Chapter 1

Introduction
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Introduction: 1-1
Chapter 1: introduction
Chapter goal: Overview/roadmap:
 Get “feel,” “big picture,”  What is the Internet?
 What is a protocol?
introduction to terminology
 Network edge: hosts, access network,
• more depth, detail later in physical media
course  Network core: packet/circuit switching,
 Approach: internet structure
 Performance: loss, delay, throughput
• use Internet as example  Security
 Protocol layers, service models
 History
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7WT
cB0-g5Q

Introduction: 1-2
The Internet: a “nuts and bolts” view
Billions of connected mobile network
computing devices: national or global ISP
 hosts = end systems
 running network apps at
Internet’s “edge”

Packet switches: forward

local or
packets (chunks of data) Internet
regional ISP
 routers, switches
home network content
Communication links provider
network datacenter
 fiber, copper, radio, satellite network

 transmission rate: bandwidth

Networks enterprise
 collection of devices, routers, network
links: managed by an organization
Introduction: 1-3
 “Fun” Internet-connected devices

Pacemaker & Monitor

Tweet-a-watt:
monitor energy use
Amazon Echo
IP picture frame Web-enabled toaster +
weather forecaster
Internet
refrigerator
Slingbox: remote
control cable TV
Security Camera AR devices
sensorized,
bed
Internet phones mattress Others?
Fitbit
Introduction: 1-4
The Internet: a “nuts and bolts” view
mobile network
4G
 Internet: “network of networks” national or global ISP

• Interconnected ISPs
 protocols are everywhere Skype
IP
Streaming
video
• control sending, receiving of
messages local or
regional ISP
• e.g., HTTP (Web), streaming video,
Skype, TCP, IP, WiFi, 4G, Ethernet home network content
provider
 Internet standards HTTP network datacenter
network

• RFC: Request for Comments Ethernet

• IETF: Internet Engineering Task TCP

Force enterprise
network

WiFi
Introduction: 1-5
The Internet: a “service” view
 Infrastructure that provides mobile network

services to applications: national or global ISP

• Web, streaming video, multimedia

teleconferencing, email, games, e- Streaming
commerce, social media, inter- Skype video
connected appliances, … local or
regional ISP
 provides programming interface
to distributed applications: home network content
provider
• “hooks” allowing sending/receiving HTTP network datacenter
network
apps to “connect” to, use Internet
transport service
• provides service options, analogous enterprise
to postal service network

Introduction: 1-6
What’s a protocol?
Human protocols: Network protocols:
 “what’s the time?”  computers (devices) rather than humans
 “I have a question”  all communication activity in Internet
 introductions governed by protocols

… specific messages sent

Protocols define the format, order of
… specific actions taken
when message received, messages sent and received among
or other events network entities, and actions taken
on msg transmission, receipt

Introduction: 1-7
What’s a protocol?
A human protocol and a computer network protocol:

Hi TCP connection
request
Hi TCP connection
response
Got the
time? GET http://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross
2:00
<file>
time

Q: other human protocols?

Introduction: 1-8
Chapter 1: roadmap
 What is the Internet?
 What is a protocol?
 Network edge: hosts, access network,
physical media
 Network core: packet/circuit
switching, internet structure
 Performance: loss, delay, throughput
 Security
 Protocol layers, service models
 History
Introduction: 1-9
A closer look at Internet structure
mobile network

Network edge: national or global ISP

 hosts: clients and servers

 servers often in data centers
local or
regional ISP

home network content

provider
network datacenter
network

enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-10
A closer look at Internet structure
mobile network

Network edge: national or global ISP

 hosts: clients and servers

 servers often in data centers
local or
Access networks, physical media: regional ISP

wired, wireless communication links home network content

provider
network datacenter
network

enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-11
A closer look at Internet structure
mobile network

Network edge: national or global ISP

 hosts: clients and servers

 servers often in data centers
local or
Access networks, physical media: regional ISP

wired, wireless communication links home network content

provider
network datacenter

Network core: network

 interconnected routers
 network of networks enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-12
Access networks and physical media
Q: How to connect end systems mobile network
national or global ISP
to edge router?
 residential access nets
 institutional access networks (school,
company)
local or
 mobile access networks (WiFi, 4G/5G) regional ISP

What to look for: home network content

provider
network
 transmission rate (bits per second) of access datacenter
network
network?
 shared or dedicated access among users?
enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-13
Access networks: cable-based access
cable headend

cable splitter
modem

C
O
V V V V V V N
I I I I I I D D T
D D D D D D A A R
E E E E E E T T O
O O O O O O A A L

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Channels

frequency division multiplexing (FDM): different channels transmitted in

different frequency bands
Introduction: 1-14
Access networks: cable-based access
cable headend

cable splitter cable modem

modem CMTS termination system
data, TV transmitted at different
frequencies over shared cable ISP
distribution network

 HFC: hybrid fiber coax

• asymmetric: up to 40 Mbps – 1.2 Gbs downstream transmission rate, 30-100 Mbps
upstream transmission rate
 network of cable, fiber attaches homes to ISP router
• homes share access network to cable headend
Introduction: 1-15
Access networks: digital subscriber line (DSL)
central office telephone
network

DSL splitter
modem DSLAM

voice, data transmitted ISP

at different frequencies over DSL access
dedicated line to central office multiplexer

 use existing telephone line to central office DSLAM

• data over DSL phone line goes to Internet
• voice over DSL phone line goes to telephone net
 24-52 Mbps dedicated downstream transmission rate
 3.5-16 Mbps dedicated upstream transmission rate
Introduction: 1-16
Access networks: home networks
wireless
devices

to/from headend or
central office
often combined
in single box

cable or DSL modem

WiFi wireless access router, firewall, NAT

point (54, 450 Mbps)
wired Ethernet (1 Gbps)
Introduction: 1-17
Wireless access networks
Shared wireless access network connects end system to router
 via base station aka “access point”

Wireless local area networks Wide-area cellular access networks

(WLANs)  provided by mobile, cellular network
 typically within or around operator (10’s km)
building (~100 ft)  10’s Mbps
 802.11b/g/n (WiFi): 11, 54, 450  4G cellular networks (5G coming)
Mbps transmission rate

to Internet
to Internet
Introduction: 1-18
Access networks: enterprise networks

Enterprise link to
ISP (Internet)
institutional router
Ethernet institutional mail,
switch web servers

 companies, universities, etc.

 mix of wired, wireless link technologies, connecting a mix of switches
and routers (we’ll cover differences shortly)
 Ethernet: wired access at 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps
 WiFi: wireless access points at 11, 54, 450 Mbps
Introduction: 1-19
Host: sends packets of data
host sending function:
 takes application message
 breaks into smaller chunks, two packets,
known as packets, of length L bits L bits each

 transmits packet into access

2 1
network at transmission rate R
• link transmission rate, aka link host
capacity, aka link bandwidth R: link transmission rate

packet time needed to L (bits)

transmission = transmit L-bit =
delay packet into link R (bits/sec)
Introduction: 1-20
Links: physical media
 bit: propagates between Twisted pair (TP)
transmitter/receiver pairs
 two insulated copper wires
 physical link: what lies • Category 5: 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps Ethernet
between transmitter & • Category 6: 10Gbps Ethernet
receiver
 guided media:
• signals propagate in solid
media: copper, fiber, coax
 unguided media:
• signals propagate freely,
e.g., radio

Introduction: 1-21
Links: physical media
Coaxial cable: Fiber optic cable:
 two concentric copper conductors  glass fiber carrying light pulses, each
pulse a bit
 bidirectional
 high-speed operation:
 broadband: • high-speed point-to-point
• multiple frequency channels on cable transmission (10’s-100’s Gbps)
• 100’s Mbps per channel  low error rate:
• repeaters spaced far apart
• immune to electromagnetic noise

Introduction: 1-22
Links: physical media
Wireless radio Radio link types:
 signal carried in  terrestrial microwave
electromagnetic spectrum • up to 45 Mbps channels
 no physical “wire”  Wireless LAN (WiFi)
 broadcast and “half-duplex” • Up to 100’s Mbps
(sender to receiver)  wide-area (e.g., cellular)
 propagation environment • 4G cellular: ~ 10’s Mbps
effects:
 satellite
• reflection
• up to 45 Mbps per channel
• obstruction by objects
• 270 msec end-end delay
• interference
• geosynchronous versus low-
earth-orbit
Introduction: 1-23
Chapter 1: roadmap
 What is the Internet?
 What is a protocol?
 Network edge: hosts, access network,
physical media
 Network core: packet/circuit
switching, internet structure
 Performance: loss, delay, throughput
 Security
 Protocol layers, service models
 History
Introduction: 1-24
The network core
mesh of interconnected
mobile network
national or global ISP
routers
packet-switching: hosts break
application-layer messages
into packets local or
regional ISP

• forward packets from one router home network content

to the next, across links on path provider
network datacenter
from source to destination network

• each packet transmitted at full

link capacity enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-25
 Packet-switching: store-and-forward

L bits
per packet
3 2 1
source destination
R bps R bps

 Transmission delay: takes L/R seconds to

transmit (push out) L-bit packet into link at R One-hop numerical example:
bps  L = 10 Kbits
 Store and forward: entire packet must arrive at  R = 100 Mbps
router before it can be transmitted on next link  one-hop transmission delay
 End-end delay: 2L/R (above), assuming zero = 0.1 msec
propagation delay (more on delay shortly)
Introduction: 1-26
Packet-switching: queueing delay, loss
R = 100 Mb/s
A C

D
B R = 1.5 Mb/s
E
queue of packets
waiting for output link

Packet queuing and loss: if arrival rate (in bps) to link exceeds
transmission rate (bps) of link for a period of time:
 packets will queue, waiting to be transmitted on output link
 packets can be dropped (lost) if memory (buffer) in router fills
up
Introduction: 1-27
 Two key network-core functions

routing algorithm Routing:

Forwarding: local
local forwarding
forwarding table
table
 global action:
header value output link determine source-
 local action: 0100 3
destination paths
0101 2
move arriving 0111 2
taken by packets
1001 1
packets from
router’s input link  routing algorithms
to appropriate 1
router output link 3 2

destination address in arriving

packet’s header
Introduction: 1-28
Alternative to packet switching: circuit switching
end-end resources allocated to,
reserved for “call” between source
and destination
 in diagram, each link has four circuits.
• call gets 2nd circuit in top link and 1st
circuit in right link.
 dedicated resources: no sharing
• circuit-like (guaranteed) performance
 circuit segment idle if not used by call (no
sharing)
 commonly used in traditional telephone
networks
Introduction: 1-29
 Network problems

What is the maximum number of connections that can be ongoing in the network at any one time?
Suppose that every connection requires 2 consecutive hops, and calls are connected clockwise. For
example, a connection can go from A to C, from B to D, from C to A, and from D to B. With these constraints,
what is the is the maximum number of connections that can be ongoing in the network at any one time?
Suppose that 10 connections are needed from A to C, and 14 connections are needed from B to D. Can we
route these calls through the four links to accommodate all 24 connections? Answer Yes or No Introduction: 1-30
 Network problems

What is the maximum number of connections that can be ongoing in the network at any one time?

Suppose that 20 connections are needed from A to C, and 15 connections are needed from B to D. Can we
route these calls through the four links to accommodate all 35 connections? Answer Yes or No

Introduction: 1-31
 Network problems

The transmission delay = L/R = 8000 bits / 10000000 bps = 0.0008 seconds

The number of packets that can be transmitted in a second into the link = R / L =
10000000 bps / 8000 bits = 1250 packets
Introduction: 1-32
Network problems

Introduction: 1-33
Network problems

The transmission delay = L/R = 4000 bits / 10000000 bps = 0.0004 seconds

The number of packets that can be transmitted in a second into the link = R / L = 10000000 bps /
4000 bits = 2500 packets

Introduction: 1-34
Circuit switching: FDM and TDM
Frequency Division Multiplexing
(FDM) 4 users
 optical, electromagnetic frequencies

frequency
divided into (narrow) frequency
bands
 each call allocated its own band, can
transmit at max rate of that narrow
band time
Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

frequency
 time divided into slots
 each call allocated periodic slot(s), can
transmit at maximum rate of (wider)
frequency band, but only during its time
time slot(s)
Introduction: 1-35
Packet switching versus circuit switching
packet switching allows more users to use network!
Example:
 1 Gb/s link
 each user: N
• 100 Mb/s when “active” users 1 Gbps link
• active 10% of time

 circuit-switching: 10 users
 packet switching: with 35 users,
probability > 10 active at same time
is less than .0004 *

* Check out the online interactive exercises for more examples: http://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross/interactive
Introduction: 1-36
Packet switching versus circuit switching
Is packet switching a “slam dunk winner”?
 great for “bursty” data – sometimes has data to send, but at other times not
• resource sharing
• simpler, no call setup
 excessive congestion possible: packet delay and loss due to buffer overflow
• protocols needed for reliable data transfer, congestion control
 Q: How to provide circuit-like behavior?
• bandwidth guarantees traditionally used for audio/video applications

Q: human analogies of reserved resources (circuit switching)

versus on-demand allocation (packet switching)?
Introduction: 1-37