Data Communication

Chapter 1
Introduction
1-1 DATA COMMUNICATIONS
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.
Topics discussed in this section:
 Components of a data communications system
 Data Flow
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 The effectiveness of a data communications system
depends on four fundamental characteristics:

1. delivery,
2. accuracy,
3. timeliness, and
4. jitter.

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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.

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3. Timeliness:
 The system must deliver data in a timely manner.
 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.
 This kind of delivery is called real-time transmission.

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4. Jitter:
 Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time.
 It is the uneven delay in the delivery of audio or video packets.
 For example, let us assume that video packets are sent every 3D
ms. If some of the packets arrive with 3D-ms delay and others with
4D-ms delay, an uneven quality in the video is the result.

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Data Representation
Information today comes in different forms such as:
text,
numbers,
images,
audio, and
video.

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Figure 1.1 Components of a data communication system

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A data communications system has five
components AS in fig. 1.1. above
1.Message: The message is the information (data)
to be communicated. Popular forms of information
include text, numbers, pictures, audio, and video.
2.Sender: The sender is the device that sends the
data message. It can be a computer, workstation,
telephone handset, video camera, and so on.

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3. Receiver: The receiver is the device that
receives the message. It can be a computer,
workstation, telephone handset, television,
and so on.
4. Transmission medium: The transmission
medium is the physical path by which a
message travels from sender to receiver.
 Someexamples of transmission media include
twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic
cable, and radio waves.

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Data Flow
 Communication between two devices can be simplex, half-
duplex, or full-duplex
1. Simplex: In simplex mode, the communication is
unidirectional, as on a one-way street. Only one of the two
devices on a link can transmit; the other can only receive (see
Figure 1.2a).

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  Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex
devices. The keyboard can only introduce input; the monitor can
only accept output.
 The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the channel to
send data in one direction.
2. Half-Duplex: In half-duplex mode, 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 (see Figure 1.2b).

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 The half-duplex mode is like a one-lane road
with traffic allowed in both directions.
 When cars are traveling in one direction, cars
going the other way must wait.
 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.
 Walkie-talkies and CB (citizens band)
radios are both half-duplex systems.
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3. Full-Duplex: In full-duplex mode (also called duplex), both
stations can transmit and receive simultaneously (see Figure
1.2c).
 The full-duplex mode is like a two-way
street with traffic flowing in both directions
at the same time.
 In full-duplex mode, signals going in one
direction share the capacity of the link: with
signals going in the other direction.

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This sharing can occur in two ways:
Either the link must contain two physically
separate transmission paths, one for
sending and the other for receiving; or
The capacity of the channel is divided
between signals traveling in both
directions.
One common example of full-duplex
communication is the telephone network.
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When two people are communicating by a
telephone line, both can talk and listen at
the same time.
The full-duplex mode is used when
communication in both directions is
required all the time.
The capacity of the channel, however, must
be divided between the two directions.

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Figure 1.2 Data flow (simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex)

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1-2 NETWORKS

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. A link can be a cable, air, optical fiber, or any
medium which can transport a signal carrying
information.
Topics discussed in this section:
 Network Criteria
 Physical Structure
Categories of Networks 1.
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Network Criteria
 Performance
 Depends on Network Elements
 Measured in terms of Delay and Throughput

 Reliability
 In addition to accuracy of delivery, 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.
 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.
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Physical Structures

 Type of Connection
 Point to Point - single transmitter and receiver
 Multipoint - multiple recipients of single transmission

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Figure 1.3 Types of connections: point-to-point and multipoint

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 Categories of Networks

 Local Area Networks (LANs)

 Short distances
 Designed to provide local interconnectivity

 Wide Area Networks (WANs)

 Long distances
 Provide connectivity over large areas

 Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)

 Provide connectivity over areas such as a city, a campus

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 A local area network (LAN) is usually privately
owned and links the devices in a single office,
building, or campus (see Figure 1.10).
 The most common LAN topologies are bus, ring,
and star.
 LANs are distinguished from other types of
networks by their transmission media and
topology.
 In general, a given LAN will use only one type of
transmission medium.
 Early LANs had data rates in the 4 to 16
megabits per second (Mbps) range. Today,
however, speeds are normally 100 or 1000
Mbps.
 Wireless LANs are the newest evolution in LAN
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Metropolitan area network (MAN)
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, normally to the Internet, and

have endpoints spread over a city or part of city.
A good example of a MAN is part of the

telephone company network that can provide a

high-speed DSL line to the customer.

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Figure 1.10 An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet

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 A wide area network (WAN) 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.
 The switched WAN connects the end systems,

which usually comprise a router

(internetworking connecting device) that
connects to another LAN or WAN.
 The point-to-point WAN is normally a line

leased from a telephone or cable TV provider

that connects a home computer or a small LAN
to an internet service provider (ISP). A good
example of a switched WAN is X.25, the 1.
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. 27
Figure 1.11 WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN

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Figure 1.12 A heterogeneous network made of four WANs and two LANs

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 1-3 THE INTERNET

The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our daily

lives. It has affected the way we do business as well as the
way we spend our leisure time. The Internet is a
communication system that has brought a wealth of
information to our fingertips and organized it for our use.

Topics discussed in this section:

Organization of the Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
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Figure 1.13 Hierarchical organization of the Internet

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(NAP) network access points
1-4 PROTOCOLS

A protocol is synonymous with rule. It consists of a set of

rules that govern data communications. It determines
what is communicated, how it is communicated and when
it is communicated. The key elements of a protocol are
syntax, semantics and timing

Topics discussed in this section:

 Syntax
 Semantics
 Timing
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 Elements of a Protocol

 Syntax
 Structure or format of the data
 Indicates how to read the bits - field delineation

 Semantics
 Interprets the meaning of the bits
 Knows which fields define what action

 Timing
 When data should be sent and what
 Speed at which data should be sent or speed at which it is being
received.

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 End

Thanks!
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