Data Communication – Error Detection Notes
1. Three types of transmission errors (4 Marks)
Single-Bit Error occurs when only one bit in the data unit changes from 1 to 0 or from 0 to
1. This type is rare in practice. Burst Error occurs when two or more consecutive bits are
corrupted during transmission. The length is measured from the first corrupted bit to the
last corrupted bit, and this type is common in serial transmission. Multiple-Bit Error
occurs when two or more non-consecutive bits are corrupted, with the affected bits
scattered throughout the data unit rather than being adjacent.
2. CRC principle and reliability (4 Marks)
CRC uses polynomial division with modular-2 arithmetic. The sender divides the data by
a predetermined generator polynomial and appends the remainder as redundant bits.
The receiver divides the received data by the same polynomial, and if the remainder is
zero, no error is detected. CRC is more reliable than parity checking because it can
detect all burst errors with length less than or equal to the degree of the polynomial and
all burst errors affecting an odd number of bits. Parity checking can only detect odd
numbers of errors and completely misses even numbers of bit errors.
3. CRC error detection at receiver (4 Marks)
The receiver first receives the complete codeword containing both the original data and
the CRC bits appended by the sender. It then divides the entire received codeword by
the same generator polynomial used by the sender using modular-2 arithmetic. If the
remainder is zero, no error is detected and the data is accepted as valid. If the remainder
is non-zero, an error has been detected and the data is rejected, with the receiver
typically requesting retransmission from the sender.
4. Checksum generation at sender (6 Marks)
The sender first divides the message into fixed-size words, typically 16-bit words. The
checksum field is initially set to zero. All words in the message including the zeroed
checksum field are then added together using one's complement addition, where any
carry out of the most significant bit is wrapped around and added to the least significant
bit. After completing all additions, the final sum is complemented by inverting all bits.
This complemented value becomes the checksum, which replaces the zero placeholder
in the message. Finally, the complete message including the calculated checksum is
transmitted to the receiver.
5. Checksum steps in order (5M)
③ The sending computer generates a checksum by applying a predefined mathematical
algorithm to the data block before transmission. ⑤ The sending computer transmits the
data together with the computed checksum value. ② Using the received data, the
receiving computer independently computes the checksum based on the same
mathematical algorithm. ① The receiving computer compares the checksum value it
calculates with the checksum value received. ④ If the two checksum values differ, the
receiving computer requests retransmission of the data.
6. Method identification (4 Marks)
Method: Checksum. The checksum method calculates a value derived from the entire
data block through one's complement addition of all data words. This calculated value is
then appended to the transmitted data as redundant bits for error detection purposes.
This approach is standard practice in Internet protocols such as TCP, UDP, and IP at the
transport and network layers, where error detection is performed by recomputing and
comparing the checksum at the receiver.
7. Parity steps in order (5 Marks)
③ Both the sending and receiving computers first establish the parity protocol to be used
(even or odd parity). ① The sending computer adds the correct parity bit to the binary
data (either an extra 1 or 0). ⑤ The sending computer transmits the binary data together
with the calculated parity bit. ② The receiving computer verifies that the parity of the
received data conforms to the agreed rule (even or odd number of 1 bits). ④ If a parity
mismatch is detected, the receiving computer requests the data to be retransmitted.
8. Method identification (2 Marks)
Method: Checksum (or any redundancy-based error detection such as CRC or Parity).
These methods compute an additional value from the original data at the sender,
transmit it with the data, and recompute and compare at the receiver to detect errors.
9. Best technique for high-noise with burst errors (6 Marks)
Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is the most suitable technique for high-noise
environments with frequent burst errors. CRC can detect all burst errors with length less
than or equal to the degree of the polynomial, making it ideal for environments where
multiple consecutive bits are corrupted. It is more robust than parity checking and
checksum and is widely used in LANs and WANs.