is used when:
 A large amount of data is being sent.
 The data being sent is time-sensitive.
 And the data needs to be sent quickly.
 For example- Parallel transmission is used to send data

in video streaming. Because video streaming requires

the transmission of large volumes of data. The data
being sent is also time-sensitive as slow data streams
result in poor viewer experience.

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Parallel Transmission…..
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Parallel
Transmission:
 The main advantages of parallel transmission over

serial transmission are:

 It is easier to program;
 And data is sent faster.
 Although parallel transmission can transfer data

faster, it requires more transmission channels than

serial transmission. that means expensive.

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Serial Data Transmission
 In Serial data transmission, data bits are sent one after
another over a single channel.
 Each bit has a clock pulse rate.
 Eight bits are transmitted at a time with a start and stop
bit known as a parity bit, which is 0 and 1, respectively.
 It is viewed as a reliable data transmission method
because a data bit is only sent if the previous data bit has
already been received.
 It ensures that data integrity is maintained as it transmits
the data bits in a specific order, one after another.
 In this way, data bits are received in-sync with one
another.
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Serial Transmission..
Serial transmission sends one bit at a time.
Most communication systems use serial mode, because:
• serial networks can be extended over long distances at
less cost
• using only one physical wire means that there is never
a timing problem caused by one wire being slightly
longer than another

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Serial Data Transmission…

 Serial transmission is normally used for long-distance data transfer.

 It is also used in cases where the amount of data being sent is
relatively small.
 Example: Data is exchanged in Modem, Mouse, etc. in serial data
transmission method.
 Advantages: It requires only one transmission channel. that means
economical.
 Disadvantage: Data is sent slower.
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Serial Transmission….

Sender and receiver must contain a hardware that converts data

from the parallel form used in the device to the serial form used
on the wire.
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Transmission Order: Bits and Bytes
In serial mode, when sending bits, which bit should be sent across
the medium first?
Consider an integer: Should a sender transmit
• the Most Significant Bit (MSB) first?
• the Least Significant Bit (LSB) first?
Terminology:
• little-endian describes a system that sends the LSB first.
• big-endian describes a system that sends the MSB first .
Either form can be used, but the sender and receiver must agree.
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Big Endian and Little Endian
• Endianness is a term that describes the order in which a
sequence of bytes is stored in computer memory.
Endianness can be either big or small, with the adjectives
referring to which value is stored first.
• Big-endian is an order in which the "big end" (most
significant value in the sequence) is stored first, at the
lowest storage address. Little-endian is an order in which
the "little end" (least significant value in the sequence) is
stored first.
• Big Endian Byte Order: The most significant byte (the
"big end") of the data is placed at the byte with the lowest
address. The rest of the data is placed in order in the next
three bytes in memory.
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Big Endian and Little Endian..
• Little Endian Byte Order: The least significant byte (the
"little end") of the data is placed at the byte with the lowest
address. The rest of the data is placed in order in the next three
bytes in memory.
• In these definitions, the data, a 32-bit pattern, is regarded as a
32-bit unsigned integer. The "most significant" byte is the one
for the largest powers of two: 231, ..., 224. The "least significant"
byte is the one for the smallest powers of two: 27, ..., 20.
• For example, say that the 32-bit pattern 0x12345678 is stored
at address 0x00400000. The most significant byte is 0x12; the
least significant is 0x78.
• Within a byte the order of the bits is the same for all
computers (no matter how the bytes themselves are arranged).

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Big Endian and Little Endian...

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Transmission Order: Bits and Bytes..
Additionally, the order the bytes are sent must be determined.
• Data in a computer is divided into bytes, and each byte is further
divided into bits (typically 8 bits per byte)
Thus, it is possible to choose a byte order and a bit order independently.
For example, Ethernet specifies that data is sent byte big-endian and bit
little-endian.

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Comparison between Serial and
Parallel Transmission

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Types of Serial Transmission
 There are three types of serial data transmission methods
based on bit synchronization and time control.
• Asynchronous transmission can occur at any time
• Synchronous transmission occurs continuously
• Isochronous transmission occurs at regular intervals
 These transmission methods use bit synchronization.
 Bit synchronization is necessary to identify the beginning and
end of the data transmission.
 Bit synchronization supports the receiving computer to
recognize when data begins and ends during a transmission.
 Therefore, bit synchronization offers timing control.

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Asynchronous Transmission
 In this transmission method one byte data or a
character is sent from one device to another with
uneven time interval between two character transfer.
 Whenever data is propagated it is sent at once.
 Thus no memory is required for storing data.
 Normally a start bit and a stop bit is added with the
data and total 10 bit data is sent.

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Asynchronous Transmission..
 Sometimes a parity bit is added before stop bit for
error checking.

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Asynchronous Transmission…
Asynchronous transmission allows the physical medium
to be idle for an arbitrary amount of time between two
transmissions.
It is well-suited to applications that generate data at
random time intervals.
For example:
• a user typing on a keyboard
• a user that clicks on a hyperlink
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Asynchronous Transmission….
 Asynchronous Transmission is a mode of serial transmission
for modems and other telecommunication devices in which
the data is transmitted as a continuous stream of bytes
separated by start and stop bits.
 In a nutshell, asynchronous communication is any
communication that does not take place in real-time.
 Emails, forum comments and corporate intranet are examples
of asynchronous communication we deal with every day.

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Asynchronous Transmission…..
 Advantages-
 No synchronization is required between the transmitter and receiver
devices. Sender can directly transmit data and the receiver can receive
that data.
 The sender does not require any primary storage device.
 Cost is very low to implement this method.
 It is convenient while transmitting a little amount of data.
 Disadvantages-
 Data transmission speed is very low.
 Efficiency is comparatively less.
 Uses-
 Computer to Printer
 Card reader to computer
 Computer to card reader
 Keyboard to computer
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Efficiency of Asynchronous
Transmission

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Efficiency of Asynchronous
Transmission..
 Example: Determine the efficiency of 20KB data
transmission using Asynchronous transmission method.
 Solution:
 Actual data =
20KB=20×8Kb=160Kb=1000×160b=160000 bit
 Overhead data bit required for each group of 8 bit = 3 bit
 So Total overhead data bits required for 160000 bit data
transmission =(3/8)× 160000 = 60000 bit
 Total bits = Actual data bit + overhead data bits
= 160000 bit + 60000 bit = 220000 bit
 So, Efficiency = (160000/220000) × 100% = 73%
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Synchronous Transmission
 In this transmission method data is sent block(chunks
or frames) by block from one device to another with
even time interval between two block transfer.
 Data is stored in memory before sending to divide it

into several blocks.

 Then it is transmitted block by block with regular

interval.
 A block consist of several characters (Normally 128,

256, 512, 1024 characters) having header information

(16 bits) at the beginning and trailer information (16
bits) at the end.

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Synchronous Transmission..

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Synchronous Transmission…
 The term synchronous is used to describe a continuous
and consistent timed transfer of data blocks.
 These types of connections are used when large amounts

of data must be transferred very quickly from one

location to the other.
 Synchronous Transmission is efficient, reliable and is

used for transferring a large amount of data. It provides

real-time communication between connected devices.
 Chat Rooms, Video Conferencing, telephonic

conversations, as well as face to face interactions, are

some of the examples of Synchronous Transmission.

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Synchronous Transmission….
 Advantages-
 Efficiency is comparatively very high.
 Speed of data transmission is very high.
 No need to transmit start and stop bit.
 In case of transmitting a lot of data, this method is
suitable.
 Disadvantages-
 Primary storage device is required.
 Comparatively expensive.
 Synchronization between the source and target is required.
 Uses-
 Computer to Computer data transmission
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Efficiency of Synchronous
Transmission

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Efficiency of Synchronous
Transmission..
 Example: Determine the efficiency of 20KB data transmission
using Synchronous transmission method.
 Solution:
 Actual data = 20KB=20×8Kb=160Kb=1000×160b=160000 bit
 Suppose, a block having 80 characters, So block size = 80×8 bit =
640 bit
 Overhead data bit required for each block of 640 bit group = 32 bit
 So Total overhead data bits required for 160000 bit data
transmission = (32/640)× 160000 = 8000 bit
 Total bits = Actual data bit + overhead data bits = 160000 bit + 8000
bit = 168000 bit
 So, Efficiency = (160000/168000) × 100% = 95%
 The more a block has character the more method has efficiency.
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Isochronous Transmission
 Isochronous transmission is similar to synchronous
transmission but the time interval between blocks is
almost zero.
 An isochronous data transfer system combines the

features of an asynchronous and synchronous data

transfer system.
 Isochronous Transfers are used for transmitting real-

time information such as audio and video data, and

must be sent at a constant rate.
 USB isochronous data streams are allocated a dedicated

portion of USB bandwidth to ensure that data can be

delivered at the desired rate.
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Isochronous Transmission..
Isochronous transmission is designed to provide steady bit flow for
multimedia applications.
Isochronous networks are designed to accept and send data at a
fixed rate, R.
• This is ideal when delivering such data at a steady rate is
essential (jitters “rapid variations in a signal due to electric
disturbance” minimized).
• Network interface is set to transmit/receive exactly R bits per
second
Example: An isochronous mechanism designed to transfer voice
operates at a rate of 64,000 bps:
• A sender must generate digitized audio continuously
• A receiver must be able to accept and play the stream at
64,000 bps
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Isochronous Transmission…
 In this transmission synchronous and asynchronous data is
collected from several devices within a time slot (125
micro-second) and then passed those collected data as time
frame through a synchronous data link one after another.
 Advantages-
 Transmission speed is much higher.
 There is no need to pause between each character.
 Start bit at the beginning of each character and Stop bit at
the end is not required.
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Isochronous Transmission….
 Disadvantages-
 A primary storage device is required at the sender station.
 It is not possible to check whether the data block has

received the correct recipient and there is no error

correction.
 Relatively expensive.
 Uses-
 This method is usually used for data transfer in real time

applications.
 This method is used for data transmission for various

multimedia communications such as audio or video calls.

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Synchronous VS Asynchronous
Transmission

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Transmission Modes
 Transmission mode means transferring data between
two devices.
 It is also known as a communication mode.
 Buses and networks are designed to allow

communication to occur between individual devices

that are interconnected.
 There are three types of transmission mode:
 Simplex Mode
 Full-Duplex Mode
 Half-Duplex Mode

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Simplex Mode
 In Simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional,
as on a one-way street.
 Only one of the devices sends the data and the other one
only receives the data.
 Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit, the
other can only receive.
 The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the
channel to send data in one direction.
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Simplex Mode..
 Example: Keyboard and traditional monitors. The
keyboard can only introduce input, the monitor can only
give the output.
 A CPU send data while a monitor only receives data.
 A simplex mechanism can only transfer data in a single
direction. It is analogous to broadcast radio or television.
◦ One direction
 e.g. Television

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Full-Duplex Mode
 Full-duplex allows transmission in two directions simultaneously.
 In full-duplex mode, both stations can transmit and receive
simultaneously.
 In full duplex mode, signals going in one direction share the
capacity of the link with signals going in another 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 is divided between signals traveling in both
directions.
 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.
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Full-Duplex Mode..
 Example: Telephone Network in which there is
communication between two persons by a telephone line,
through which both can talk and listen at the same time.
 Both directions at the same time
 e.g. Telephone
 Mobile phones

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Half-Duplex Mode
 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.
 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.
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Half-Duplex Mode..
 A half-duplex mechanism involves a shared transmission
medium. The shared medium can be used for
communication in each direction but the communication
cannot proceed simultaneously.
 Example: Message is sent one at a time and messages are
sent in both directions.
◦ Either direction, but only one way at a time
 e.g. police radio
 Walkie-talkie

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Analog and Digital Data Transmission

 Data
◦ Entities that convey meaning
 Signals
◦ Electric or electromagnetic representations of data
 Transmission
◦ Communication of data by propagation and
processing of signals
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Analog and Digital Data
 Analog
◦ Continuous values within some interval
◦ e.g. sound, video
 Digital
◦ Discrete values
◦ e.g. text, integers

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Analog and Digital Signals
 Means by which data are propagated
 Analog

◦ Continuously variable
◦ Various media
 wire, fiber optic, space
◦ Speech bandwidth 100Hz to 7kHz
◦ Telephone bandwidth 300Hz to 3400Hz
◦ Video bandwidth 4MHz
 Digital

◦ Use two DC components

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Analog & Digital Signals

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Data and Signals
 Usually use digital signals for digital data and analog
signals for analog data
 Can use analog signal to carry digital data
◦ Modem
 Can use digital signal to carry analog data
◦ Compact Disc audio

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Analog Signals Carrying Analog and
Digital Data

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Digital Signals Carrying Analog and
Digital Data

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Transmission Impairments/Flaws
 Signal received may differ from signal transmitted
 Analog - degradation of signal quality
 Digital - bit errors
 Caused by
◦ Attenuation and attenuation distortion
◦ Delay distortion
◦ Noise
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Attenuation
 Signal strength falls off with distance
 Depends on medium
 Received signal strength:
◦ must be enough to be detected
◦ must be sufficiently higher than noise to be
received without error
 Attenuation is an increasing function of frequency
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Delay Distortion
 Only in guided media
 Propagation rate varies with frequency

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Noise
 Additional signals inserted between transmitter and
receiver
 Thermal

◦ Due to thermal disturbance of electrons

◦ Uniformly distributed
◦ White noise
 Inter-modulation

◦ Signals that are the sum and difference of original

frequencies sharing a medium

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Noise..
 Crosstalk
◦ A signal from one line is picked up by another
 Impulse
◦ Irregular pulses or spikes
◦ e.g. External electromagnetic interference
◦ Short duration
◦ High amplitude
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Channel Capacity
 Data rate
◦ In bits per second
◦ Rate at which data can be communicated
 Bandwidth
◦ In cycles per second of Hertz
◦ Constrained by transmitter and medium

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Assignment 1

 Low pass channel and Band pass channel

 Narrow bandwidth and Wide bandwidth
 Baseband transmission and broadband
transmission
 Submission through email at July 05, 2022.

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 Thanks
 FURTHER DISCUSSION

NEXT WEEK …………….

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