Data Communication Networks

(ELE-DCN-321)

BEEE, BETE, BECE

Unit 3: Networking Devices and

Topologies

Harry Gombachika PhD

|Mobile: +265-888-340-922|
|Email: [email protected]|

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3.1 Aim and Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Aim a) Describe the devices and
To introduce students to the topologies used in networking.
devices used in networking and b) Compare different devices and
how they are arranged (topology). topologies used in networking.
c) Recommend appropriate devices
or topologies based on system
requirements.
d) Identify issues that arise in a
network due to inappropriate
selection of topologies or devices.

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3.2 Background (“Bigger picture”)
Aggregation
Firewall

Firewall

Core

Access
3.3 LAN, MAN, WAN
LAN (Local Area Network):
• A network that connects computers and devices in a small geographic
area. Its is suitable for single building, office, or home. It is typically owned
and maintained privately.
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network):
• A network that covers a city or a large campus. It connects multiple LANs
within a specific metropolitan area and is larger than a LAN but smaller
than a WAN.
WAN (Wide Area Network):
• A network that spans a very large geographic area, such as a country or
continent. It connects multiple LANs and MANs using public or leased
communication lines, e.g., the Internet is the largest WAN.
3.4 LAN: IEEE STANDARDS
LLC LLC
LAN
MAC MAC

Physical Physical

LLC Logic Link Control (LLC) IEEE802.2

MAC Media Access Media Access Media Access

Control (MAC) Control (MAC) Control (MAC)
Physical IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.5 IEEE 802.11
Ethernet Token Ring Wireless
3.5 Logic Link Control (LLC) Sub-Layer
• Specified by the IEEE 802.2
• Provides consistent interface between LAN MAC and higher layers; thus
allowing different LANs to communicate;
• Controls the synchronization, multiplexing, error checking or correcting
functions, flow control of the DLL.
• LLC offers three types of service:
• Unacknowledged connectionless service. data is transferred as
independent data units. The delivery is neither guaranteed, nor
acknowledged.
• Connection-oriented service. This is based on the use of logical
connections (virtual circuit). Data is transferred using ordered,
acknowledged, and flow-controlled data units. Transmission errors are
detected and reported.
• Acknowledged connectionless service. Same as the unacknowledged
connectionless service, except that the delivery of each data unit is
acknowledged before the next data unit is sent.
 3.6 LLC Protocol Data Unit (PDU)
8 8 8/16 variable
DSAP SSAP Control Data

• Destination Service Access Point (DSAP)

DSAP: logical addresses (individual or group) of recipient of the message.
• Source Service Access Point (SSAP)
SSAP: logical addresses the entity that created the message.
• Data
This field generally includes data or information.
Control Field
Identifies type of PDU and also specifies various control functions which include
flow and error control.
Types of PDU: information, supervisory and unnumbered.
3.7 Medium Access Control Sub-Layer
• Controls how devices gain access and utilize a shared
communication medium in order to minimize collisions.
• Enables multiple devices to share the network bandwidth
effectively by determining what devices should access a shared
medium.
• MAC functions include Medium Access Control, Physical device
Addressing, Frame Formatting
• MAC Protocol categories:
• Contention-based: allow nodes to compete for access to the
medium (CSMA/CD and CSMA/CA)
• Reservation-based: allocate specific time slots or frequencies
to each node (TDMA,FDMA)
• Polling-based: Rely on a central node to grant permission to
transmit. (Token ring)
• Hybrid.
3.8 MAC Frame Format
PA SFD DMA SMA LN LLC PDU FCS

• PA-Preamble (7bytes): consists of alternating 1s and 0s.

• alerts the destination device on the incoming frame;
• Provide transition necessary for synchronization.
• SFD-Start Frame Delimiter (1 byte): marks the end of preamble and the
beginning of a frame.
• DMA-Destination MAC address (6 bytes expressed in hexa): contains the
hardware (physical) address of the frame’s destination device.
• SMA-Destination MAC address (6 bytes expressed in hexa): contains the
hardware (physical) address of the device sending the frame.
3.9 MAC Frame Format
PA SFD DMA SMA LN LLC PDU FCS

• Ln-length field (2 bytes): contains the number of bytes

encapsulated in the LCC PDU and can assume values in the
range 002E-05DC (46-1500).
• LLC PDU Field: carries between 46-1500 bytes payload for the
frame. Payload could be LLC PDU or other higher layer PDUs.
• FCS-Frame check sequence (4 bytes): carries CRC for error
detection.
 3.10 MAC Addressing
• MAC addresses are hardware/ physical addresses burned into NICs
• IEEE defines a 48 bits MAC address divided into 4 parts.
• First 2 bits indicate whether the frame is unicast or multicast, universal/global
unique or local unique.
• Next 22 bits approximately 3bytes unique to a manufacturer registers with
IEEE.
• Last 3 bytes indicate device manufactured by the vendor.
• 14:EB:B6:D7:40:40

• ARP-Address Resolution Protocol used to map Internet Protocol (IP) address to

MAC addresses.
• RARP-Reverse Address Resolution Protocol used to map MAC addresses to IP
address.
3.11 IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) LAN
• Initially developed by Xerox
• Baseband transmission system normally using Manchester Line coding;
• Uses bus topology (Physical or logical).
• It uses carrier sense multiple access with collision detection or (CSMA/CD);
• Maximum length of a cable segment (depends on the type).
• Two segments can be joined by a repeater (bridge).
• A maximum of two repeaters allowed between two users.
• Minimum spacing between users is 2.6m

• These were applicable to coaxial cable-based technology which is no

longer in use.
3: 12 Ethernet Notation
• Notations contains information bit rate, transmission mode and medium
and segment length
• Format: data rate in Mbps, Transmission mode, maximum segment length
in hundreds of meters 10BaseT-5,10BaseF
• or: Data rate in Mbps, Transmission mode, transmission media
• Data rates: 10Mbps, 100Mbps and 1Gbps
• Transmission mode: Baseband (Base) and Broadband (Broad)
• Segment length depends on medium
• Coaxial cable: no designation
• Twisted pair cable: T
• Optical fibre: F
3:13 Examples of Ethernet interfaces
Transmission rate Ethernet Transmission Max Segment
System Medium Length
10Mbps 10Base-5 Coax (RG-11) 500m

10Base-2 Coax (RG-58) 185m

10Base-T UTP/STP Cat3 100m

10Base-F Optical Fiber 2000m

100Mbps (Fast 100Base-T UTP/STP ca 5 100m

Ethernet)
100Base-FX Optical Fiber 400-2000m

1000Mbps 1000Base-LX Fiber Varies

1000Base-SX Fiber Varies

1000Base-T UTP/STP Cat5 varies

3:14 10Base-T Ethernet
• Used with PC-based LAN environment utilising star or bus topology
• Uses twisted pair cable normally UTP
• RJ-45 jacks are used to connect four pairs UTP cable
• Terminals are connected using hubs or switches with a maximum
length of 100m per segment.
3:15 Preparing a UTP Straight-through and UTP Cross-over Cables
e for 10/100BaseT
UTP Straight-through UTP Cross-Over
3:16 IEEE 802.4: Token Bus
• The IEEE 802.4 is a popular standard for the bus based token
passing LANs.
• In a token bus LAN, the physical media is a bus
• uses 75 ohm broadband coaxial cable that is normally used for
cable television. Both single and dual cable systems are allowed,
with or without head-ends.
• Three different analogue modulation schemes are permitted:
Phase continuous FSK, Phase coherent FSK and Multiple duo-binary
Amplitude modulated PSK.
• Speeds of 1, 5 and 10 Mbps are possible.
3:17 IEEE 802.5: Token Ring
• In token ring the physical topology is a ring
• The users are placed in a physical sequence and the
token is passed from one user to the adjacent one.
• its operation is different from that in token bus.
• It uses shielded twisted pairs at 1 or 4 Mbps, although IBM
later introduced a 16-Mbps version.
• Signals are encoded using differential Manchester
encoding with high and low being positive and negative
signals of absolute magnitude 3.0 to 4.5 volts.
• all the stations have to be ON for passing the token.
3:18 IEEE 802.11: WLAN
• IEEE 802.11 specifies protocols that enable devices to communicate on
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).
• It defines the Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layer
protocols for WLANs.
• The standard includes various amendments and revisions, like 802.11a,
802.11b, 802.11g each addressing different aspects of wireless
communication and performance (speed, range, and security).
• The standards use radio waves for data transmission, allowing for mobility
within a network's coverage area.
• The term "Wi-Fi" is often used interchangeably with IEEE 802.11, as it
represents the commercial branding for products implementing these
standards.
3:19 Transmission Technologies and Protocols for
WAN
• WAN (Wide Area Network) transmission technologies enable
communication between geographically dispersed networks (Long
distances).
• Technologies include leased lines, broadband connections,
satellite links, and cellular networks, each with its own
characteristics for speed, reliability, and cost.
• Protocol such MPLS, SD-WAN, and VPNs are used to manage and
optimize data transmission across these connections.
3:20 Transmission Technologies for WAN
Copper Cables (DSL, ADSL)
Use electrical signals to transmit data over copper wires. Suitable for broadband
Internet access. Capacities up to 10Mbps and distances less than 5km.
Microwave links
Microwave links provide point to point high-capacity data transmission over long
distances. Typical capacities are between 300 Mbps and 1 Gbps
(10Gbps). Suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications (core network or backhaul
links for mobile sites).
Fiber Optic Cables:
Transmit data as light pulses, providing high speed and bandwidth. Channel capacity
of 2.5 or 10 Gbit/s, while more advanced systems can achieve 40, 100, or even 160 Gbit/s.
Satellite Links:
Links that use space satellites (GEO,MEO or LEO). Suitable for remote locations or
areas with limited terrestrial infrastructure, but can be susceptible to latency issues.
Cellular Networks:
4G and 5G technologies provide wireless connectivity, offering mobility and
flexibility.
3:21 Transmission Protocols for WAN
• TCP/IP: The foundational protocol suite for internet communication, used to
interconnect network devices.
• MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching): A high-performance technology that directs
data based on labels rather than IP addresses, offering improved traffic
management.
• SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN): Virtualizes the WAN, allowing for dynamic traffic
steering and optimized use of multiple connections.
• IPsec VPN (Internet Protocol Security Virtual Private Network): Creates secure,
encrypted tunnels over the internet, connecting remote locations or users.
• SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy): Enables communication over optical fibre
using SDH protocols. Synchronous Transport Module level 1 (STM-1): which has a bit
rate of 155.52 Mbps; STM-4 (622Mbps) and STM-16 (2.5Gbps).
• Frame Relay: An older technology for transmitting data between LANs or WAN
endpoints.
• ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode): Another older technology that formats data
into fixed-size cells.
3:22 Important Parameters
• MAC address; arp -a
• Maximum length of a segment;
• Number of nodes per segments;
• Maximum Number of segments;
• Interface bandwidth.
3:23 Network Topologies
• Network topology is the physical or logical arrangement of devices
and connections in a network.
• It describes how data flows between devices and how they are
interconnected, impacting network performance, scalability,
reliability and security.
• Main topologies are: bus, tree, ring, and star.
3:24 Bus Topologies
• All nodes in the network are connected
directly to a central cable that runs up
and down the network (this cable is
known as the backbone).
• Easy to connect nodes to the network
• Less cabling is needed.
• Cheaper to install
• The whole network fails if the backbone
cable is broken.
• Terminators must be installed at each
end of the backbone.
• Increases the chances of data collision.
3:25 Star Topologies
• Every node on the network is connected
through a central device called hub or switch
• Each node is separately connected, therefore
a failure of one node or its link transmission
media does not affect any other nodes
• new nodes can be added to the network
simply by connecting them to the switch
• star networks tend to have higher
performance as a message is passed on to its
intended node only
• the whole network fails if the switch fails as no
node can communicate
• Wired star topology requires plenty of cable -
in a large network this can be expensive.
3:26 Ring Topology
• Each node is connected to the two nearest
nodes so the entire network forms a circle
• Data is passed on ring networks via token
passing
• Data travels around the network in one
direction
• Cable faults are easily located, making
troubleshooting easier
• Ring networks are moderately easy to install
• Expensive as they require more cable
• Expansion to the network can cause
network disruption
• A single break in the cable can disrupt the
entire network
 3:27 Mesh Topology

• Each device is connected to every other

device, providing redundancy as multiple
paths are available for data to travel.
• High redundancy; network remains
operational even if some connections fail.
• Scalable and adaptable; can handle a large
number of devices.
• Expensive due to the numerous cables and
ports required.
• Complex to set up and maintain.
3:28 Network Connectivity Devices
• Network connectivity devices comprise of hardware that allows
interconnection.
• The most common are Hub, bridge, switch, router, firewall.
3:29 Network Connectivity Devices: Hub
• A hub is a basic networking device that
connects multiple computers in a network.
• It broadcasts incoming data packets to all
ports, regardless of the destination.
• operates at the Physical Layer (Layer 1).
• don't examine the destination of data
packets, which can lead to network
congestion and collisions.
• All devices share the same collision domain.
If two devices transmit data simultaneously,
a collision occurs, and both devices need to
retransmit.
• Its no longer in common use.
3:30 Network Connectivity Devices: Switch
• A switch is networking hardware that connects
various devices (computers, printers, servers,
and other network-enabled devices) within a
LAN.
• It intelligently forwards data packets using
MAC address to the intended recipient,
improving network efficiency and reducing
congestion.
• All devices in a switch are in the same
broadcasting domain (same network) but on
different collision domain.
• It operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2).
3:31 Network Connectivity Devices: Router
• Routers connect different networks together,
such as a LAN to the Internet.
• They use IP addresses to forward packets to
the intended network.
• They determine the best path for data
packets to travel between networks, ensuring
efficient delivery.
• Routers prioritize and manage network
traffic, optimizing performance and
preventing congestion.
• They operate at the Network Layer (Layer 3).
3:32 Network Connectivity Devices: Access Point
• Access point (AP) is a device that allows
wireless devices to connect to a wired
network.
• It acts as a bridge between wireless devices
and the wired network, extending the
network's reach and enabling multiple
devices to connect to the Internet or other
network resources wirelessly.
• It is packaged as a wireless router with
functionality of RAT, Router and Switch.
3:33 Network Connectivity Devices: Firewall
• Firewalls monitor and control incoming and
outgoing network traffic based on
predetermined security rules.
• They protect networks from unauthorized
access and cyber threats.
• It scrutinizes incoming and outgoing data
packets, deciding whether to allow or block
them based on pre-set security policies, thus
protecting the network from unauthorized
access and malicious attacks.
• Firewalls can be hardware or software-
based.
2.14 Lab Works

Introduction to GNS3 Simulation

Check Lab sheet for instructions

Questions
&
Discussions

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