Computer Networks

M. Bilal Khan
Lecturer CS & IT
Superior University, Lahore
Mbilal.khan@superior.edu.pk
Objectives
 Course Module Discussion
 Data Communication
 Network vs Internet
 internet, Intranet, Extranet
Data Communication
• Effectiveness of Data Communication System
• Components
• Data Representation
• Data Flow
DATA COMMUNICATION

 The term telecommunication means

communication at a distance. The word data refers
to information presented in whatever form is
agreed upon by the parties creating and using the
data. Data communications are the exchange of
data between two devices via some form of
transmission medium such as a wire cable.
Effectiveness of Data Comm. System

 Effectiveness depends upon four fundamental characteristics

1. Delivery : The system must deliver data to correct destination. Data received by
the intended user only
2. Accuracy: The system must deliver data accurately (no change).
 Data changed & uncorrected is unusable
3. Timeliness: The system must deliver data in timely manner
 Data arrived late are useless
 In the same order (video and audio) & without delay (Real time transmission)
4. Jitter: Variation in the packet arrival time (uneven quality in the video is the
result)
Components

 A data communication system is made up of five components

 Components

1. Message: the information (data) to be communicated

 Consist of text, numbers, pictures, audio, or video
2. Sender: the device that sends the data message
 Computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, …
3. Receiver: the device that receives the message
 Computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, ….
 Components

4. Medium: The physical path by which a message travels

from sender to receiver
 twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber-optic, radio waves
 Components

5. Protocol: a set of rules that govern data communications

 An agreement between the communicating devices
 Devices may be connected but not communicating (no
protocol)
 Arabic speaker with Japanese speaker
Data Representation

Text

Numbers

Images

Audio

Video
Data Flow

 Communication between two devices can be:

 Simplex
 Half-Duplex
 Full-Duplex
Data Flow
 Simplex (one way street)

 The communication is unidirectional

 Only one device on a link can transmit; the other can
only receive
 Use the entire capacity of the channel to send data
 Example: Keyboards, Monitors

Data
Data Flow
 Half-Duplex (one-lane with two-directional traffic)
 Each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the
same time
 When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and
vice versa
 The entire capacity of a channel is taken over by the
transmitting device
 Example: Walkie-talkies
Data

Data
Data Flow

Full-Duplex (Duplex) (two-way street)

 Both stations can transmit and receive at same time

 Signals going in either direction sharing the capacity of the link
 Sharing can occur in two ways:
 Link has two physically separate transmission paths
 One for sending and the other for receiving

 The capacity of the channel is divided between signals travelling in both

directions
 Example: Telephone network
Data

Data
Exercise

 What mode of data flow the following exhibits shows?

Data

Data

 Answer: Full-Duplex
Network
• Network Performance
• Characteristics of a Network
• Physical Structures
 What is a Network?
 Α NETWORK is simply defined as something that connects
things together for a specific purpose.
 The term network is used in a variety of contexts, including
telephone, television, computer, or even people networks.
 A COMPUTER NETWORK connects two or more devices
together to share information and services, including
 Websites
 Email and messaging
Characteristics of a Network

 Performance
 Transit time: Amount of time required for
a message to travel from one device to
another
 Response time: Elapsed time between an
inquiry and a response
Characteristics of a Network

 Performance
 Performance is evaluated by two contradictory
networking metrics:
 Throughput (high): a measure of how fast
we can actually send data through a network
 Delay (low)
Terminology

 The throughput or bandwidth of a channel is the

number of bits it can transfer per second

 The latency or delay of a channel is the time that

elapses between sending information and the earliest
possible reception of it
Characteristics of a Network

 Speed
 Cost
 Security
 Availability
 Scalability
 Reliability
Characteristics of a Network

 Speed
 Speed is a measure of how fast data is
transmitted over the network.
 A more precise term would be data
rate.
Characteristics of a Network

 Cost
 Cost indicates the general cost of
components, installation, and
maintenance of the network.
Characteristics of a Network

 Security
 Security indicates how secure the network
is, including the data that is transmitted
over the network.
 The subject of security is important and
constantly evolving.
Characteristics of a Network

 Availability
 Availability is a measure of the probability
that the network will be available for use
when required
([Number of minutes in a year – downtime] / [Number of minutes in a year]) * 100 = Percentage
availability
 For example, if a network is unavailable for 15 minutes a year because of network outages, its
percentage availability will be 99.9971
Characteristics of a Network

 Scalability
 Scalability indicates how well the network can
accommodate more users and data transmission
requirements.
 If a network is designed and optimized for just the
current requirements, it can be very expensive and
difficult to meet new needs when the network grows.
Characteristics of a Network

 Reliability
 Reliability indicates the dependability of the
components (routers, switches, PCs, and so on)
that make up the network. Reliability is often
measured as a probability of failure, or mean
time between failures (MTBF).
Physical Structures:

 Type of connection
 Network: Two or more devices connected through links
 Link: Communication pathway that transfers data from one device two
another
 Two devices must be connected in some way to the same link at the same
time. Two possible types:
 Point-to-Point
 Multipoint
Type of connection

 Point-to-Point
 Dedicated link between two devices
 Entire capacity of the link is reserved for transmission between those two
devices
 Use an actual length of wire or cable
Type of connection

 Point-to-Point


Other options, such as microwave or satellite is possible
 Example: Television remote control
Type of connection
 Multipoint (multidrop)
 More than two devices share a single link
 Capacity is shared
 Channel is shared either spatially or temporally
 Spatially shared: if devices use link at same time
 Timeshare: if users must take turns
Physical Topology

 The way a network is laid out physically

 Two or more links form a topology
 The topology of a network is the geometric
representation of the relationship of all the links and
linking devices (nodes) to one another.
 Four topologies : Mesh, Star, Bus, and Ring
Physical Topology
Physical Topology

 Mesh
 Every link is dedicated point-to-point link
 The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic only between the two
devices it connects
Physical Topology

 Mesh
 To link n devices fully connected mesh has:
n ( n - 1) / 2 physical channels (Full-Duplex)
 Every Device on the network must have
n - 1 ports
Physical Topology

 Mesh
 Example:
8 devices in mesh has links: n(n-1) / 2

number of links = 8 (8-1)/2 = 28

number of ports per device = n – 1 = 8 –1 = 7

Physical Topology

 Mesh
 Advantages
 Each connection carry its own data load (no traffic problems)
 A mesh topology is robust
 Privacy or security
 Fault identification and fault isolation
Physical Topology

 Mesh:
 Disadvantages
 Big amount of cabling
 Big number of I/O ports
 Installation and reconnection are difficult
 Sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the available space
 Hardware connect to each I/O could be expensive

 Mesh topology is implemented in a limited fashion;

e.g., as backbone of hybrid network
Physical Topology

 Star:
 Dedicated point-to-point to a central controller (Hub)
 No direct traffic between devices
 The control acts as an exchange
Physical Topology

 Star
 Advantages

 Less expensive than mesh

(1 Link + 1 port per device)
 Easy to install and reconfigure
 Less cabling
 Additions, moves, and deletions required one connection
 Robustness : one fail does not affect others
 Easy fault identification and fault isolation
Physical Topology

 Star
 Disadvantages
 Dependency of the whole topology on one single point (hub)
 More cabling than other topologies ( ring or bus)

 Used in LAN
Physical Topology

 Bus
 It is multipoint
 One long cable acts as a backbone
 Used in the design of early LANS, and Ethernet LANs
Physical Topology

 Bus
 Nodes connect to cable by drop lines and taps
 Signal travels along the backbone and some of its energy is transformed to
heat
 Limit of number of taps and the distance between taps
Physical Topology

 Bus
 Advantages
 Ease of installation
 Less cables than mesh, star topologies
 Disadvantages
 Difficult reconnection and fault isolation ( limit of taps)
 Adding new device requires modification of backbone
 Fault or break stops all transmission
 The damaged area reflects signals back in the direction of the origin, creating noise in both
directions
Physical Topology
 Ring
 Each device has dedicated point-to-point connection with only the
two devices on either side of it
 A signal is passed along the ring in one direction from device to
device until it reaches its destination
 Each devices incorporates a Repeater
Physical Topology

 Ring
 Advantages

 Ease of install and reconfigure

 Connect to immediate neighbors
 Move two connections for any moving (Add/Delete)
 Easy of fault isolation
 Disadvantage

 Unidirectional
 One broken device can disable the entire network. This weakness can be
solved by using a dual ring or a switch capable of closing off the break
Physical Topology

 Hybrid Topology
 Example: having a main star topology with each branch connecting several stations in
a bus topology
Network vs Internet

 A network is a collection of connected computing devices.

 An internet is a network of interconnected networks (inter-network).
 Self Study

 Internet History
 internet, Intranet, Extranet