DATA COMMUNICATION

& NETWORKS
Data Communication

Exchange of data between two or more

devices using some transmission
medium.
Another explanation could be:
Electronic transmission of information
that has been encoded digitally (as for
storage and processing by computers)
Components of Data
Communication System

Message (text,image, numbers, audio, video)

Sender(computer, workstation, telephone,
camera etc.)
Receiver
Transmission Medium(twisted-pair, optical
fiber, coaxial cable, radiowaves)
Protocol(set of rules that govern data
communication)
Characteristics of Data
Comm.
 Delivery
 Accuracy
 Timeliness
Mode of Data
Communications

Simplex (unidirectional)
Half-Duplex (bidirectional)
Full-Duplex(bidirectional)
Applications of Networks

 Resource Sharing
 Hardware (Computing Resources, Disks, Printers, etc.)
 Software (Application Software)

 Information Sharing
 Easy accessibility from anywhere (Files, Databases, etc.)
 Search Capability (WWW)

 Communication
 Email
 Message Broadcasting
Network Criteria

Performance:
Transmit Time, ResponseTime,
Throughput
Reliability:
Frequency of failure, Time to recover
Security:
Unauthorized Access, Protecting Data
Data Transmission

 Parallel transmission
 Serial Transmission
Physical Topology

It refers to the way how the network is

laid out physically.
Geometric representation of the
relationship of all the links and linking
devices
Advantage and
Disadvantages
 Increased speed, Reduced cost, Improved
security, centralized software management,
Electronic mail

 High cost of installation, requires time for

administration, failure of server, cable faults
Types of PhysicalTopologies

Mesh Topology
Star Topology
Bus Topology
Ring Topology
Tree topology
Mesh topology
In mesh topology every device has a
dedicated point-to-point link to every other
device.
The term dedicated means that the link
carries traffic only between two devices it
connects.
Mesh Topology
Advantages
The use of dedicated links guarantees that
each connection can carry its own data
Failure of single computer does not bring
down the entire network
Security and privacy over the dedicated link
Easy diagnosis
Disadvantages
Installation and configuration is difficult
Cabling cost is more
The hardware required to connect each link
Star topology
All the cables connects from the computer to
the central location called HUB.

Broadcast star network

Resends message to all the connected
computers
Switched star network
Sends data to a destination computer
Star Topology
Advantages
Easy to install and wire.
No disruptions to the network when connecting or
removing devices.
Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.

Disadvantages
If the central hub fails , the whole network fails to
operate.
The cabling cost is more.
Bus Topology
Signal travels along the backbone
Nodes are connected to the bus
cable by drop lines and taps.
Drop line is a connection running
between the device and the main cable
In this topology, at any instant, only
one computer acts as master and it is
allowed to transmit(broadcast). Other
devices are supposed to listen
Bus Topology
Advantages
It works well when you have a small network.
It's the easiest network topology for
connecting computers or peripherals in a
linear fashion.
It requires less cable length than a star
topology.
Disadvantages
It can be difficult to identify the problems if
the whole network goes down.
It can be hard to troubleshoot individual
device issues.
Bus topology is not great for large networks.
Terminators are required for both ends of the
main cable.
Ring Topology
In ring topology each node connects exactly
two other nodes
Signal is passed along the ring in one
direction, from device to device until , until it
reaches the destination.
Each device is attached or incorporates or
repeater.
Ring Topology
Ring Topology
Advantages
1 It is relatively less expensive than a star topology
network.
2. In a Ring topology, every computer has an equal
access to the network.
3. Performs better than a bus topology under heavy
network load
4. Ring is relatively easy to install and reconfigure
Disadvantages
1 Failure of one computer in the ring can affect the
whole network.
2. It is difficult to find faults in a ring network topology.
3. Adding or removing computers will also affect the
whole network since every computer is connected with
previous and next computer.
Categories of Networks

Network Category depends on its size

Primary categories are:

PAN: within a room

LAN: Covers area < 2miles
WAN: Can be worldwide

MAN: Between LAN & WAN, span 30-100 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)
Local Area Network (LAN)

An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet

Local Area Network (LAN)

 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
LAN
Wide Area Networks
(WAN)
 Provides long-distance transmission
of data over large geographic
areas (country, continent, world)
Wide Area Networks
(WAN)
 Switched WAN
 Backbone of the Internet

 Dialup line point-to-point WAN

 Leased line from a telephone company
Wide Area Networks
(WAN)
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
or cable TV network
Metropolitan Area
Network(MAN)

Designed to extend over the entire city.

It may be a single network as a cable TV
network OR
It may be means of connecting a number of
LANs into a larger network
The main reason fordistinguishing MANs as a
special category is that a standard has been
adopted for them. It is DQDB(Distributed
Queue Dual Bus) or IEEE802.6.
Network coverage
 Local Area Networks:
 Used for small networks (school, home, office)
 Examples and configurations:
 Wireless LAN or Switched LAN
 ATM LAN, Frame Ethernet LAN
 Peer-2-PEER: connecting several computers together (<10)
 Client/Server: The serves shares its resources between different
clients
 Metropolitan Area Network
 Backbone network connecting all LANs
 Can cover a city or the entire country
 Wide Area Network
 Typically between cities and countries
 Technology:
 Circuit Switch, Packet Switch, Frame Relay, ATM
 Examples:
 Internet P2P: Networks with the same network software can be
connected together (Napster)