Introduction to

Concepts of
Computer Networks

Mvula. L
 Outline
• Definition of Networking
2

• Transmission methods

• Simplex, half duplex, full duplex communication

• Network devices

• Network interface cards

• Hubs, repeaters, Switches, bridges, Routers, cables,

etc

• Internet Protocol Address

• TCP/IP Configuration

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

• Subnet Mask

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 Outline
3 • Practical Router Configuration

• IP Address and Subnetworks

• IP Address Configuration

• Default Gateway IP Addresses

• Domain Name System (DNS) IP Addresses

• Network types

• Tutorial

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 4
Definition of Computer Network
Computer network consists of two or more computing devices
that are connected in order to share the its resources and the
information.
This interconnection among computers and other peripherals
they provide numerous advantages:
• Resource sharing such as printers and storage devices
• Exchange of information by means of e-Mails and FTP
• Information sharing by using Web or Internet
• Interaction with other users using dynamic web pages
• IP phones
• Video conferences
• Instant messaging

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Data transmission
Data is transmitted from the Source to the
Destination

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Data transmission
🠶 Source. This device generates the data to
be transmitted; examples are computers
or smart phones
🠶 Transmitter: Transforms and Encodes The
Information In such a away as to produce
electromagnetic signals that can be
transmitted across some sort of
transmission system

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 Transmission system
7

🠶 Transmission system: This can be a single

transmission line or a complex network
connecting source and destination
🠶 Receiver: accepts the signal from the
transmission system and converts it into a
form that can be handled by the
destination device
🠶 Destination: Takes the incoming data
from the receiver

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 8
Simplex, half duplex and full
duplex Transmission
Simplex
❑ one direction. eg. television

Half duplex
❑ either direction, but only one way at a

time. eg. police radio

Full duplex
❑ Both directions at the same time. eg.
telephone
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9 TRANSMISSION MEDIA
🠶 Transmission media is a pathway that
carries the information from sender to
receiver. We use different types of
methods to transmit data. Data is
transmitted normally through electrical
or electromagnetic signals using guided
and unguided media.

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10 CLASSES OF TRANSMISSION MEDIA

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 GUIDED MEDIA
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🠶 Guided Media or Wired Transmission
Media is the transmission media that use
tangible cables or have physical existence
and are limited by the physical geography.
🠶 Popular guided transmission media in use
are twisted pair cable, co-axial cable and
fiber optical cable. Each of them has its
own characteristics like transmission speed,
effect of noise, physical appearance, cost
etc.

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12 GUIDED MEDIA

Transmission capacity depends on the distance and

on whether the medium is point-to-point or
multipoint
🠶 Examples
🠶 twisted pair wires
🠶 coaxial cables
🠶 optical fiber

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13
UNGUIDED MEDIA
🠶 Unguided media transport
electromagnetic waves without
using a physical connection.
This type of communication use
radio waves of different
frequencies and standards
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14 Common Network standards

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Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI)
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▪ The OSI model describes computing functions into a
universal set of rules and requirements in order to
support interoperability between different products
and software.
▪ OSI model breaks down data transmission over a
series of seven layers, each of which is responsible
for performing specific tasks concerning sending
and receiving data.
▪ The process of communication between two
endpoints in a network is divided into seven distinct
groups of related functions, or layers. Each
communicating user or program is on a device that
can provide those seven layers of function
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 Layer 1: The physical layer
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▪ The physical layer: Transports data using
electrical signals. This layer is responsible for
sending computer bits from one device to another
along the network.
▪ Physical Layer determines how physical
connections to the network are set up and how bits
are represented into predictable signals as they are
transmitted either electrically, optically or via
radio waves.

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 Layer 2: data-link layer
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▪ Data Link layer is responsible for providing
reliable data transfer over the physical layer.
When a packet arrives in a network, it is the
responsibility of DLL to transmit it to the Host using
its MAC address. Data Link Layer is divided into
two sub layers :
1. Logical Link Control (LLC)
2. Media Access Control (MAC)

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 Layer 2: data-link layer
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Logical Link Control (LLC)

Logical Link Control (LLC) is a sublayer
that provides the logic for the data link
as it controls the synchronization,
multiplexing, flow control, and even
error-checking functions of DLL (Data
Link Layer).

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 Layer 2: data-link layer
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Media Access Control (MAC)
MAC Address (Also known as physical address )is
the unique identifier of each host and is associated
with its NIC (Network Interface Card)
▪ MAC address is assigned to the NIC at the time
of manufacturing and the length of the MAC
address is : 12-nibble/ 6 bytes/ 48 bits
▪ Data Link Layer Framing: Framing provides a way
for a sender to transmit a set of bits that are
meaningful to the receiver. This can be
accomplished by attaching special bit patterns
to the beginning and end of the frame.

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20 Layer 3: Network Layer
The Network Layer Primary function is to move
data from the source-to- destination and delivery
of packets across multiple networks (links).
Whereas the data link layer oversees the delivery
of a packet between two systems on the same
network (links), the network layer ensures that
each packet gets from its source to its final
destination.
It also breaks the messages that has to be sent
into packets and to assemble incoming packets
into messages for higher levels.

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 Layer 4: The transport layer
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🠶 Transport layers work transparently within the layers above to
deliver and receive data without errors. It determines how
much data to send, where it gets sent and at what rate. The
Transmission Control Protocol is the best known example of
the transport layer.
🠶 Transport Layer header includes service point address which
is a port address. This layer gets each packet to the correct
computer.
🠶 A message is divided into segments; each segment contains
sequence number, which enables this layer in reassembling
the message. Message is reassembled correctly upon arrival
at the destination and replaces packets which were lost in
transmission.

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 22 Layer 5: The session layer
🠶 Session layer main aim is to establish and maintain the
interaction between communicating systems. Session layer
manages and synchronize the conversation between two
different applications. In Session layer, streams of data are
marked and are resynchronized properly, so that the ends of
the messages are not cut prematurely and data loss is
avoided.
🠶 This layer determines how long a system will wait for another
application to respond.
🠶 Example: If a system is sending a file of 800 pages, adding
checkpoints after every 50 pages is recommended. This ensures
that 50 page unit is successfully received and acknowledged. This is
beneficial at the time of crash, if a crash happens at page number
110; there is no need to retransmit 1 to100 pages.

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23 Layer 6: The presentation layer
🠶 Presentation layer takes care that the data is
sent in such a way that the receiver will
understand the information(data) and will be
able to use the data. Languages(syntax) can
be different of the two communicating
systems. Under this condition presentation
layer plays a role translator.
🠶 In order to make it possible for computers with
different data representations to
communicate, the data structures to be
exchanged are defined or encoded in a
standard agreed upon way. eg: String, double
or date.
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 Layer 7: The application layer
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🠶 The application layer enables the user (human) to
interact with the application or network to read
messages, transfer files or perform other network-
related activities. The Application Layer contains
a variety of protocols that are commonly needed
by users. One widely-used application protocol
is HTTP(HyperText Transfer Protocol), which is
the basis for the World Wide Web. When a
browser wants a web page, it sends the name of
the page it wants to the server using HTTP. The
server then sends the page back.

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25 OSI MODEL

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 The 7 Layers of the OSI Model
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🠶 In this architecture, each layer serves the

layer above it and, in turn, is served by the
layer below it. So, in a given message
between users, there will be a flow of data
down through the layers in the source
computer, across the network, and then up
through the layers in the receiving
computer. Only the application layer, at
the top of the stack, doesn’t provide
services to a higher-level layer.

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Encapsulation and decapsulation
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summary
• A message begins at the
top application layer and
moves down the OSI layers
to the bottom physical
layer.
• As the message descends,
each successive OSI model
layer adds a header to it.
• A header is layer-specific
information that basically
explains what functions the
layer carried out.
• Conversely, at the receiving
end, headers are striped
from the message as it
travels up the
corresponding layers.

EEE 6211,UNZA *
28 OSI MODEL

🠶 The seven layers of function are provided by a

combination of applications, operating
systems, network card device drivers and
networking hardware that enable a system to
transmit a signal over a network Ethernet or
fiber optic cable or through Wi-Fi or
other wireless protocols.

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29
Network devices

Any type of hardware capable of transmitting data,

instructions, and information between devices; Examples
🠶 modem
🠶 Network interface cards
🠶 Hubs, repeaters
🠶 Switches, bridges,
🠶 Routers
🠶 Wireless routers
🠶 Access point
🠶 cables

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30 Network Interface Cards (NIC’s)

🠶 This NIC Has

Interfaces For
Twisted Pair,
Thicknet, And
Thinnet Connectors
🠶 Provides A Link For
Connecting Any
Two Data
Communication
Devices.
🠶 Layer 1 Device

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31
Modem

🠶 Converts The Computer-

generated Digital Signals
Of A Computer Into
Analog Signals
🠶 Consists Of A Modulator
And A Demodulator
🠶 Can Be External, Internal,
Wireless
🠶 Layer 1 Device

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Repeaters
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🠶 Device That Receives A Signal And

Retransmits It.
🠶 Repeaters Are Used To Extend
Transmissions So That The Signal
Can Cover Longer Distances Or
🠶 Be Received On The Other Side Of
An Obstruction.
🠶 Repeaters Regenerate A Poor
Signal Arising From Fading Effects.
🠶 Layer 1 Device

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33
Hubs
🠶 Hubs Regenerate And Retime
Network Signals
🠶 Hubs Propagate Signals
Through The Network
🠶 They Cannot Filter Network
Traffic
🠶 They Cannot Determine Best
Path
🠶 They Are Used As Network
Concentration Points
🠶 They Are Really Multi-port
Repeaters
🠶 Layer 1 Device

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34
Bridges

🠶 designed to create two

or more LAN segments,
each of which is a
separate collision
domain.
🠶 The purpose is to filter
traffic on a LAN, to
keep local traffic local,
yet allow connectivity
to other segments of
the network.
🠶 Layer 2 devices

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35
Switches

🠶 Each Port Is a
Simulated Segment to
Itself
🠶 Switches can Identify
the Destination of a
Packet-intelligent
Device.
🠶 Layer 2/3 Devices

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Routers
36

🠶 Makes routing decisions

of user data based on
destination address
🠶 Can be connected
within a local area
network
🠶 Layer 3 devices

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Wireless Router

🠶 A wireless router is a
device that performs the
functions of a router and
also includes the
functions of a wireless
access point.
🠶 It can function in a wired
LAN (local area
network), in a wireless-
only LAN (WLAN), or
🠶 in a mixed wired/wireless
network, depending on
the manufacturer and
model.
🠶 Layer 3 device

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 38
Gateway
🠶 Like the router, makes routing
decision between two or more
networks/internetwork.
🠶 Considers source and destination
address
🠶 Layer 3 devices

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Access point (AP)
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🠶 An access point receives data by

wired Ethernet, and converts to a
2.4Gig or 5Gig Hz wireless signal.
🠶 It sends and receives wireless
traffic to and from nearby
wireless clients.
🠶 Layer 3 device