BIT323: Data Communication and Networking

Take-Away Continuous Assessment Test (CAT)

MOBBY MULESHE
GS230185BSIT

SECTION A: THEORETICAL QUESTIONS (50 Marks)

1. Data Communication System Components (10 Marks)
a. List and briefly describe the five fundamental components of a data communications system.
(5 Marks)
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.
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.

b. Using a practical example of your choice (e.g., sending an email, streaming a video), explain
the role of the protocol component in that specific scenario. (5 Marks)
Using the practical example of sending an email, the protocol component plays a crucial role
in ensuring that the message is properly formatted, transmitted, and received according to agreed
communication rules.
When a user sends an email from their computer (the sender) to another user’s inbox (the
receiver), several protocols are involved. For example, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(SMTP) defines how the email is sent from the sender’s mail client to the mail server and then
forwarded to the recipient’s mail server. On the receiving end, protocols such as Post Office
Protocol (POP3) or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) define how the recipient
retrieves or accesses the message.
Without these protocols, the email data would not be structured or transmitted in a way that the
receiving system can understand, resulting in failed or unreadable communication. Thus,
protocols ensure compatibility, reliability, and successful data exchange between different
systems.

2. Network Topologies and Models (15 Marks)

a. Compare and contrast Mesh and Star topologies based on the following criteria: (6 Marks)
Cost of Implementation
Reliability and Robustness
Ease of Troubleshooting

Criteria Mesh Topology Star Topology

Cost of Implementation Very expensive to implement Less expensive compared to

because each device requires mesh since each device
a dedicated connection to connects only to a central hub,
every other device, leading to reducing the amount of
high cabling and hardware cabling and hardware needed.
costs.
Reliability and Robustness Highly reliable and robust - Moderately reliable — if one
failure of one link does not link fails, only that device is
affect communication affected; however, if the hub
between other devices, and fails, the entire network goes
alternate paths are available. down.
Ease of Troubleshooting Easier to isolate faults Easy to troubleshoot since the
because of dedicated links; hub can monitor connections
problems can be pinpointed and identify faulty links
precisely, but managing many quickly; fewer connections
links can be complex. make fault detection simpler.
b. The TCP/IP model is a cornerstone of modern networking.
List its five layers. (2 Marks)
Application
Transport
Internetwork
Datalink
Physical

Explain the primary responsibility of the Network Layer (Internetwork Layer). (3 Marks)
The internet layer, also called the network layer, deals with packets and connects independent
networks to transport the packets across network boundaries. The network layer protocols are IP
and Internet Control Message Protocol, which are used for error reporting.

Which layer in the TCP/IP model is equivalent to the combined Session, Presentation, and
Application layers of the OSI model? (1 Mark)
Application Layer

What is the fundamental difference between the services provided by TCP and UDP at the
Transport Layer? (3 Marks)
The fundamental difference is that TCP is connection-oriented and reliable, ensuring data arrives
in order, while UDP is connectionless and unreliable, prioritizing speed over guaranteed delivery.
TCP uses a three-way handshake to establish a connection before sending data and includes
mechanisms like sequencing and acknowledgements to guarantee that packets are reassembled
correctly and received. In contrast, UDP is "fire-and-forget," sending data packets without prior
connection or retransmission of lost packets, making it faster but less reliable.

3. Signals and Transmission (15 Marks)

a. Explain the difference between Analog and Digital signals. Your answer should include a
simple sketch of each. (5 Marks)
 Aspect Analog Signal Digital Signal

Nature Continuous in both time and Discrete in both time and

amplitude; varies smoothly amplitude; represented by
over time. binary values (0s and 1s).
Representation Represented as a continuous Represented as a square
waveform. waveform.
Example Sound waves, temperature Data transmission in
variations. computers, digital
communication.

b. Define Bandwidth in the context of a composite signal. If a composite signal has a lowest
frequency of 200 Hz and a highest frequency of 3.2 kHz, what is its bandwidth? (4 Marks)
In the context of a composite signal, bandwidth refers to the range of frequencies contained
within the signal - specifically, the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies
present.
Bandwidth = Highest frequency – Lowest frequency
= 3200Hz – 200hz
Bandwidth = 3000Hz or 3kHz

c. A student states: "We can achieve any data rate we want on a noiseless channel simply by
increasing the number of signal levels." Is this statement entirely accurate? Justify your answer
by referring to the Nyquist Bit Rate formula and its practical implications. (6 Marks)
Nyquist Bit Rate formula: Bit Rate = 2 x B x Log2 L
Where:
B = Bandwidth (Hz)
L = Number of signal levels
Bit Rate = Maximum data rate (bps)

Explanation:

 According to the formula, increasing the number of signal levels LLL does increase the
data rate theoretically.
 However, in practical communication systems, the statement is not entirely accurate
because:
1. As LLL increases, the difference between signal levels becomes smaller, making
it harder to distinguish them in the presence of noise and hardware limitations.
2. Transmitter and receiver accuracy limit how many distinct levels can be reliably
detected.
3. Beyond a certain point, increasing LLL leads to errors and distortion, rather than a
higher effective data rate.

Conclusion:
While the Nyquist formula suggests that higher signal levels increase data rate in a noiseless
channel, practical limitations such as signal distortion, synchronization errors, and finite
precision make it impossible to achieve unlimited data rates in reality.

4. Transmission Impairments and Performance (10 Marks)

a. Briefly describe the three main types of transmission impairment: Attenuation, Distortion, and
Noise. (6 Marks)
Attenuation - Attenuation means a loss of energy. When a signal, simple or composite, travels
through a medium, it loses some of its energy in overcoming the resistance of the medium. That
is why a wire carrying electric signals gets warm, if not hot, after a while. Some of the electrical
energy in the signal is converted to heat. To compensate for this loss, amplifiers are used to
amplify the signal
Distortion - Distortion means that the signal changes its form or shape. Distortion can occur in a
composite signal made of different frequencies. Each signal component has its own propagation
speed through a medium and, therefore, its own delay in arriving at the final destination.
Differences in delay may create a difference in phase if the delay is not exactly the same as the
period duration. In other words, signal components at the receiver have phases different from
what they had at the sender. The shape of the composite signal is therefore not the same.
Noise - Noise is another cause of impairment. Several types of noise, such as thermal noise,
induced noise, crosstalk, and impulse noise, may corrupt the signal. Thermal noise is the random
motion of electrons in a wire which creates an extra signal not originally sent by the transmitter.
Induced noise comes from sources such as motors and appliances. These devices act as a sending
antenna, and the transmission medium acts as the receiving antenna. Crosstalk is the effect of one
wire on the other. One wire acts as a sending antenna and the other as the receiving antenna.
Impulse noise is a spike (a signal with high energy in a very short time) that comes from power
lines, lightning, and so on.
b. Differentiate between Bandwidth in Hertz and Throughput in bits per second. Why can
throughput be significantly less than the bandwidth of a channel? (4 Marks)

Aspect Bandwidth (in Hertz) Throughput (in bits per

second)
Definition Bandwidth refers to the range Throughput refers to the actual
of frequencies that a rate at which data is
communication channel can successfully transmitted over a
carry, measured in Hertz (Hz). network, measured in bits per
It represents the capacity of the second (bps).
channel.
Nature It is a theoretical limit or It is the real-world
maximum potential of the performance observed during
channel. data transmission.
Focus Focuses on the frequency range Focuses on the effective data
available for data transmission. rate achieved after considering
delays, errors, and
retransmissions.

Throughput is often significantly lower than bandwidth because of factors such as:
 Network congestion and shared medium usage.
 Protocol overheads (e.g., headers, acknowledgments, error checking).
  Noise and interference causing retransmissions.
 Hardware and software limitations in transmitting or processing data.

SECTION B: PRACTICAL / CALCULATION QUESTIONS (50 Marks)

5. Bandwidth and Data Rate Calculations (15 Marks)
a. A noiseless channel with a bandwidth of 4 kHz is used to transmit data.
What is the Nyquist maximum data rate if the signal is encoded using 2 levels (Binary)?
(3 Marks)
Bit rate = 2 x bandwidth x Log2L, where L is the no. of levels
= 2 x 4000 x Log22
Bit rate = 8000bps

What is the Nyquist maximum data rate if the signal is encoded using 16 levels? (3 Marks)
Bit rate = 2 x bandwidth x Log2L
=2 x 4000 x Log216
Bit rate = 32000bps

However, practically there is a limit. When we increase the number of signal levels, we impose a
burden on the receiver. If the number of levels in a signal is just 2, the receiver can easily
distinguish between a 0 and a 1. If the level of a signal is 16, the receiver must be very
sophisticated to distinguish between 16 different levels. In other words, increasing the levels of a
signal reduces the reliability of the system.

b. A channel has an SNR of 63 and a bandwidth of 1.2 MHz. Calculate the Shannon Capacity of
this channel. (4 Marks)
Shannon Formula:
Capacity = Bandwidth x Log2(1+SNR)
= 1200000 x Log2(1 + 63)
=1200000 x Log264
=1200000 x 6
Capacity = 7200000bps or 7.2Mbps

Based on your answer, what is the theoretical maximum number of signal levels (L) you could
use (as per Nyquist) without exceeding the channel's capacity? (Hint: Use the Nyquist formula C
= 2B log₂L and solve for L). (5 Marks)

7200000 = 2 x 1200000 x Log2L

Log2L = 7200000/2400000
Log2L = 3
L=2^3
L = 8 Levels

6. Signal Rate and Line Coding (15 Marks)

a. A system is using a line coding scheme where r = 2/3 (i.e., 2 data bits are represented by 3
signal elements). If the data rate (N) is 90 kbps, what is the average signal rate (S) in baud?
Assume the case factor c = 1/2. (5 Marks)
S = c x N x 1/r baud
90kbps x 1000 = 90000bps
= ½ x 90000 x 2
=90000baud or 90kbaud
b. Analyze the following stream of data to be encoded using NRZ-I and Differential Manchester
schemes. The initial state (for the first bit) is assumed to be High (H). Complete the tables below
by drawing the signal level (High - H, Low - L, or Transition - T) for each scheme. (10 Marks)
Data Stream: 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
NRZ-I Encoding Table:

Data Bit Signal Level Rule Applied (No Change / Invert)

1 H Invert
0 L No Change
 0 L No Change
1 H Invert
1 H Invert
0 L No Change
1 H Invert
0 L No Change

Differential Manchester Encoding Table:

Data Bit Mid-bit Transition Rule Applied (Transition at

start / No transition at start)
1 T No transition at start
0 T Transition at start
0 T Transition at start
1 T No transition at start
1 T No transition at start
0 T Transition at start
1 T No transition at start
0 T Transition at start

7. Network Addressing Scenario (20 Marks)

Consider the small internetwork shown in the diagram below. A computer with logical address A
and physical address 20 needs to send a packet to a computer with logical address P and physical
address 90.

The packet travels from A to R1 to R2 to P. At each hop, the packet is encapsulated in a new
frame by the data link layer.
a. Complete the table below, showing the logical (IP) and physical (MAC) addresses in the
packet and frame headers at each stage of the journey. (12 Marks)

Hop Device Logical Logical Dest. Physical Physical

Sending Source Add. Add. (in Source Add. Dest. Add.
Frame (in Packet) Packet) (in Frame) (in Frame)
1 Computer A A P 20 40
2 Router R1 A P 40 75
3 Router R2 A P 75 90
Hint: For Hop 1, Computer A uses ARP to find the physical address of the default gateway
(Router R1). For Hop 2, Router R1 forwards the packet towards R2.

b. Based on your completed table, what key observations can you make about how logical
addresses and physical addresses are used from the source to the destination? (4 Marks)
 IP addresses (logical) do not change as the packet traverses routers. They remain src = A,
dst = P throughout.
 MAC addresses (physical) are only valid on the current link; each hop requires a new
frame with MACs for the sender and next-hop receiver on that link.
 ARP is used at the edges of each LAN to resolve an IP gateway or final host to a MAC
address (A → R1 on LAN1, and R2 → P on LAN2).
 Routers perform IP-layer forwarding and only rewrite the link-layer (frame) headers.

c. If the receiving computer (P) is running a web browser and an email client simultaneously,
which type of address (Physical, Logical, or Port) ensures that the data from the web server is
delivered to the web browser process and not the email client? Briefly explain why. (4 Marks)
The type of address that ensures the data from the web server is delivered specifically to the
web browser and not the email client is the Port Address.
Explanation
 A computer can run many applications simultaneously (web browser, email client, file
transfer app, etc.).
 All of them share the same physical address (MAC) and the same logical address (IP)
because they run on the same device.
 What differentiates applications inside the same device is the port number assigned at
the transport layer (TCP/UDP).
Example
 Web browser uses port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS).
  Email client uses port 110, 143, 995, or 993 depending on POP3 or IMAP.
When data arrives:
 The MAC address delivers the frame to the correct device.
 The IP address delivers the packet to the correct host.
 The PORT number delivers the segment to the correct application process service
(web browser or email client).
Only port addresses uniquely identify applications running on the same computer, ensuring web
traffic reaches the browser and not the email client.