DATA COMMUNICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

When we communicate, we are sharing information. This

sharing can be local or remote. Between individuals, local
communication usually occurs face to face, while remote
communication takes place over distance. The term
telecommunication, which includes telephony, telegraphy, and
television, means communication at a distance (tele is Greek for
"far").
 INTRODUCTION
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. For data communications
to occur, the communicating devices must be part of a
communication system made up of a combination of
hardware (physical equipment) and software (programs).
 INTRODUCTION
The effectiveness of a data communications system
depends on four fundamental characteristics: delivery,
accuracy, timeliness, and jitter.
1. Delivery.
The system must deliver data to the correct destination.
Data must be received by the intended device or user
and only by that device or user.
 INTRODUCTION
2. Accuracy.
The system must deliver the data accurately. Data that have been
altered in transmission and left uncorrected are unusable.
3. Timeliness.
The system must deliver data in a timely manner. Data delivered late
are useless. In the case of video and audio, timely delivery means
delivering data as they are produced, in the same order that they are
produced, and without significant delay. This kind of delivery is called
real-time transmission.
 INTRODUCTION

4. Jitter.
Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It
is the uneven delay in the delivery of audio or video
packets. For example, let us assume that video packets
are sent every 30 ms. If some of the packets arrive with
3D-ms delay and others with 40-ms delay, an uneven
quality in the video is the result.
 INTRODUCTION
Components
A data communications system has five components
 INTRODUCTION

1. Message. The message is the information (data) to be communicated.

Popular forms of information include text, numbers, pictures, audio, and
video.
2. Sender. The sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be
a computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.
3. Receiver. The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can be
a computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, and so on.
 INTRODUCTION

4. Transmission medium. The transmission medium is the physical

path by which a message travels from sender to receiver. Some
examples of transmission media include twisted-pair wire, coaxial
cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio waves.
5. Protocol. A protocol is a set of rules that govern data
communications. It represents an agreement between the
communicating devices. Without a protocol, two devices may be
connected but not communicating, just as a person speaking
French cannot be understood by a person who speaks only
Japanese.
 DATA REPRESENTATION

Information today comes in different forms such as text, numbers, images,

audio, and video.
 DATA REPRESENTATION

• Text
In data communications, text is represented as a bit pattern, a sequence
of bits (Os or Is). Different sets of bit patterns have been designed to
represent text symbols. Each set is called a code, and the process of
representing symbols is called coding. Today, the prevalent coding
system is called Unicode, which uses 32 bits to represent a symbol or
character used in any language in the world. The American Standard
Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), developed some decades ago
in the United States, now constitutes the first 127 characters in Unicode
and is also referred to as Basic Latin. Appendix A includes part of the
Unicode.
 DATA REPRESENTATION

• Numbers
Numbers are also represented by bit patterns. However, a code
such as ASCII is not used to represent numbers; the number is
directly converted to a binary number to simplify mathematical
operations. Appendix B discusses several different numbering
systems.
 DATA REPRESENTATION
• Images
Images are also represented by bit patterns. In its simplest form, an image is
composed of a matrix of pixels (picture elements), where each pixel is a small
dot. The size of the pixel depends on the resolution. For example, an image can
be divided into 1000 pixels or 10,000 pixels. In the second case, there is a
better representation of the image (better resolution), but more memory is
needed to store the image.
After an image is divided into pixels, each pixel is assigned a bit pattern.
The size and the value of the pattern depend on the image. For an image made
of only black-and-white dots (e.g., a chessboard), a I-bit pattern is enough to
represent a pixel.
 IMAGE (CONTINUATION)

If an image is not made of pure white and pure black pixels, you can
increase the size of the bit pattern to include gray scale. For example, to
show four levels of gray scale, you can use 2-bit patterns. A black pixel can
be represented by 00, a dark gray pixel by 01, a light gray pixel by 10, and a
white pixel by 11.
There are several methods to represent color images. One method is
called RGB, so called because each color is made of a combination of three
primary colors: red, green, and blue. The intensity of each color is measured,
and a bit pattern is assigned to it. Another method is called YCM, in which a
color is made of a combination of three other primary colors: yellow, cyan,
and magenta.
 DATA REPRESENTATION
• Audio
Audio refers to the recording or broadcasting of sound or music.
Audio is by nature different from text, numbers, or images. It is
continuous, not discrete. Even when we use a microphone to
change voice or music to an electric signal, we create a
continuous signal.
 DATA REPRESENTATION
• Video
Video refers to the recording or broadcasting of a picture
or movie. Video can either be produced as a continuous
entity (e.g., by a TV camera), or it can be a combination
of images, each a discrete entity, arranged to convey
the idea of motion
 DATA FLOW
Communication between two devices can be simplex, half-duplex, or full-
duplex
 DATA FLOW

• Simplex
In simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional, as on a one-
way street. Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit; the other
can only receive.
Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex devices.
The keyboard can only introduce input; the monitor can only accept
output. The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the channel to
send data in one direction.
 DATA FLOW

• Half-Duplex
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 like a one-lane road with traffic allowed in both
directions. When cars are traveling in one direction, cars going the other way must wait.
In a half-duplex transmission, the entire capacity of a channel is taken over by whichever
of the two devices is transmitting at the time. Walkie-talkies and CB (citizens band)
radios are both half-duplex systems.
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.
 DATA FLOW

• Full-Duplex
In full-duplex mode (alsa called duplex), both stations can transmit
and receive simultaneously.
The full-duplex mode is like a two-way street with traffic flowing
in both directions at the same time. In full-duplex mode, signals going
in one direction share the capacity of the link: with signals going in
the other 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 of the channel is
divided between signals traveling in both directions.
 FULL-DUPLEX (CONTINUATION)

One common example of full-duplex communication is the telephone

network. When two people are communicating by a telephone line, both can
talk and listen at the same time.
The 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.