Data Communication

CSE 2211

Chapter 1: Introduction
 1-1 COMMUNICATION??

➢ Communication means sharing information

‒ Local (face to face) or remote (over
distance)

➢ The fundamental purpose of a

communication system is the exchange of
information between two communicable
devices.
1-2 Data Communication??
➢ Data refers to information or message
‒ Presented in any form
‒ Agreed upon by the parties ( creating &
using)

➢ Data communication : is the exchange of data

between two devices via some form of
transmission medium (wire cable or wireless).
1-3 Components of a Communication System
A communication system is made up of five components:
1. Message: the information to be communicated
– Consist of text, numbers, pictures, audio, or video
2. Sender: the device that sends the message
– Computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, …
3. Receiver: the device that receives the message
– Computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, ….
4. Medium: The physical path by which a message travels
from sender to receiver
– twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber-optic, radio waves
5. Protocol: a set of rules that govern data communications
– An agreement between the communicating devices
1-4 Data Representation
➢Information today comes in different
forms such as
▪ Text,
▪ Numbers,
▪ Images,
▪ Audio,
▪ Video.
Text:
‒ Sequence of bits (0s or 1s)

‒ Different sets of patterns to represent text symbols (each set

is called: code)

‒ Prevalent encoding system : ASCII, Unicode

‒ ASCII: 7 bits (128 symbols)

‒ Common coding system today is: Unicode uses 32 bits to

represent a symbol or character in any language.
Numbers:
‒ Represented by bit patterns
‒ The number is directly converted to a binary number

Images:
‒ Represented by bit patterns, A matrix of Pixels
‒ Resolution: size of the pixels
‒ Each pixel is assigned a bit pattern
‒ 1-bit pattern (black and white dots image)
‒ 2-bit pattern (4 levels of gray)
‒ RGB (color images)
Audio:
‒ Audio representation of sound by an analog or a digital signal

Video:
‒ Video represented by an analog or digital signal
1-5 Data Flow

⚫ Communication between two devices can be:

 Simplex
 Half-Duplex
 Full-Duplex
◼ Simplex (one way street)
◼ The communication is unidirectional
◼ Only one device on a link can transmit; the other
can only receive
◼ Use the entire capacity of the channel to send data
◼ Example: Keyboards, Monitors

Data
◼ Half-Duplex (one-lane with two-directional traffic)
◼ 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 entire capacity of a channel is taken over by
the transmitting device
◼ Example: Walkie-talkies
Data

Data
◼ Full-Duplex (Duplex) (two-way street)
◼ Both stations can transmit and receive at same
time
◼ Signals going in either direction sharing the capacity
of the link
◼ Sharing can occur in two ways:
◼ Link has two physically separate transmission paths
◼ One for sending and the other for receiving

◼ The capacity of the channel is divided between signals

travelling in both directions
◼ Example: Telephone network

Data

Data
1-6 Characteristics of Communication System
The effectiveness of a communication system depends on four
fundamental characteristics:

1. Delivery : The system must deliver information to correct destination.

Information received by the intended user only.

2. Accuracy: The system must deliver information accurately (no

change). Information changed & uncorrected is unusable.

3. Timeliness: The system must deliver information in timely manner.

Information arrived late are useless (video and audio – realtime
transmission).

4. Jitter: Variation in the information arrival time (uneven quality in the

video is the result).
2-1 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.

➢ A link can be a cable, air, optical fiber, or any medium

which can transport a signal carrying information.
2-2 Network Criteria

➢ Network must meet a certain number of criteria

➢ The most important of the network criterions are:
– Performance
– Reliability
– Security
Performance: Can be measured in many ways
‒ transit time: amount of time required for a message to travel from
one device to another
‒ response time: time elapsed between an inquiry and a response
‒ Number of users
‒ Type of transmission medium
‒ Hardware capabilities and software efficiency
Reliability
‒ A measure of frequency of failure and the time neededto recover,
network robustness
Security
‒ Protecting of data from unauthorized users
2-3 Physical Structures

◼ Type of Connection
◼ Point to Point - single transmitter and receiver
◼ Multipoint - multiple recipients of single transmission
◼ Physical Topology
◼ Connection of devices
◼ Type of transmission - unicast, mulitcast, broadcast
Type of connection
◼ Point-to-Point
◼ Dedicated link between two devices
◼ Entire capacity of the link is reserved for
transmission between those two devices
◼ Use an actual length of wire or cable
◼ Point-to-Point

◼ Other options, such as microwave or satellite

is possible
◼ Example: Television remote control
◼ Multipoint (multidrop)
◼ More than two devices share a single link
◼ Capacity is shared
◼ Channel is shared either spatially or
temporally
◼ Spatially shared: if devices use link at same time
◼ Timeshare: if users must take turns
Physical Topology

◼ The way a network is laid out physically

◼ Two or more links form a topology
◼ The topology of a network is the geometric
representation of the relationship of all the
links and linking devices (nodes) to one
another.
◼ Four topologies : Mesh, Star, Bus, and Ring
◼ Mesh
◼ Every link is dedicated point-to-point link
◼ The term dedicated means that the link
carries traffic only between the two devices it
connects
◼ Mesh
◼ To link n devices fully connected mesh has:
n ( n - 1) / 2 physical channels (Full-
Duplex)

◼ Every Device on the network must have

n - 1 ports
◼ Mesh
◼ Example:
8 devices in mesh has links: n(n-1) / 2

number of links = 8 (8-1)/2 = 28

number of ports per device = n – 1 = 8 –1 = 7

◼ Mesh
◼ Advantages
◼ Each connection carry its own data load (no traffic
problems)
◼ A mesh topology is robust
◼ Privacy or security
◼ Fault identification and fault isolation
◼ Mesh:
◼ Disadvantages
◼ Big amount of cabling
◼ Big number of I/O ports
◼ Installation and reconnection are difficult
◼ Sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the
available space
◼ Hardware connect to each I/O could be expensive

◼ Mesh topology is implemented in a limited

fashion; e.g., as backbone of hybrid network
◼ Star:
◼ Dedicated point-to-point to a central controller
(Hub)
◼ No direct traffic between devices
◼ The control acts as an exchange
◼ Star
◼ Advantages
◼ Less expensive than mesh
(1 Link + 1 port per device)
◼ Easy to install and reconfigure
◼ Less cabling
◼ Additions, moves, and deletions required one
connection
◼ Robustness : one fail does not affect others
◼ Easy fault identification and fault isolation
◼ Star
◼ Disadvantages
◼ Dependency of the whole topology on one single
point (hub)
◼ More cabling than other topologies ( ring or bus)

◼ Used in LAN
◼ Bus
◼ It is multipoint
◼ One long cable acts as a backbone
◼ Nodes connect to cable by drop lines and taps
◼ Signal travels along the backbone and some
of its energy is transformed to heat
◼ Limit of number of taps and the distance
between taps
◼ Bus
◼ Advantages
◼ Ease of installation
◼ Less cables than mesh, star topologies
◼ Disadvantages
◼ Difficult reconnection and fault isolation ( limit of
taps)
◼ Adding new device requires modification of
backbone
◼ Fault or break stops all transmission
◼ The damaged area reflects signals back in the
direction of the origin, creating noise in both
directions
◼ Ring
◼ Each device has dedicated point-to-point connection
with only the two devices on either side of it
◼ A signal is passed along the ring in one direction from
device to device until it reaches its destination
◼ Each devices incorporates a Repeater
◼ Ring
◼ Advantages
◼ Easy of install and reconfigure
◼ Connect to immediate neighbors
◼ Move two connections for any moving (Add/Delete)
◼ Easy of fault isolation
◼ Disadvantage
◼ Unidirectional
◼ One broken device can disable the entire network. This
weakness can be solved by using a dual ring or a switch
capable of closing off the break
Hybrid Topology: a star backbone with three bus networks
2-4 Categories of Networks

◼ Network Category depends on its size

◼ Two primary categories
◼ LAN: Covers area < 2miles
◼ WAN: Can be worldwide

◼ MAN: Between LAN & WAN, span 10s of

miles
Local Area Network (LAN)

◼ Privately owned
◼ Links devices in the same office, building, or
campus
◼ Simple LAN: 2 PCs & 1 printer in home or office
◼ Size is limited to a few kilometers
◼ Allow resources to be shared (hardware,
software, or data)
LAN: An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet
◼ LAN is distinguished by:
◼ Size (# users of OS, or licensing restrictions)
◼ Transmission medium (only one type)
◼ Topology (bus, ring, star)

◼ Data Rates (speed):

◼ Early: 4 to 16 Mbps
◼ Today: 100 to 1000 Mbps
Wide Area Networks (WAN)
◼ Provides long-distance transmission of data over
large geographic areas (country, continent,
world)

◼ Switched WAN
◼ Backbone of the Internet

◼ Dialup line point-to-point WAN

◼ Leased line from a telephone company
Figure 1.11 WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)

◼ Size between LAN and WAN

◼ Inside a town or a city
◼ Example: the part of the telephone company
network that can provide a high-speed DSL to
the customer
2-5 Internetworks

◼ Connection of two or more networks by the use

of internetworking devices which include routers
and gateways
◼ The term internet (lowercase) is a generic term
used to mean an interconnection of networks
◼ The Internet (uppercase) is the name of a
specific worldwide network.
Interconnection of Networks: Internetworks (internet)

Figure: A heterogeneous network made of four WANs and two LANs

The Internet
◼ Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our daily
lives.
◼ It has affected the way we do business as well as the
way we spend our leisure time.
◼ Internet is a communication system that has brought a
wealth of information to our fingertips and organized it
for our use
◼ An internet (small i) is 2 or more networks that can
communicate with each other
◼ The Internet (capital I) is a collaboration of more than
hundreds of thousands of interconnected networks
The Internet (conceptual view..)
◼ Internet Today
◼ Made of many LANs and WANs
◼ Every day new networks area added and
removed
◼ Internet services Providers (ISPs) offer
services to the end users
◼ International service providers
◼ National service providers
◼ Regional service providers
◼ Local service providers
Hierarchical organization of the Internet