M N02A1 Co m p uter

C c t ion to
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Lecture
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Announcements

• The Semester Schedule, which outlines the roadmap for the entire
semester – including important assessment dates, is available
• on Moodle under Learning Unit 0

• Tutorial Sessions will commence next week (w/o 24 February 2025)

• General information:
• Look out for any updates / information / etc. on Moodle.
Objectives of this Learning Unit

• Define the basic terms of computer networks

• Recognize the individual components of the big picture of computer
networks
• Outline the common examples of communications networks
• Define the term “convergence” and describe how it applies to computer
networks
• Cite the reasons for using a network architecture and explain how they
apply to current network systems
• List the layers of the TCP/IP protocol suite and describe the duties of each
layer
• List the layers of the OSI model and describe the duties of each layer
• Compare the TCP/IP protocol suite and the OSI model and list
• their differences and similarities
The Language of Computer Networks

• Computer network –
• an interconnection of computers and computing equipment using either wires or
radio waves over small or large geographic areas

• Local area network (LAN) –

• networks that are small in geographic size spanning a room, floor, building, or
campus

• Metropolitan area network (MAN) –

• networks that serve an area of 1 to 30 miles, approximately the size of a typical
city

• Wide area network (WAN) –

• a large network that encompasses parts of states, multiple states, countries, and
the world
The Language of Computer Networks

• Personal area network (PAN) –

• a network of a few meters, between wireless devices such as
• PDAs, laptops, and similar devices

• Campus area network (CAN) –

• a network that spans multiple buildings on a business or school campus

• Voice network –
• a network that transmits only telephone signals (essentially extinct)

• Data network –
• a network that transmits voice and computer data (replacing voice networks)

• Data communications –
• the transfer of digital or analog data using digital or analog signals
The Language of Computer Networks

• Telecommunications –
• the study of telephones and the systems that transmit telephone signals
(becoming simply data communications)

• Network management –
• the design, installation, and support of a network, including its hardware and
software

• Network cloud –
• a network (local or remote) that contains software, applications, and/or data
The Big Picture of Networks

• Networks are composed of many devices, including:

• Workstations (computers, tablets, wireless phones, etc)
• Servers
• Network switches
• Routers (LAN to WAN and WAN to WAN)
• Network nodes and subnetworks
Common Examples of Communications Networks

• The desktop computer and the Internet

• A laptop computer and a wireless connection
• Cell phone networks
• Industrial sensor-based systems
• Mainframe systems
• Satellite and microwave networks
The Desktop Computer and the Internet

• Common throughout business, academic environments, and homes

• Typically a medium- to high-speed connection
• Computer (device) requires a NIC (network interface card)
• NIC connects to a hub-like device (switch)
• Often considered a client/server system
The Desktop Computer and the Internet

• At work or at school – connection is typically some form of Ethernet

• At home, for some, a dial-up modem is used to connect user’s
microcomputer to an Internet service provider
• Technologies such as DSL and cable modems are replacing dial-up
modems
A Laptop Computer and a Wireless Connection

• At work or at school – connection is typically some form of wireless Ethernet

• Laptop wirelessly communicates with a wireless router or wireless access
point
• Wireless router is typically connected to a wired-network
Cell Phone Networks

• Constantly expanding market across the world

• Third generation services available in many areas and under many types of
plans with fourth generation services starting to appear
• Latest generation includes higher speed data transfers (100s to 1000s of
kilobits per second)
Industrial Sensor-based Systems

• Not all local area networks deal with microcomputer workstations

• Often found in industrial and laboratory environments
• Assembly lines and robotic controls depend heavily on sensor-based local
area networks
Mainframe Systems

• Predominant form in the 1960s and 1970s

• Still used in many types of businesses for data entry and data retrieval
• Few dumb terminals left today – most are microcomputers with terminal
emulation card, a web browser and web interface, Telnet software, or a thin
client
Satellite and Microwave Networks

• Typically long-distance wireless connections

• Many types of applications including long distance telephone, television,
radio, long-haul data transfers, and wireless data services
• Typically expensive services but many companies offer competitive services
and rates
• Newer shorter-distance services such as Wi-Max
Network Architectures

• A reference model that describes the layers of hardware and software

necessary to transmit data between two points or for multiple devices /
applications to interoperate
• Reference models are necessary to increase likelihood that different
components from different manufacturers will converse
• Two models to learn: TCP/IP protocol suite and OSI model
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite

• Application layer
• Where the application using the network resides
• Common network applications include web browsing, e-mail, file transfers, and
remote logins

• Transport layer
• Performs a series of miscellaneous functions (at the end-points of the
connection) necessary for presenting the data package properly to the sender or
receiver
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite

• Network (Internet or internetwork or IP) layer

• Responsible for creating, maintaining and ending network connections
• Transfers data packet from node to node (e.g. router to router) within network

• Network access (data link) layer

• Responsible for taking the data and transforming it into a frame with header,
control and address information, and error detection code, then transmitting it
between the workstation and the network
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite

• Physical layer
• Handles the transmission of bits over a communications channel
• Includes voltage levels, connectors, media choice, modulation techniques
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model

• Application layer
• Equivalent to TCP/IP’s application layer

• Presentation layer
• Responsible for “final presentation” of data (code conversions, compression,
encryption)

• Session layer
• Responsible for establishing “sessions” between users

• Transport layer
• Equivalent to TCP/IP’s transport layer

• Network layer
• Equivalent to TCP/IP’s network layer

• Data link layer

• Responsible for taking the data and transforming it into a frame with header,
control and address information, and error detection code
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model

• Physical layer
• Handles the transmission of bits over a communications channel
• Includes voltage levels, connectors, media choice, modulation techniques
Logical and Physical Connections

• A logical connection is one that exists only in the software, while a

physical connection is one that exists in the hardware
• Note that in a network architecture, only the lowest layer contains the
physical connection, while all higher layers contain logical connections
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite in Action
Summary

• Many services and products that we use every day employ computer
networks and data communications in some way

• Field of data communications and computer networks includes data

networks, voice networks, wireless networks, local area networks,
metropolitan area networks, wide area networks, and personal area
networks

• Common examples of communications networks:

• The desktop computer and the Internet
• A laptop computer and a wireless connection
• Cell phone networks
• Industrial sensor-based systems
• Mainframe systems
• Satellite and microwave networks

• Key concept in networking is convergence

Summary

• A network architecture, or communications model, places network pieces in

layers
• Layers define model for functions or services that need to be performed

• The TCP/IP protocol suite is also known as the Internet model and is
composed of five layers (some show four):
• Application layer
• Transport layer
• Network layer
• Network access layer
• Physical layer

• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created the Open

Systems Interconnection (OSI) model
Summary

• OSI model is based on seven layers:

• Application layer
• Presentation layer
• Session layer
• Transport layer
• Network layer
• Data link layer
• Physical layer

• A logical connection is a flow of ideas that occurs, without a direct physical

connection, between the sender and receiver at a particular layer
Prescribed Textbook

• TITLE: Data Communications &

Computer Networks – A Business
User’s Approach
• 8th Edition

• AUTHOR: Curt White

• ISBN: 9781305116634
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