Communication Networks
First Module: Introduction
Basic Terminologies
• Applications: Software program that relies on network resources to
perform some specific functionality
• Examples: Web browsing, email, video calling, e-commerce, health tracking,
video streaming, map-based applications, etc.
• Hosts (or End-Systems): Devices that host (or run) applications
• Examples: Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Smartphone, Smartwatch, Server, Other
Smart Devices (such as TV, Fridge, etc.)
Basic Terminologies
Communication Link
Packet Switch
Host A
Packet
Header Payload
Route or Path
Host B
Basic Terminologies
• Packet Switches
• Forwarding the packets from the source to destination
• Routers and Link layer switches
• Communication Links
• Guided: Twisted pair copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optics
• Unguided: Terrestrial and Satellite radio channels
• Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• A network of packet switches connected together by communication links
Protocols
A human protocol and a computer network protocol:
Hi TCP connection
request
Hi TCP connection
response
Got the
time? GET [Link]
2:00
<file>
time
Protocols define the format, order of messages sent and received among
network entities, and actions taken on message transmission, receipt
Basic Terminologies
Hosts
Client Server
Typically, more powerful machines that
Typically, user store and distribute web pages, stream
devices video, relay email, etc.
Data Center: Contains multiple servers
Google has 19 data centers on four continents collectively containing several
million servers.
Network Edge and Core
Network Network
Edge Network Core Edge
Interconnected ISPs
Access ISP
Access ISP
The network that physically
connects a host to the first router
on the path from the host to any
distant host.
Home Access Networks: DSL, Cable, FTTH, and 5G Fixed Wireless
Access in Enterprise (and Home): Ethernet and Wi-Fi
The network core
• mesh of interconnected routers
mobile network
national or global ISP
• packet-switching: hosts break
application-layer messages into
packets
local or
• forward packets from one router regional ISP
to the next, across links on path home network content
from source to destination provider
network
• each packet transmitted at full
datacenter
network
link capacity
enterprise
network
Introduction: 1-8
Circuit Switching
end-end resources allocated to,
reserved for “call” between source
and destination
• in diagram, each link has four circuits.
• call gets 2nd circuit in top link and 1st
circuit in right link.
• dedicated resources: no sharing
• circuit-like (guaranteed) performance
• circuit segment idle if not used by call (no
sharing)
• commonly used in traditional telephone
networks
Introduction: 1-9
Circuit switching: FDM and TDM
Frequency Division Multiplexing
(FDM) 4 users
frequency
• optical, electromagnetic frequencies
divided into (narrow) frequency bands
• each call allocated its own band, can
transmit at max rate of that narrow
band time
Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
frequency
▪ time divided into slots
▪ each call allocated periodic slot(s), can
transmit at maximum rate of (wider)
frequency band, but only during its time
time slot(s)
Introduction: 1-10
Packet Switching
Router R
Host A
Host C
Host B
Types of Delays in Packet Switched Networks
• Processing Delay:
• The amount of time a node takes to examine the header of the packet,
determine the next hop of the packet, and detect the errors in the packet.
• Order: microseconds
• Queuing Delay:
• The amount of time a packet waits in the buffer of a node until the node
begins its transmission.
• Order: microseconds – milliseconds
Types of Delays in Packet Switched Networks
• Transmission Delay:
• The amount of time a nodes take to push (or transmit) all the bits in a packet
into the link.
• Order: microseconds – milliseconds
• Propagation Delay:
• After being pushed into the medium, the amount of time a bit takes to travel
from one node to the another node.
• Order: milliseconds
Queuing Delay
average queueing delay
traffic intensity = La/R 1
• 𝑎: Average arrival rate in packets/sec
• 𝐿: Number of bits contained in a packet
• 𝑅: Transmission rate of the outbound link in bits/sec
𝐿𝑎
• : Traffic Intensity
𝑅
Throughput in Computer Networks
• Instantaneous Throughput: The rate (in bits per second) at which Host
B is receiving the file at any instant of time.
• Average Throughput:
• If a file consists of 𝐿 bits and the transfer takes 𝑇 seconds for Host B to receive
𝐿
all the 𝐿 bits, the average throughput of file transfer is bits/sec.
𝑇
Throughput in Computer Networks
▪ per-connection end-
end throughput:
Rs min(Rc,Rs,R/10)
Rs Rs ▪ in practice: Rc or Rs is
often bottleneck
R
Rc Rc
Rc
10 connections (fairly) share
backbone bottleneck link R bits/sec
Internet Protocol Stack
▪ application: supporting network applications
• IMAP, SMTP, HTTP application
▪ transport: process-process data transfer transport
• TCP, UDP
▪ network: routing of datagrams from source to network
destination
• IP, routing protocols link
▪ link: data transfer between neighboring physical
network elements
• Ethernet, 802.11 (WiFi), PPP
▪ physical: bits “on the wire”
message M application Encapsulation
segment Ht M transport
datagram Hn Ht M network
frame Hl Hn Ht M link
physical
link
physical
switch
destination Hn Ht M network
M application Hl Hn Ht M link Hn Ht M
Ht M transport physical
Hn Ht M network
Hl Hn Ht M link router
physical
Internet: Network of Networks
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google
IXP IXP IXP
Regional ISP Regional ISP
access access access access access access access access
ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP
Internet: Network of Networks
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google
IXP IXP IXP
Regional ISP Regional ISP
access access access access access access access access
ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP
Internet: Network of Networks
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google
IXP IXP IXP
Regional ISP Regional ISP
access access access access access access access access
ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP
Internet: Network of Networks
• Point of Presence (PoPs)
• Multihoming
• Peering
• Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
(Section 1.3.3 of the Textbook)