DIPLOMA IN

INFORMATIO
TECHNOLOGY
ASSIGNMENT 02

NETWORKIN
G ESSENTIALS

LUQMAN
ARSHARD
INDEX NO: NG/DIPICT/52/74

Page | 1 2022 Page 1

1.Types of Transmission media and their Characteristics
Transmission media is the way of transferring data from the sender to the receiver. It is controlled by the
physical component of the system. It transfers data in bit form through LAN (local area network). There are
two types of transmission media

 Guided Media
 Unguided Media

1.Guided Media
Guided media is the way of transferring data in a physical way. Therefore it is also called “wired media” or
“bounded media”. Through this way the data is transmitted directly in a restricted way physically. The
guided media has many advantages as well as disadvantages. Low cost, Secure, Easy to setup, Flexible
are some of the advantages of using guided media. Guided media can only be used for short distances,
Physical breakdown of wires or natural disasters can cause difficulty in transmission of data.

The guided media transmits data through three kinds of ways.

 Twisted pair
 Coaxial cable
 Fiber optics cable

Twisted Pair
The twisted pair cable consists of 2 separately insulated conducted wires around each other. These wires are bundled
in a protective cover. One of the wires is used to transmit data and the other is used for ground reference. It is a
simple transmission media. It is used to cancel the external electromagnetic fields from the surrounding. Due to the
additional coating over the wire the twisted pair is separated into two parts. They are shielded and unshielded
twisted pair.

Unshielded twisted Pair (UTP)

This wire doesn’t have an outer coating, Therefore it is known as unshielded twisted pair. It has the capacity
to block interference. It is mostly used in telephone connections. Transmission of data is very quick and
secure and cost effective as well. But data cannot be transmitted for more than 100 meters.

Shielded twisted pair (STP)

It has an outer coated wire surrounding it which makes the transmission more secure than the unshielded
one. This outer coating is made of copper. This is more costly than the UTP cables. They have color coded
wires within them similar to the UTP cables. These wires can be used for long distant transmission of data
and have a higher bandwidth than the UTP cables. These cables are only installed underground.

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 Twisted copper wire

Coaxial Cable

The Coaxial Cable also has a protection cover outside for protection. It has an electronic cable pair. There is a
braided copper net that produces an electromagnetic field around the central core. This wire is used to
transmit media in two ways called broadband mode and baseband mode. This wire is widely used in CCTV
cameras and antenna connection.

The coaxial cable has a high bandwidth and is easy to install. But it is comparatively expensive too .

Fibre Optics Cable

This cable uses a reflection of light using the way of Total internal reflection concept. It consists of several
cables and plastic jacket which separates them. Around the core there is a glass cladding. The data transmits
while reflecting light.

They are designed for long distance data transmission and telecommunication. Compared to the other guided
media the performance of this cable is better. The internet, Television networks are connected through this
wire.

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 2.Unguided
Media Transformation of electromagnetic waves without a physical medium is known as
unguided media. These media uses air as the mode of transmission as it can be transferred without any
disturbances. Unguided media uses 2 ways of t propagating information. They are Ground/terrestrial and slay.

Unguided media can be categorized under 3 different types.

 Microwaves
 Radio Waves
 Infrared Waves

Microwaves
Micro waves have a range of Frequency from 1-300GHz.They use a disk shaped antenna for sending and
retrieving information. The transmitter and the receiver should be on a very high tower and the antenna is also
placed on this tower. Only short distant communication can be done through this. In order to use this for long
distant communication we should use a device called repeater. The sending and receiving antenna of microwaves
should be facing each other. There are two types of transmission.

1. Terrestrial transmission
This means transmitting and receiving antenna should be fixed on the ground.
2. Satellite transmission
Electromagnetic waves are transmitted through the earth station and the satellite fixed in space. By using
this method we can connect to any part of the world.

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4

Radio Waves
They have a low frequency electromagnetic waves. The frequency of these waves is 3 kHz
to 1GHz. An antenna is not needed to transmit information similar to the microwaves. Radio waves are used in FM
radio, television and Cordless phones. These waves are used for multi-tasking activities. These waves use signal types
like AM and FM. These waves are very simple to use and doesn’t need any complicated ways to transmit the data.
These waves are omnidirectional, which means it can travel in all the directions.

Infrared waves
These waves have the highest frequency amongst all the other unguided waves. It has a
frequency of 300GHz to 400THz.These waves are mostly used for communication of information within a
stipulated range. These waves are used most commonly in our day to day activities. These doesn’t have the ability
to penetrate through walls even though it has a high frequency range. It is the most secured form of transmission
of data. There are less chances of any vulnerable attacks on these waves. There is no need of any license to use
these. They are commonly used in TV remotes, AC remotes, Music systems etc…..

2. Types of Networks
In the modern world, there are various types of networks available. A computer network must be selected to
an organization according to the size as well as the purpose. A network can be distinguished as devices in a single to
millions of devices around the globe. Due to this reason networking has become one of the main part of a human’s
life.

Amongst various types of networks, the main and most commonly used networks are of 3 types,

 Local Area Network (LAN)

 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 Wide Area Network (WAN)

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 Local Area
Network
Local area network (LAN) can be explained as the network within a small geographical area or single site. Through
this network we can connect computer network within a house, building, office complex (usually in same
building). LAN mostly relies on wired connections to protect and secure data. But LAN can also be seen wireless.
LAN is seen small in size and large in size as well. Through small LAN network only 2-3 computers can be
connected but more than 1000s of computers can be connected through a large LAN connection.

Advantages of LAN

 Failure of one computer doesn’t affect other computers.

 Can transfer large amount data as the distance of transfer is low.
 Only known users will be connected so the network will be secure.

Disadvantages of LAN

 We can only share within the specific region, any computer outside the area cannot be connected.
 Computer maintenance is required.

Metropolian
TheArea Network
MAN network connects computers within a certain region like a city or multiple cities. This network can be

(MAN)
used to connect several branches of an organization. The network can be usually ranged 5 to 50km. These
networks are mostly used by companies which has many buildings or different branches in same geographical
area.

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 Advantages of MAN

 Data can be transferred to a wider area compared to LAN.

 Increases speed and efficiency in handling data.
 Cost effective as resources can be shared like printers etc..

Disadvantages of MAN

 Less security and difficult to prevent hackers hacking into the system.
 Large network and difficult to manage.
 Implementation cost is high.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Wide area network also known as WAN is used to facilitate communication, sharing information between
devices around the world. It is also known as a collection of LANs. The Largest WAN network is the internet.
A Wan network is owned and provided by a service provider. A user must pay a minimal fee to get access to
the network. Without WANs, LAN would be an isolated network connection.

Advantages of WAN
 Easy Communication
 Increased efficiency
 Messages can be sent to anyone in the world at any time.
 Supports and develops global market and businesses.

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 Disadvantages of
WAN
 Difficult to maintain and handle.
 WAN is not secure as the whole world is connected and hackers can easily hack into the
systems.
 Very complicated and complexed network.

Suitable type
of Network.
The suitable type of network for a branched wise organization will be Metropolitan area network. As MAN
can transfer information amongst many branches up to a distance of 50 km. Transfer of data is also speedy.
As the network is between different branches of the same organization resources like printers can be
shared between them. This is also cost effective to the business. Therefore in my point of view the MAN is
the suitable network for a branched wise organization.

3. Types of Network Topologies and their pros and cons

In simple words topology can be explained as arrangement of nodes in a computer network or pattern in
which the computer has been connected. There are two types of topologies.

1. Physical topology: The way in which computers are connected or it can also be explained as the physical
nodes and other devices are connected.

2. Logical topology: Logical topology explains the way data and information flows amongst devices .

Types of
1.Star Topology
Topologies.
2. Bus Topology
3.Ring Topology
4.Tree Topology
5.Mesh Topology

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1) Star
Topology
In star topology all the terminals are connected to a central node which is a hub/switch through cables.
Repeaters will be present in the hub. In this type of topology the central hub acts like a server and the
other terminals act like client. When data is shared from one device, the data will be first received by the
central hub and then it is shared to the destination PC. The transmission line failures are reduced in this
type of topologies by each and every host is connected to the hub individually.

Advantages of star
topology
 Less expensive to setup
 If one of the cables brake or fail the other computers will be able to function
 Safe to use
 Easy fault detection because the link are often easily identified.

Disadvantages of
 Star Topology
Requires more cable than any other topologies.
 If the switch or the hub fails the entire system will fail to function.
 Performance depends on the hub/switch.

2)Bus
Topology
Bus topology is a network type which connects all the terminals and network devices via a single cable. And
data can be shared in only one direction from one PC to the other. Bi-directional data transfer is not
possible in this network type.

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Advantages of bus
topology
 Installation cost is low.
 Easy to install
 Less cable is required
 Works efficiently in small networks.

Disadvantages of
bustopology
Not great for large networks.
 If the main cable is damaged the whole network gets damaged it is like a backbone.
 Slow as compared to other topologies.

3)Ring
Topology
Ring topology connects the terminals in the network in a circular patterned data path which connects a
terminal to the neighboring device. Basically form a structure like of a Ring. Repeaters are used in this
network to prevent data losses and send data to cope up with a large number of nodes.

In this type of topology the data travels through all the Pc’s that are in the network until it reaches the
desired final destination. In this topology the data travels in a unidirectional form.

Advantages of Ring
Topology
 As the data flow is unidirectional collisions are prevented.
 All devices are equally accessible to the resources
 Easy to install
 Quick transmission of data.

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Disadvantages of
Ring Topology
 If one node is affected the whole system of network will be affected.
 The data will be transmitted slowly as it has to pass all the nodes.
 Less secured.

4)Tree
Topology
The Tree topology is a mixture the two topologies Star topology and the Bus topology. It is most commonly
used in database management, Workstations in corporate networks. There is a root node and the rest of
the nodes connected to it which form a hierarchy.

Advantages of Tree
 Topology
Can add more nodes to the hierarchy as much as we want to suit the requirement.
 Highly secured
 Failure of one node doesn’t affect the rest

Disadvantages of
Tree topology
Requires a large number of cables compared to the bus and star topology
 Highly complex and complicated
 As data needs to travel from the central cable it creates a data traffic.

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 5) Mesh
Topology

Mesh topology is a kind of a network in which all the computers are connected to each and every node in the
network individually. In this network a Pc can send and receive data to the destination PC directly. Every node
has a point-to-point connection to the opposite nodes and connected via a dedicated link.

Advatages of Ring
topology
 Failure of a single device won’t affect the others.
 High privacy and security compared to the others.
 No data traffic problems as all computers are connected node to node.

Disadvantages of
Ring topology
 Highly costly compared to the other network topologies.
 Installation is very difficult
 Maintenance is a challenging task
 Training requirements should be provided for users.

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 4. Types of
Network
Networking protocols are known as the way in which the data is transmitted between the devices connected to

Protocols
the same network. It is a set of rules that has been established to send transmit and receive information easily,
securely and in a reliable way. To successfully send and receive information both devices has to be accepted and

and their
following the protocol convention. Therefore these protocols can be built in hardware, software or both.

Network protocols take large scale processes and break them in small and simple functions. It can also be
benefits
explained . of similar smaller functions that work together to achieve the larger process. We use
as the group
networks every time we surf the internet or any other activities.

There are different types of networks we come across when we surf the internet. Some of them are explained
here.

1.Transmission control protocol (TCP)

2.Internet Protocol (IP)
3.Simple mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
4.Hyper text transfer Protocol (HTTP)

1.Transmissio
Itnis aControl
popular and simple network. It is the most essential protocol in data transmission. It is a connection
oriented protocol which means it establishes connection before communication. To ensure the data is
Protocol
transferred accurately it breaks down the data into smaller data packets and reassembles back into its

(TCP)
original form

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 The TCP protocol lies in between the application layer and network layer which provide reliable services. The
main function it takes data from application layer and divides it into small layers. This protocol is mostly used
with the IP protocols so mostly they are known as TCP/IP protocols.

Benefits of TCP
model.
 It provides an error checking mechanism as well as one for recovery.
 It is a reliable protocol.
 It gives flow control
 Open protocol, not owned by any individual.
 It is scalable client server architecture. This allows networks to be added easily.

2. Internet
Protocol
Internet Protocol(IP)
is a set of rules for routing and addressing data so that they can travel across destinations and
reach the correct place. Every device on the internet is assigned an IP address it is the defining set of protocols
that makes the modern internet run. The TCP also runs on top of IP which is why it is also called the TCP/IP.
However the TCP is not the only protocol in the IP.

When data is sent or received the data is divided into parts called data chunks. Each piece contains both the
senders and the receivers email address. As the data sent is divided into various pieces the data can arrive at the
destination at a different order and a different route than the order in which it was sent. The job of the IP is to
send the data and is up to the TCP to convert it back to the right order.

There are several types of protocols used on top of the IP. Some of them are

1. TCP
2. UDP
3. HTTP
4. FTP

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 Advantages of IP

 It can be operated on various networks. And is not bound to specific technology or topology
 Its Traffic can be transported on any virtually existing network.
 It can share common network with other network infrastructure.

3. Simple
Mail
Email is one of the fast growing services of the internet in the present world. Most Emails presently use the
protocol SMTP to transfer information from one end to the other. The SMTP is only used to send the mails
Transfer
whereas protocols like Post office protocol (POP) and Internet message access protocol (IMAP). The SMTP is
an application layer protocol so it needs to use the TCP to send the information. It can send a single message
toProtocol
several recipients at once which can include text, videos, images, audios etc… it can also send data outside
the internet network.
(SMTP)
Advantages of
SMTP
 It is a simple Protocol. The user just needs to type the email of the end receiver and send tit
where he can receive it easily.
 Quick email Delivery.
 Reliability

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4. Hyper
Text
It is the set of rules designed to transfer images, videos, audios and other types of multimedia over the web.
The moment we open the web browser the user indirectly uses HTTP. It is used to access the data on the
Transfer
World Wide Web (WWW). It is the foundation of the internet and located on top of the TCP/IP protocols.
Through this the resources are exchanged between the client and server devices.
Protocol
HTTPs are a connection less protocol and also it is an independent media which means it can transfer any type

(HTTP)
of media through this protocol. This is also a state less which means the client and server interact each other
only during the transfer of information. Afterwards they forget about each other and become unknown .

Advantages of
HTTP
 Addressing – The HTTP uses simple identification or addressing names which are unique for each web
page on the internet. Whereas the IP address and the rest of the protocols uses a set of numbers
which is hard to identify.
 Flexibility – Whenever some of the applications require additional requirements the HTTP is ready to
support to it. I.e. when opening a pdf file applications like acrobat reader is used.
 Security- When a HTTP is accessed the file is independently and when we close it is completely erased
and cannot be accessed to it again. Therefore the chances of getting unethical access is minimized.
 Accessibility – when an HTTP file is accessed it gets stored in the cache and when we want to access it
again the data is loaded quickly than before.

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5. Types of
Network
The open system network (OSI) describes the seven layers that are used to communicate over a network. It
provides a physical connection between the devices. The information are stored in the form of bits. Its splits the
layers and
communication of a network into seven different types of layers each one stacked on top of each other.

their tasks
There are seven types of layers.

1. Physical Layer
2. Data Link Layer
3. Network Layer
4. Transport Layer
5. Session Layer
6. Presentation Layer
7. Application Layer

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The data will be
described top to
7. Application
down
Layer
The application layer is 7th and the topmost layer in the OSI model. It provides several ways of manipulating data
into various ways which allows users to access data easily. It is not an application but it is a component within the
application which enable devices to communicate with other devices. However the application layer cannot do its
functions without the support of the rest of the layers below it. The data is presented in a way that the user can
understand. The application layer ensures the computer communicates with devices on other computer networks.

Functions :
 It identifies the receiving device and checks whether it is reachable and compatible to receive data.
 After the device is found compatible and ready to transfer data, it enables authentication and requests
an extra layer for extra security.
 Checks the suitable communication interface exists in the device like a Proper Wi-Fi connection.
 It handles issues like Network transparency etc…
 Users can access the information from a remote computer as well.
 It provides services like e-mail, transferring files, directory services, network resources etc…
 Determines the protocols and syntax rules.

6.Presentati
onIt isLayer
the layer below the application layer. It is also known as the translation layer as it serves as the data
translator in the network. It mainly translates data from the application layer and the network format. Data
has to be communicated in various ways and sources. Therefore the presentation layer converts all this into a
specific format to bring about an effective and efficient communication. The network devices used by the
presentation layers are gateways and redirectors. Encryption and decryption are also done by presentation
layer the encryption is carried out at the transmitter and decryption is carried out at the receiver

Functions :
 It formats and encrypts data to be sent across the network
 It will take care that the information is executable efficiently and effectively.
 Data compression is carried out to reduce the bandwidth of data transmitted.
 This layers responsible for the presentation part of the data.
 It is also responsible for translation, formatting and delivery of information accurately.

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 5. Session
It is thelayer
th
5 layer in the OSI model. It allows users of different machines to interact within them and communicating.
It responsible for establishing, maintaining, synchronizing and terminating sessions between users. It is uses the
services provided by the transport layer which enables application to establish and maintain sessions. It directly
communicates with both presentation layers and transport layers. Sessions created are most commonly
implemented on web browsers.

Functions:
 It works as dialogue controller which allows to communicate through half duplex or full duplex modes
between systems.
 It also provides token management which allows only one user to access a critical operation at a time.
 It also does session check pointing and recovery.
 The services are implemented in application layers.
 It is responsible to receive data form the previous layer and forward it to the layer next to it.

4. Transport
Layer
The transport layer is the layer below the session layer in the OSI model and the 2 nd
layer in the TCP/IP model.
It is an end to end layer used to deliver messages to the host. It receives services from the network layer and
provides services to the application layer. It receives data from the application layer and breaks into several
segments, adds a source and the destination number to it and sends it to the network layer. In the same way
it receives message from the network layer and it reassembles it to the correct order and reads its source and
destination and transports it to the correct port in the application layer.

Functions :
 Data integrity and Error Correction.
It determines all the errors in the message which are coming from the application layer
using error detection code. It checks whether the data transferred is corrupted or not.
 Process to process delivery.
Similar to the other layers requiring various identity codes to confirm their tasks, the
transport layer requires a 16 bit code known as the port number to identify client server program
uniquely.
 Provides End to End connection between hosts
It is also responsible to create a secured connection between the hosts using TCP and
UDP. TCP is a secured connection uses handshake protocol and uses in various applications. While
the UDP is a stateless and unreliable protocol which is used in application which has less concern in
error control and used to bulk data like video conferences. It is used in multi-tasking protocols.

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  Flow Control
It provides a flow control mechanism between the adjacent layers. Data loss is also prevented
by fast sender and slow receiver technique.
 Congestion Control
A data traffic or congestion is created when too many senders attempt to send data at the
same time. Due to this congestion the transport layer has developed various mechanisms like open
loop and closed loop to control the congestion.

3. Network
Layer
Network layer mainly transfers the data packets from the source host to the destination host. It handles the
service request from transport layer and further forwards it to the data link layer. Its duty is to transfer data
into and out of the layers. It packages the data with the correct information and selecting the appropriate
routes and transports the data through it. The enterprise networks use the TCP/IP layers as well as the cellular
networks like 3G, 4G and 5G networks.

Functions :
 Carry data packets from the source to the destination without changing it.
 If the packets are large in size they are broken into smaller packets and transferred
 It decides the routes that should be taken from the source to the destination.
 Error control can also be done in the network layer but it’s not done frequently because the data
packet in a network layer may be fragmented at each router.
 It regulates the amount of data that can be transferred.

2. Data link
Layer
This layer is responsible for node to node delivery of data. Its main responsibility is to transmission of data
without any error. It is also responsible for encoding, decoding and manage the incoming and outgoing
data. It is considered as the most complex layer in the OSI model as it hides all the complexities of the
other network layers in it. The data link layer has two sub parts.

1. Logic Link control (LLC) – It deals with multiplexing, flow of data

among services and also provides error messages and
acknowledgements as well.
2. Media access control (MAC)- It deals with device interactions,
responsible for addressing frames and physical media access too.

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Functions:
 Framing
Packet received from the network layer is known as the frame. When a data packet is received t
is divided into smaller frames and some special bits are also added to the head and end of the frame
and send this bit by bit to the physical layer.
 Addressing
The data link layer depicts the address of the source and destinations address on the header to
ensure node to node delivery.
 Error detection
Data can get corrupted for reasons like noise etc… Therefore the data link layer has to find it
using the error detection and correction technique.

1.Physical Layer
It is the bottom most layer in the OSI model which is a physical and electrical representation of the system. It
consists of components like power plugs, connectors etc… It sends bits from one device to another. It defines
the type of encoding. It is responsible of the communication of unstructured raw data streams over a physical
medium.

Functions :
 Maintains the Data Rate
 Performs synchronization of bits
 Helps in transmission medium decision
 It helps in Physical topology
 Provides two types of configuration point to point configuration and multi point configuration.

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 6. Difference
between
Connection
connection
It isoriented
a technique used to transport and send data in same order in which they are received in the session layer.
oriented
It is simply a and
data transferring method which was developed after the telephone system. This type of
service
connection less
connection is mostly provided by the network layer and the transport layer. The data is transferred in the same
order in which they were received by the sender. To use a connection oriented service a user has to establish a
service
connection fist and use it and then releases it. It needs an established connection between peers before data
can be sent between the terminals.

There is sequence that a connection oriented service has to follow in order to develop a successful connection.

Establish a Connection

Transfer the Data

Release the Connection

Connection oriented service can be done in two different ways.

 Circuit switched connection- In this type of connection a dedicated route is established among the
sender and the receiver and the message is entirely sent through that particular medium created. The
medium created is a physical medium.
 Virtual circuit switched connection- In this type of connection a route which is already planned is
established in order to transfer the data or message

There are various types of connection oriented system.

1. Reliable message stream:- sequence of pages

2. Reliable byte system :- download of movies
3. Unreliable connection :- Voice over internet protocol

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Connection less Services
This is a data communication technique that is used to transfer and send data or messages in the transport
layer. A connection between the sender and receiver is not required. The message is sent without prior
arrangement so it is less reliable but the data communication will be relatively faster. We can also explain it as
the connection less service can transfer data between the sender and receiver without the requirement of the
session layer.

Connection less protocols

1. Internet Protocol (IP)
2. User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
3. Internet control message protocol (ICMP)
4. Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX)

Types of
Connection less
 Unreliable Datagram :- Junk Emails
 Acknowledged Datagram :- Text messages with delivery report
services
 Request Reply – Queries from Remote Databases.

Differences
Connection Oriented Service Connection less Service
Related to telephone system Related to Postal System
Preferred by long distant communication Preferred by distributed communication
It is necessary Not Compulsory
Feasible Not feasible
Congestion is Unlikely Congestion is Likely
Used for connection Establishment/ Terminate No concept for signaling
Follows the same path when sending and receiving data Can use various paths to send the data
TCP protocol used UDP protocol used
Resource need to be allocated prior to connection No prior allocation of resources
High network bandwidth required Low network bandwidth required

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