COMPUTER NETWORKS 1

Course Aim
This course intends to impart to the
networking principles, networking
devices, network configuration and
troubleshooting.

Course Outcomes
Identify the basics of data transmission
and transmission media.
Identify types of computer networks
Identify network hardware and software.
Describe network protocols and layers
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Teaching and learning activities: This module will be
conducted through Lectures, Laboratory work, guided
independent work, short practical/theoretical tests.

Integrated Method of Assessment: Course

assessment will include take home exercises, class tests,
group/individual assignments, quiz and end of Semester
examination.
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Continuous Assessment
Coursework 40%
End of Semester Exam 60%

Assessment breakdown:
TEST1 15 Marks
Quiz 05Marks
TES11 15 Marks
Group Assignment 05 Marks

TOTAL = 40%(CA)

Final Exam 60% 4

Resources

Books
1. Computer Networks 5th Edition by Andrew S. Tanenbaum,
David J. Wetherall Publisher: Pearson; (2010)
2. CCNA Routing and Switching Complete Study Guide: Exam
100-105, Exam 200-105, Exam 200-1252nd Edition by Todd
Lammle Publisher: Sybex; 2 edition (2016)
3. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach 7th Edition by
James Kurose, Keith Ross Publisher: Pearson; (2016)

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Data Communications

When we communicate, we are sharing information.

This sharing can be local or remote. That between individuals, local

communication usually occurs face to face, while remote
communication takes place over 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.
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).
The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four
fundamental characteristics: delivery, accuracy, timeliness, and jitter.
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.

Accuracy: The system must deliver the data accurately. Data that
have been altered in transmission and left uncorrected are
unusable.
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.

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 30-ms delay and others with 40-ms delay, an
uneven quality in the video is the result.
Components
 A data communications system has five components
 Message: The message is the information (data) to be communicated. Popular
forms of information include text, numbers, pictures, audio, and video.

 Sender: The sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be
a computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.
 Receiver: The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can be
a computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, and so on.
 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.
 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.
 Text: In data communications, text is represented as a bit pattern, a
sequence of bits (0s or 1s).
 Each set is called a code, and the process of representing symbols is
called coding.

 Numbers are also represented by bit patterns. the number is

directly converted to a binary number to simplify mathematical
operations.
 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.
 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.

 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
 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.

Simplex
 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.

Half-duplex

 Full-Duplex: In full-duplex mode (also called duplex), both stations

can transmit and receive simultaneously.
 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.
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.
These devices in a network are connected using wired or
wireless transmission media such as cable or air.
Computer network refers to an interconnected collection of
autonomous computers.
 Two computers are said to be interconnected if they are able to
exchange the information.
 If one computer can forcibly start, stop and control another one,
the computers are not autonomous.
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There is considerable confusion in the literature between a
computer network and a distributed system.
In a Distributed system, the existence of multiple
autonomous computers is transparent(i.e., not visible) to the
user.
 The user of a distributed system is not aware of that there are
multiple processors; it looks like a virtual uniprocessor.
With a network, users must explicitly log onto one machine,
explicitly submit jobs remotely, explicitly move files around
and generally handle all the network management personally.
The distinction between Network and distributed system lies
with software (OS) rather than software.
In network user invokes, in distributed system the system
invokes. 1
Network Criteria
A network must be able to meet a certain number of criteria. The
most important of these are performance, reliability, and security.
Performance: Performance can be measured in many ways,
including transit time and response time.
 Transit time is the amount of time required for a message to
travel from one device to another. Response time is the elapsed
time between an inquiry and a response.
Reliability: In addition to accuracy of delivery, network reliability is
measured by the frequency of failure, the time it takes a link to
recover from a failure, and the network’s robustness in a
catastrophe.
Security: Network security issues include protecting data from
unauthorized access, protecting data from damage and
development, and implementing policies and procedures for
recovery from breaches and data losses.
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Type of Connection
There are two possible types of connections: point-to-point and
multipoint.
Point-to-Point: A point-to-point connection provides a
dedicated link between two devices. The entire capacity of the
link is reserved for transmission between those two devices.
 Most point-to-point connections use an actual length of wire or cable
to connect the two ends.
Multipoint: A multipoint (also called multidrop) connection is
one in which more than two specific devices share a single link.
 In a multipoint environment, the capacity of the channel is shared,
either spatially or temporally.
 If several devices can use the link simultaneously, it is a
spatially shared connection. If users must take turns, it is a
timeshared connection.
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Types of connections: point-to-point and multipoint

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Network Types
The criteria of distinguishing one type of network from
another is difficult and sometimes confusing.
We use a few criteria such as size, geographical coverage,
and ownership to make this distinction.

Local Area Network (LANs)

A local area network (LAN) is usually privately owned and
connects some hosts in a single office, building, or campus.
 Depending on the needs of an organization, a LAN can be as simple
as two PCs and a printer in someone’s home office, or it can extend
throughout a company and include audio and video devices.
 Each host in a LAN has an identifier, an address, that
uniquely defines the host in the LAN.
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When LANs are used by companies, they are called
enterprise networks.
 This device, called an AP (Access Point), wireless router, or base
station, relays packets between the wireless computers and
also between them and the Internet.
 There is a standard for wireless LANs called IEEE
802.11, popularly known as Wi-Fi, which has become
very widespread.

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Metropolitan Area Networks(MAN)
A MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a city.

MAN is between the LAN and WAN, it covers a slightly wider area
than the LAN but not so wide as to be considered a WAN.
MANs are rarely talked about because they are quiet often
overshadowed by cousin LAN to the left and cousin WAN to the
right.
The best-known examples of MANs are the cable television
networks available in many cities. 2
Wide Area Network
 A wide area network (WAN), is a network made up of one or more clusters of
network elements and their resources, scattered over a wide geographical
area as in a region of a country or across the whole country, several countries,
or the entire globe.
 However, there are some differences between a LAN and a WAN.
 A LAN is normally limited in size, spanning an office, a building, or a campus; a
WAN has a wider geographical span, spanning a town, a state, a country, or even
the world.
 A LAN interconnects hosts; a WAN interconnects connecting devices such
as switches, routers, or modems.
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A LAN is normally privately owned by the organization
that uses it; a WAN is normally created and run by
communication companies and leased by an organization
that uses it.

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Network models
Peer-to-peer
A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a type of decentralized
and distributed network architecture in which individual
nodes in the network (called "peers") act as both
suppliers and consumers of resources.
Peers make a portion of their resources, such as
processing power, disk storage or network bandwidth,
directly available to other network participants,
without the need for central coordination by servers
or stable hosts.

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Networks in which all computers have equal status are
called peer-to-peer or P2P networks.
In a peer-to-peer network, tasks (such as searching for
files or streaming audio/video) are shared amongst
multiple interconnected peers who each make a
portion of their resources directly available to
other network participants, without the need for
centralized coordination by servers

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Client–server Model
The client–server model is a computing model that
acts as distributed application which partitions tasks or
workloads between the providers of a resource or service,
called servers, and service requesters, called clients.
A server machine is a host that is running one or more
server programs which share their resources with clients.
A client does not share any of its resources, but requests a
server's content or service function.
Clients therefore initiate communication sessions with
servers which await incoming requests.
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Summary
 Definition of Data
 Distributed
Communications
system
 Characteristics of
 Data  Network criteria
data
communication representation  Types of
 Components of  Data flow connection
data  Definition of  Network types
communication network  Network models

“Do something
today that your
future self will
thank you for.”
– Sean Patrick
Flanery