| Electronics Engineering Department

Introduction to
Data Communication
Engr. Nikka Erl A. Obmasca, ECT
What is 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.
What is Data Communication?
Data communications is the process of transferring digital information between
two or more points. Information is defined as the knowledge or intelligence.
Data communications can be summarized as the transmission, reception, and
processing of digital information. For data communications to occur, the
communicating devices must be part of a communication system made up of a
combination of hardware (physical equipment) and software (programs). The
effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four fundamental
characteristics: delivery, accuracy, timeliness, and jitter.
Fundamental Characteristics of
a Data Communication System
1.DELIVERY
The system must deliver data to the correct destination. Data must
be received by the intended device or user and only by that device or
user.
2.ACCURACY
The system must deliver the data accurately. Data that have been
altered in transmission and left uncorrected are unusable.
Fundamental Characteristics of
a Data Communication System
3.TIMELINESS
Data delivered late are useless. In the case of video and audio, timely
delivery means delivering data as they are produced, in the same order
that they are produced, and without significant delay.
4.JITTER
Refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It is the uneven delay
in the delivery of audio or video packets.
Components of Data Communication
Components of Data Communication

1.SENDER
The device that sends the data message. It can be a computer,
workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.

2.MESSAGE
The message is the information (data) to be communicated.
Popular forms of information include text, numbers, pictures,
audio, and video.
Components of Data Communication
3.TRANSMISSION MEDIUM
The physical path by which a message travels from sender to
receiver. Some examples of transmission media include twisted-pair
wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio waves.
4.PROTOCOL
A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communications. It
represents an agreement between the communicating devices.

5.RECEIVER
The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can be a
computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, and so on.
Data Representation
TEXT
Represented as a bit pattern, a sequence of bits (0s or
1s). Different sets of bit patterns have been designed to
represent text symbols. Each set is called a code, and
the process of representing symbols is called coding.

NUMBER
Numbers are also represented by bit patterns. However, a
code such as ASCII is not used to represent numbers;
the number is directly converted to a binary number to
simplify mathematical operations.
Data Representation

IMAGE
An image is composed of a matrix of pixels (picture
elements), where each pixel is a small dot. The size of the
pixel depends on the resolution.

BIT DEPTH
Specifies how much color information is available for each
pixel in an image.
Data Representation

AUDIO
Refers to the recording or broadcasting of sound or
music. It is continuous, not discrete.
VIDEO
Video refers to the recording or broadcasting of a picture
or movie. Video cban either be produced as a continuous
entity (e.g., by a TV camera), or it can be a combination
of images, each a discrete entity, arranged to convey the
idea of motion.
Data Transmission
SIMPLEX
The communication is unidirectional. Only one of the two devices
on a link can transmit; the other can only receive.

The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the channel to
send data in one direction.
Data Transmission
HALF-DUPLEX
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.

In a half-duplex transmission, the entire capacity of a channel is taken

over by whichever of the two devices is transmitting at the time.
Data Transmission
FULL DUPLEX (DUPLEX)
Both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously.

In full-duplex mode, signals going in one direction share the capacity of the
link with signals going in the other direction.

Used when communication in both directions is required all the time. The
capacity of the channel, however, must be divided between the two
directions.
Network
A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes) connected by
communication links. A node can be a computer, printer, or any other
device capable of sending and/or receiving data generated by other
nodes on the network.
DATA TERMINATING EQUIPMENT (DTE)
Used primarily for those devices that display user information. It also
includes any devices that store or generate data for the user.
DATA COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT (DCE)
Any device which can be used to gain access to a system over
telecommunication lines.
Network
Network Criteria
1. PERFORMANCE
MEASURE FACTORS METRICS
TRANSIT TIME 1. Number of users THROUGHPUT
The amount of time 2. Type of transmission How many bits per
required for a message medium second are going
to travel from one 3. Capabilities of the through the network
device to another connected hardware DELAY
RESPONSE TIME Efficiency of the software. How long does it
The elapsed time take a bit to travel
between an inquiry and from one end to the
a full response other
Network Criteria
2. RELIABILITY
Network reliability is measured by the frequency of failure, the time it takes a
link to recover from a failure, and the network's robustness in a
catastrophe.
3. SECURITY
Network security issues include protecting data from unauthorized access,
protecting data from damage and development, and implementing policies and
procedures for recovery from breaches and data losses.
Network Connections
A network is two or more devices connected through links. A link is a communications
pathway that transfers data from one device to another.

POINT – TO – POINT (P2P)

Provides a dedicated link between two devices. The entire capacity of the link is
reserved for transmission between those two devices.
Network Topology
Provides a dedicated link between two devices. The entire capacity of the link
is reserved for transmission between those two devices.
Bus Topology

Bus topology was the one of the first topologies used in the design of early local area
networks (LANs). Ethernet LANs can use a bus topology.

Characterized by a P2P connection.

Bus Topology
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Ease of installation • Difficultreconnection and fault
• Uses less cabling than mesh or star isolation
topologies (less redundancy) • Signal reflection at the taps can
• Only the backbone cable stretches cause degradation in quality
through the entire facility • Adding new devices may therefore
require modification or replacement
of the backbone
• A fault or break in the bus cable
stops all transmission.
Ring Topology
Each device has a 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.

When a device receives a signal intended

for another device, its repeater regenerates
the bits and passes them along
Ring Topology
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Easy to install and reconfigure. • Unidirectional traffic
• To add or delete a device requires • A break in the ring (such as a
changing only two connections. disabled station) can disable the
• Fault isolation is simplified. entire network.

Ring topology was prevalent when IBM introduced its local-area network Token Ring.
Star Topology
Each device has a dedicated point-to-point link
only to a central controller, usually called a
hub.

The devices are not directly linked to one

another.

If one device wants to send data to another, it

sends the data to the controller, which then
relays the data to the other connected device
Star Topology
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Less expensive than a mesh topology • Dependency of the whole topology on
• Each device needs only one link and one one single point, the hub.
I/O port to connect it to any number of • More cabling is required in a star than in
others. bus and ring.
• Easy to install and reconfigure
• Robust connection
• Easy fault identification

High-speed LANs often use a star topology with a central hub.

 Mesh Topology

has a dedicated point-to point link to every other device.

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Mesh Topology
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Robust connection • Costly installation
• Promotes privacy and security • Bulky
• Easy fault identification and fault isolation • Hardware required to connect each link (I/O
ports and cable) can be prohibitively
expensive.
Network Categories
The category into which a network falls is determined by its size.
Local Area Network

• Usually private-owned and links the devices

in a single office, building, or campus.
• Size is limited to a few kilometers (less
than 2 miles)
• A given LAN will use only one type of
transmission medium.
• Most common LAN topologies are bus, ring,
and star
• Speeds are normally 100 or 1000 Mbps
Metropolitan Area Network

• A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a

network with a size between a LAN and a
WAN. It normally covers the area inside a
town or a city.
• It is designed for customers who need a
high-speed connectivity.
• A network with a size between a LAN and a
WAN
Metropolitan Area Network
• Provides long-distance transmission of
data, image, audio, and video information
over large geographic areas that may
comprise a country, a continent, or even the
whole world.
a. Switched WAN
Usually comprise a router (internetworking
connecting device) that connects to another
LAN or WAN.
b. Point-to-Point WAN
Normally a line leased from a telephone or
cable TV provider that connects a home
computer or a small LAN to an lSP.