Communication System

Lecture 5

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 Communication System
• A communication system is a collection
of compatible software and hardware
arranged to communicate information
from one location to another.
• These systems can transmit text, data,
graphics, voice, documents, or full-
motion video information.

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 Need for Communication Systems
• Need to share resources – save on cost and
maximize on use of devices, use of the same
software and access to the same
data/information.
• Need to access and retrieve information,
obtain support services, conduct business,
purchase goods, discuss common interests, play
games, or simply socialize. Networks enable
users to tap into numerous databases
• To increase system reliability by providing
redundant processing - fault tolerance
information can be made secure with network
security systems 3
• Information can also be backed up or
duplicated on a networked storage device
shared by others
• Increase computer power – computer
power can be increased by combining
multiple CPUs or computers
• Better communication - information can
be transmitted to the intended
recipients immediately it is produced
• Common today to connect computers
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 Functions of Communication Systems
 Transmit information
 Establish the interface between the sender and
the receiver
 Direct messages along the most efficient paths
 Perform elementary processing of the information
to ensure that the right message gets to the right
receiver
 Perform editorial tasks on the data
 Convert messages from one speed into the
speed of a communications line or from one
format to another
 Control the flow of information.
 To perform these functions, telecommunications
systems have components which are shown in the
following diagram: 5
A sample communication
system

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Components of a Communication System
Computers to process information
Terminals or any input/output devices
that send or receive data
Communications channels
Communications processors
Communications software, which
controls input and output activities and
manages other functions of the
communications network
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Most large computer networks have at
least one host computer, a mainframe or
midsize central computer that controls
the network
Other devices within the network are
called nodes
A node is any device that is attached to a
network—for example, a microcomputer,
terminal, storage device, or printer
Network designers determine the types
of hardware and software necessary as
interface to make connections among
computers possible
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 Communications Channels
Communications channels are the means
by which data are transmitted from one
device in a network to another
Channels are also called links, lines, or
media
Channels differ in terms of capacities –
number of bits each channel can
transmit per second.

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 Types of Channels

Wired Communications Channels

Wireless Communications Channels
Wired ones include:
Twisted pair
Coaxial cables
Fiber-optic cables
These are shown in the diagrams that
follow.
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Wired Communications Channels

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1) Twisted-pair wire
 Consists of two strands of insulated cop­
per wire, twisted around each other
 The twisted-pair configuration somewhat
reduces interference from electrical
fields
 Relatively slow
 It does not protect well against electrical
interference
 It will be used for years to come, because
so much of the world is already served by
twisted-pair wire
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2) Coaxial cable

Consists of insulated copper wire wrapped in a

solid or braided metal shield, then in an external
cover
Widely used for cable television
Extra insulation makes it much better than
twisted-pair wiring at resisting noise
Can carry voice and data

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3) Fiber-optic cable
Consists of dozens or hundreds of thin strands of glass or
plastic
Transmit energetic beams of light rather than electricity
Advantages:
Light pulses are not affected by electromagnetic
interference in the environment
They have much lower error rates than normal telephone
wire and cable
Lighter and more durable than twisted-pair and coaxial
cable
Cannot easily be wiretapped, so transmissions are more
secure
Have greater capacity as light travels faster than
electricity 14
Disadvantages:
• First, installing a fiber-optic cable requires
special equipment that polishes the ends to
allow light to pass through.
• Secondly, if a fiber breaks inside the plastic
jacket (e.g., by being bent at a right angle),
finding the location of the problem is difficult.
• Thirdly, repairing a broken fiber is difficult
because special equipment is needed to join two
fibers so that light can pass through the joint.

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 Wireless Communications Channels

1)Infrared transmission
Sends data signals using infrared light
waves (type of light visible to us).
Line-of-sight communication is required
Transmission is confined to short
range.

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 2) Broadcast radio

A wireless transmission medium that sends

data over long distances
Transmitter is required to send messages
and a receiver to receive them
Sometimes both sending and receiving
functions are combined in a transceiver

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 3) Microwave radio
Transmits voice and data through the
atmosphere as super-high-frequency radio
waves called microwaves

The frequencies are also used to operate

microwave ovens as well as to transmit
messages between ground-based stations and
satellite communications systems

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4) Communications Satellites - "sky
stations"
Help to avoid some of the limitations of
microwave earth stations
Communications satellites are microwave
relay stations in orbit around the earth

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Wireless Revolution and Devices

 We are at the edge of a wireless revolution

that is transforming computing and
information systems.

 This way end users are availed communicating

and computing resources with virtually no time
and place limitations.

 There are developments that boost

achievement of this goal and include devices
and standards.
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The devices and standards for wireless
communications include:
Devices:
 Smartphones
 Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
 Cellular telephones (cell phones)
Standards:
 Bluetooth
 a standard for the short-range wireless interconnection
of mobile phones, computers, and other electronic
devices.
 Wi-Fi
 a facility allowing computers, smartphones, or other
devices to connect to the Internet or communicate with
one another wirelessly within a particular area.
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 WiMax - stands for Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access:
 a wireless industry coalition dedicated to the
advancement of IEEE 802.16 standards for
broadband wireless access (BWA) networks.

 Mobile Computing
 a technology that allows transmission of
data, voice and video via a computer or any
other wireless enabled device without
having to be connected to a fixed physical
link. The main concept involves
Mobile communication, Mobile hardware.

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 Communication Processors

• Their goal is to ensure that messages

travel to the right destination at the
right time with minimum (or no) possible
cost and minimum (or no) possible errors
and maximum possible security?

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1) Front-end Processor

 A special purpose computer dedicated

to communications management

 Attached to the main, or host, computer

 Performs communications processing

such as error control, formatting,
editing, controlling, routing, and speed
and signal conversion.
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2) Concentrator
 A programmable telecommunications
computer

 Collects and temporarily stores

messages from terminals

 When enough messages are ready to be

sent, it bursts signals to the host
computer.
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3) Controller

 A specialized computer that supervises

communications traffic between the
CPU and peripheral devices

It manages messages from these devices

and communicates them to the CPU

It routes output from the CPU to the

appropriate peripheral device

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4) Multiplexer
 Enables a single communications channel to
carry data transmissions from multiple
sources simultaneously
 Divides the communications channel so that it
can be shared by multiple transmission
devices
 May divide a high-speed channel into multiple
channels of slower speed
 Alternatively may assign each transmission
source a very small slice of time for using the
high-speed channel
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5) Modem
 Information travels through a
telecommunications system in the form of
electromagnetic signals
 Signals are represented in two ways: analog and
digital signals
 An analog signal is represented by a continuous
waveform. Used to handle voice communications
and to reflect variations in pitch.
 A digital signal is a discrete, rather than a
continuous waveform. It transmits data coded
into two discrete states: 1-bits and O-bits
 All digital signals must be translated into analog
signals before they can be transmitted in an
analog system by a modem
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Telecommunications Software
 Telecommunication software exist in the host
computer, front-end processor, and other
processors in the network

 Required to control and support network

activities

 Responsible for functions such as

 network control,
 access control,
 transmission control,
 error detection/correction, and
 security.
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 Telecommunication Applications

1)Videoconferencing
 Also called teleconferencing

 Uses television and sound technology as

well as computers

 Enables people in different locations to

see, hear, and talk with one another.

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2) Workgroup Computing
 Also called collaborative computing
 Enable teams of co-workers to use networks of
microcomputers to share information and to
cooperate on projects
 Made possible by networks and microcomputers
and by groupware. Groupware allows two or
more people on a network to work on the same
information at the same time

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 3) Telecommuting

 Working at home while in telecommunication

with the office

 A related term is telework, which includes

those who work at remote or satellite offices

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4) Virtual Offices
 Often non-permanent and mobile office that
is run with computer and communications
technology
 Employees work from their homes, cars, and
other new work sites
 Portable computers, fax machines, and various
phone and network services are used to
conduct business
 Part of a larger trend of freelancers and
independent contractors and consultants.

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Factors Affecting Data Transmission
1) Serial and Parallel Transmission

2) Transmission Rate
– The speed with which data can be transmitted from one
device to another. Data rates are often measured in megabits
(million bits) or megabytes (million bytes) per second. These
are usually abbreviated as Mbps and MBps, respectively.
Another term for data transfer rate is throughput.

3) Line Configurations
– Line configuration refers to the way two or more
communication devices attach to a link. Line configuration is
also referred to as connection. A Link is the physical
communication pathway that transfers data from one device
to another.

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Transmission Rate

 A function of two variables: frequency and

bandwidth

 The more the cycles per second, the more the

data that can be sent through that channel

 The greater a channel's bandwidth the more

the data that can be sent through that
channel
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Line Configurations
 Point-to-point
 Directly connects the sending and receiving
devices
 Appropriate for a private line whose sole
purpose is to keep data secure by
transmitting it from one device to another

 Multipoint
 A single line that interconnects several
communications devices to one computer
 Often only one communications device, such
as a terminal, can transmit in it at any given
time
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 Direction of Transmission

Transmission can be:

1) Simplex transmission

2) Half-duplex transmission

3) Full-duplex transmission

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 1) Simplex Transmission

Data can travel in only one direction

Example:
Computerized data collection devices such as
seismograph sensors that measure earthquakes

TV and radio broadcasting: information flows

only from the transmitter site to multiple
receivers.

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 2) Half-duplex Transmission

Data travels in both directions but only in

one direction at a time

Example is in marine radios, in which both

parties must take turns talking

Most common mode of data transmission used

today

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3) Full-duplex Transmission
Data are transmitted back and forth at the
same time

Needed to support truly interactive

workgroup computing

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 Types of Networks

 May be divided into three main categories,

differing primarily in their geographical range

 The categories include:

 Wide area network
 Metropolitan area network
 Local area network

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 Client/server LANs
Clients are microcomputers that request
data
 Servers
Are computers used to supply data
Powerful microcomputers that manage shared
devices
Run server software for applications such as
e-mail and web browsing
Different servers may be used to manage
different tasks

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Examples:

A file server that acts like a disk drive, storing the

programs and data files shared by users on a LAN

A database server that stores data but doesn't store

programs

A print server that controls one or more printers and

stores the print-image output from microcomputers on the
system

A Web server that contains web pages that can be

viewed using a browser

A mail server that manages e-mail.

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 Network Topologies
 Networks are described by shape or topology

 Three basic topologies are:

Star,
Ring, and
Bus

 These are shown in the following diagrams:

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Networks According to Topologies

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Networks are actually a combination
of several network configurations and
as a result, they are meshed in
reality.

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END

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