ETU622 / ETU801
Computer Networks (and
Communications)
INTRODUCTION
BY
NEHA G. PARDESHI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING,
GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, AMRAVATI.
Introduction
Communication – Sharing of information
Telecommunication = Tele + Communication, i.e., Communication at a distance
Data communication is a form of Telecommunication
It is exchange of data between two devices via some form of transmission medium or
channel
For communication, the two devices have to be part of some data communication
system
The effectiveness of system depends upon three important characteristics viz.,
─ Delivery
─ Accuracy
─ Timeliness
Delivery : Data must be delivered to correct destination
Accuracy : Data must be delivered accurately, i.e. intact and in correct order
Timeliness : Data must be delivered within stipulated time period, i.e. within time.
Components of Data Communication System
The data communication system has some essential components as shown in fig. 1.1
i. Sender
ii. Receiver
[Link]
[Link]
and most importantly,
v. Protocol
Fig. 1.1 Components of Data Communication System
Protocol is a set of rules, which governs data communication
It represents the agreement between two communicating devices
Without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not communicating
Data Representation
The data may be represented as text, ASCII, extended ASCII, unicode, ISO codes,
numbers, images, audio or even video formats
Data Flow
The data flow of communication between two devices can be simplex, half duplex or
full duplex
SIMPLEX – Unidirectional or one way, where any one of the devices can transmit, other
can only receive, eg. Keyboard and monitor combo
HALF DUPLEX – Bidirectional, where both the devices can transmit and receive but
only on at a time, eg. Fax machine
FULL DUPLEX – Bidirectional, where both devices can receive and transmit
simultaneously, eg. Telephone line / network
Network
It is a set of devices generally known as ‘nodes’, connected by communication links
A node can be any device, capable of sending or receiving data generated by nodes of
other networks
Mostly the networks use distributed processing, where a task is divided among
multiple devices
Instead of one single large machine being responsible for entire process, separate
machines / workstations handle separate subset of process
A network must meet the following important criterions
─ Performance: Mainly ‘Response / Transit Time’ depends upon factors like, number of
users, transmission medium used, capabilities of the hardware connected and the
efficiency of software
─ Reliability: Frequency of failure and time taken by the network to recover from the
failure
─ Security: Protecting data from unauthorized access
Physical Topology
Way in which a network is laid out physically
Two or more devices connect to a link, and two or more links form a topology
Physical
Topology
Point-to-point Multipoint Peer-to-peer Server based
Point-to-point connection – connection provided by dedicated link between two
devices
Multipoint connection – where more than two specific devices share the same
dedicated link
Peer-to-peer – here no computer is set as dedicated server
Server based – one machine acts as server, remaining are the clients
Logical Topologies
A logical topology defines, how devices communicate over physical topology
Both physical and logical topologies are independent of each other
Where physical topology refers to physical layout of wires, logical topology is how data
moves through the network
There are five types of logical topologies as shown
Logical
Topology
Mesh Star Bus Ring Tree Hybrid
STAR Topology
Each device has dedicated point-to-point link only to a central controller, called Hub
Acting as a server, this central node manages data transmission
Information sent from any node on the network has to pass through the central one to
reach its destination and functions as a repeater, which helps prevent data loss
ore devices connect to a link, and two or more links form a topology
Fig. 1.2 Star Topology
MESH Topology
Every device is connected to every other device on the network through a dedicated
point to point link
The term ‘dedicated’ refers that the link carries information only between the two
devices it connects
If there are ‘n’ devices in the network then each device must be connected with (n-1)
devices of the network
Number of links in a mesh topology of n devices would be n(n-1)/2.
Fig. 1.3 Mesh Topology
BUS Topology
In bus topology there is a main cable and all the devices are connected to this main
cable through drop lines
There is a device called tap that connects the drop line to the main cable
Since all the data is transmitted over the main cable, there is a limit of drop lines and
the distance a main cable can have
Fig. 1.4 Bus Topology
RING Topology
In ring topology each device is connected with the two devices on either side of it
There are two dedicated point to point links a device has with the devices on the either
side of it
This structure forms a ring thus it is known as ring topology
Fig. 1.5 Ring Topology
TREE Topology
Combining elements of the star and bus topologies allows for the easy addition of
nodes and network expansion
Troubleshooting errors on the network is also a straightforward process, as each of the
branches can be individually assessed for performance issues
Fig. 1.6 Tree Topology
HYBRID Topology
Hybrid topologies combine two or more different topology structures—the tree
topology is a good example, integrating the bus and star layouts
Hybrid structures are most commonly found in larger companies where individual
departments have personalized network topologies adapted to suit their needs and
network usage
Fig. 1.7 Hybrid Topology
Network Categories
A computer network is a group of computers linked to each other and capable of
communicating with each other for data sharing
Network can be categorized on the basis of size, ownership, distance covered and
physical architecture
Thus the network can be classified as shown
Network
Metropolitan
Local Area Area Network Wide Area
Network (LAN) (MAN) Network (WAN)
Local Area Network (LAN)
Network which is limited to small geographical area, like home, office, school etc
Used for connection between two or more devices through twisted pair, coaxial cable etc
The data is transferred at an extremely faster rate in Local Area Network
Local Area Network provides higher security
Fig. 1.8 Local Area Network
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a larger network than LAN
It often covers multiple cities or towns
It is quiet expensive and a single organization may not have own it
It covers a larger geographic area by interconnecting a different LAN to form a larger
network
Fig. 1.9 Metropolitan Area Network
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Network that extends over a large geographical area, although it might be confined
within the bounds of a state or country
WAN connects different smaller networks, including LANs and MANs
This ensures that computers and users in one location can communicate with computers
and users in other locations
WAN implementation can be done either with the help of the public transmission system
or a private network
Fig. 1.10 Wide Area Network
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