CSD102

Introduction to Information
and Communication
Technologies

Resource Person:
Muhammad Sharjeel
 Lecture 11

Data Communication and Computer

Networks

2
Data Communication
✗ Communication is the exchange of information from one entity to the other using
a transmission medium

✗ Data Communication is the exchange of data (in the form of 0’s and 1’s) between
two devices (computers) via some form of the transmission medium using a
protocol
✗ In simplest form, it is the transfer of data or information between a source
and a receiver
✗ The source transmits the data and the receiver receives it

3
Data Communication
✗ A data communication system is made up of 5 components:

✗ Sender
✗ Receiver
✗ Message
✗ Medium
✗ Protocol

4
Data Communication
✗ Sender:- It is the device which sends the data/messages
✗ It can be a computer, workstation, telephone handset
✗ Receiver:- It is the device which receives the data/messages
✗ It can be a computer, workstation, telephone handset
✗ Message:- It is the data/information to be communicated
✗ Popular forms of information include text, pictures, audio, video
✗ Medium:- It is the physical path by which a message travels from sender to receiver
✗ Some examples include twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, radio waves
✗ Protocol:- It is the set of rules that governs the communications
✗ It represents an agreement between the communicating devices
✗ Without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not communicating

5
Data Communication
✗ Some uses of data communication technology;

✗ Internet
✗ Email
✗ Instant Messaging
✗ Internet Telephony
✗ File Sharing
✗ Video Conferencing
✗ Newsgroups

6
Data Communication Modes
✗ Different modes for data communication;

✗ Simplex mode
✗ Half-duplex mode
✗ Full-duplex mode

7
Data Communication Modes
✗ Simplex mode, data can flow in one direction only
✗ A sender can only send data and cannot receive it
✗ Example: Data sent from computer to printer

✗ Half-duplex mode, data can flow in both directions but only one at a time
✗ Data is sent and received alternatively
✗ Example: Internet browsing

✗ Full duplex-mode, data can flow in both directions at the same time
✗ It is the fastest mode of data communication
✗ Example: Telephone communication system

8
Data Communication Types
✗ Parallel Communication
✗ When multiple bits (usually 8 bits or a byte/character) are sent/received
simultaneously
✗ More speed but with a cost since multiple wires cost more than a single wire
✗ Example: connection between a computer and a printer
✗ Mostly printers are within a small distance of the computer, so the slight cost for
the extra wires is offset by the added speed

9
Data Communication Types
✗ Serial Communication
✗ When bits are sent/received sequentially
✗ It reduces costs for wire but also slows the speed of communication
✗ Example: connection over a WAN link

10
Data Communication Signals
✗ Analog signal (continuous): Transmitted power varies over a continuous range
✗ Example: sound, light, and radio waves

✗ Digital signal (discrete): Sequence of voltage pulses represented in binary form

✗ Example: Computer generated data signal is digital

✗ Computers generate digital data signal, but the telephone lines that carries it are
analog
✗ Digital transmission of data is preferred over analog transmission of data due to
lower cost, higher transmission speeds, and lower error rate

11
Data Communication Signals
✗ When digital data signal is to be sent over an analog facility, it must be converted to
analog form

✗ Conversion of digital signal to analog form is known as modulation

✗ Conversion of analog signal to digital form is known as demodulation

12
Data Communication Signals
✗ MODEM is short for MOdulator/DEModulator

✗ It is a special device used for conversion of digital data signal to analog form
(modulation) and vice-versa (demodulation)
✗ It is an essential piece of hardware required when two digital devices (e.g. two
computers) want to communicate over an analog transmission channel (e.g.
telephone line)

13
Computer Network
✗ A Computer Network is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers
that are capable of exchanging information

✗ It allows communication and collaboration between users

✗ The most elementary computer network consists of two computers

communicating over a cable

14
Computer Network
✗ We need computer networks for;

✗ Sharing of resources (software/hardware)

✗ Sharing of data
✗ Sharing of ideas

15
Computer Network
✗ Uses of computer networks;
✗ Email
✗ World Wide Web
✗ Video conferencing
✗ File Transfer
✗ Remote control of robots and machines
✗ Webcasting
✗ Distributed programs and applications
✗ Hacking
✗ Banking
✗ Internet telephone

16
Types of Computer Networks
✗ Networks are broadly classified into two types:

✗ Local Area Network (LAN)

✗ Wide Area Network (WAN)

✗ Other types are

✗ MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) and PANs (Personal Area Networks)

17
Types of Computer Networks
✗ Local Area Network (LAN)
✗ Computers are close to each other
✗ Normally contained in one office or building
✗ Organizations often have several LANs

✗ Wide Area Networks (WAN)

✗ Two or more LANs connected with each other
✗ Spans over a large geographic area
✗ Typically use public or leased lines

18
Computer Network Architecture
✗ Client/Server network
✗ Nodes and servers share data roles
✗ Servers control what the node accesses
✗ Nodes (also called clients) can be any network device
✗ Servers are used to control access to data/resources
✗ Nodes gain access to server resources by logging in

✗ Peer to peer networks

✗ All nodes have equal access rights and control their resources
✗ Nodes access resources on other nodes
✗ Normally used for small networks

19
Network Topology
✗ The way in which wires are connected to link computers with each other is called
network topology

✗ Choice of a topology affects

✗ Network performance
✗ Network size
✗ Network collision detection

✗ Different type of network topologies

✗ Bus, Star, Ring, Mesh

20
Network Topology (Bus)
✗ Also called linear bus
✗ One wire connects all nodes
✗ Terminator ends the wires

✗ Advantages
✗ Easy to setup and extend
✗ Small amount of wire
✗ Disadvantages
✗ Slow
✗ Easy to crash
✗ Troubleshooting is difficult

21
Network Topology (Star)
✗ All nodes connect to a centralize device called hub/switch
✗ Data is first sent to hub/switch which sends packet to destination
✗ Most common topology

✗ Advantages
✗ Easy to setup, very flexible and reliable
✗ One cable can not crash the network
✗ Centralize management
✗ Disadvantages
✗ One hub crashing downs entire network
✗ Uses lots of cable
✗ Requires a centralize device

22
Network Topology (Ring)
✗ Each node is connected to the next, with the last one connecting to the first one
✗ A token/basket is used to transmit data
✗ Nodes must wait for token to send/transmit data

✗ Advantages
✗ Time to send data is known
✗ Every computer is given equal access
✗ No data collisions
✗ Disadvantages
✗ Slow and difficult to troubleshoot
✗ Requires lots of cable

23
Network Topology (Mesh)
✗ All computers connected together
✗ Each node is connected to every other node

✗ Advantage
✗ Data will always be delivered
✗ Disadvantages
✗ Requires more cable than any other topology
✗ Hard to setup and extend

24
Network Media
✗ The physical path through which computers send and receive signals is called
transmission media or network media
✗ It carries signal from one computer to another
✗ Two types, Wired and Wireless

✗ Three types of cables or wires

✗ Twisted-pair cable
✗ Coaxial cable
✗ Fiber-optic cable

25
Network Media
✗ Twisted-pair cable
✗ Also called Cat5 cable
✗ Four pairs of copper cable twisted around each other
✗ May be shielded from interference
✗ Speeds range from 1 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps
✗ Most common type of cable used in LANs

26
Network Media
✗ Coaxial cable
✗ Similar to cable TV wire
✗ One wire runs through cable
✗ Shielded from interference
✗ Speeds up to 10 Mbps
✗ Nearly obsolete now

27
Network Media
✗ Fiber-optic cable
✗ Data is transmitted with light pulses
✗ Glass strand instead of cable
✗ Immune to interference
✗ Very secure but hard to install
✗ Speeds up to 100 Gbps

28
Computer Network
✗ Wireless
✗ Data transmitted through the air
✗ LANs use radio waves
✗ WANs use microwave signals
✗ Easy to setup
✗ Difficult to secure

29
Network Communications Standards
✗ Ethernet

✗ Wired local-area network architecture developed by Xerox Corporation in

cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976
✗ Ethernet uses bus or star topology
✗ Supports data transfer rates of 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps
✗ Also known as IEEE 802.3

30
Network Communications Standards
✗ WiFi

✗ Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity) is the wireless local area network technology
✗ It uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network
connections
✗ It uses 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency band to provide data rates of 54 and 100 Mbps
✗ Also know as IEEE 802.11

31
Network Communications Standards
✗ Bluetooth

✗ Bluetooth is a wireless personal area networking technology standard for

exchanging data over short distances
✗ It provides 720 kbps data rate up to 10m distance
✗ Also known as IEEE 802.15.1

32
Internet Protocol Address
✗ Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device
connected to a computer network
✗ Since all devices are computers, the address is expressed as a binary number
✗ Current version is IPv4
✗ A unique addressing scheme
✗ Each address is 32 bits in length
✗ Total number of unique addresses 232 = 4,294,967,296 ≈ 4 billion

33
Internet Protocol Address
✗ So the IP addresses range from 0 – 4,294,967,296

✗ This means we could assign any number within this range, e.g., 2, 1092, 2220981,
4098763, 309212345

✗ Address = 2,724,137,200
✗ Binary Equivalent = 10100010010111110000100011110000

✗ This is awkward – too difficult to read or manage or remember

34
Internet Protocol Address
✗ Therefore, we break the 32 bits into 4 bytes (or octets)
✗ 1 Octet = 8 bits
✗ Four octets = 32 bits
✗ Each octet is:
✗ Printed in decimal
✗ Separated by periods ‘.’
✗ So, IPv4 address is written in dotted decimal notation
✗ Human Readable – not as much as names but better than binary or pure
decimal

✗ IP Address = 162.95.8.240
✗ Binary Equivalent = 10100010 01011111 00001000 11110000

35
Internet Protocol Address
✗ Every IP address consists of two parts;

✗ One identifying the network (PREFIX) and one identifying the node (SUFFIX)
✗ The class of the address and the subnet mask determine which part belongs to the
network address and which part belongs to the node address

36
Internet Protocol Address
✗ Network Portion
✗ Left-most bits of IP Address
✗ Defines the network to which the IP Address belongs
✗ All IP Addresses with an equal Network Portion are in the same subnet

✗ Host Portion
✗ Right-most bits of IP Address
✗ Defines a host within a subnet

37
Internet Protocol Address
✗ A physical network on Internet is assigned a unique value known as network number
✗ No two networks can be assigned the same network number and no two computers
on the same network can be assigned the same suffix
✗ A suffix value can be used on more than one network

✗ The IP address hierarchy guarantees two important principles:

✗ Each computer is assigned a unique address
✗ Although network number assignment must be coordinated globally, suffixes
can be assigned locally

38
Thanks!
Any questions?

39