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1 Data Communication and Networking

2 Data Communication
• Defined as the transmission of text, numeric, voice or video data from one machine to
another.
3 Four components of data communications:
• Sender:
the computer that is sending the message.
• Receiver:
the computer receiving the message.
• Channel:
the media that carries or transports the message. This could be telephone wire, coaxial
cable, microwave signal, or fiber optic.
• Protocol:
the rules that govern the orderly transfer of the data sent.
4 Networks
• Connects one computer to other computers and peripheral devices.
• Enables the computer to share data and resources.
5 Network Benefits
• Information Sharing:
Authorized users can use other computers on the network to access and share information
and data. This could include special group projects, databases, and so forth.
• Hardware Sharing:
No longer is it necessary to purchase a printer or a scanner or other frequently used
peripherals for each computer. Instead, one device connected to a network can serve the
needs of many users.
•
6 Network Benefits
• Software Sharing:
Instead of purchasing and installing a software program on every single computer, it can
be installed on just the server. All of the users can then access the program from one
central location. This also saves companies money because they purchase a site license for
the number of users. This is much less expensive than purchasing individual software
packages.
7 Network Benefits
• Collaborative Environment:
Enables users to work together on group projects by combining the power and capabilities
of diverse equipment.
8 Communications Media
Physical Media

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• Unshielded twisted-pair cable (UTP):

The most common type of cabling used in modern networks, consisting of between two to
eight wires, either copper or aluminum, stranded or solid core, twisted around each other
and wrapped in a protective sheath. Telephone cords and CAT5 cables are examples of
UTP.
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9 Communications Media
• Coaxial Cable:
is the primary type of cabling used by the cable television industry and it is also widely
used for computer networks. Because the cable is heavily shielded, it is much less prone to
interference than twisted-pair cable. However, it is more expensive than twisted-pair.
10 Communications Media
• Fiber optic cable:
is made from thin, flexible glass tubing. Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional
metal communications line. The bandwidth is much greater, so it can carry more data; it is
much lighter than metal wires, and is much less susceptible to interference. The main
disadvantage of fiber optics is that it is fragile and expensive.
11 Communications Media
Wireless Media
• Radio signals:
transmissions using radio signals require line of sight; that is, the signal travels in a straight
line from one to other. For radio transmission, you need a transmitter to send the signal
and a receiver to accept the signal.

12 Communications Media
• Microwave:
A microwave signal is sent through space in the form of electromagnetic waves. Just like
radio signals, they must also be sent in straight lines from one microwave station to
another. To avoid interference, most microwave stations are built on mountaintops or
placed on the top of large buildings.
•
13 Communications Media
• Satellites:
Communication satellites are placed in orbit 22,300 feet above the surface of the earth.
This allows the satellite to maintain a constant position above one point on the earth’s
surface by rotating at the same speed of the earth. The satellite contains equipment that
receives the transmission, amplifies it, and sends it back to earth.
14 Network Hardware
Communications Hardware
• Modem:
is an acronym for modulate-demodulate, which means to convert analog signals to digital

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and vise versa. This device enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines.
Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information sent over telephone lines is
transmitted in the form of analog waves. Both sending and receiving users must have a
modem.
15 Communications Hardware
• Cable modem:
Uses coaxial cable to send and receive data. This is the same type of cable used for cable
TV. The bandwidth, which determines the amount of data that can be sent at one time, is
much greater with a cable modem.
16 Network Transmission Hardware
• Network interface cards (NICs):
is an add-on card for either a desktop PC or a laptop computer. Each computer must have
a NIC. This card enables and controls the sending and receiving of data between the PCs in
a LAN.
17 Network Transmission Hardware
• Hub:
A junction where data arrives from one or more directions and is forwarded out in one or
more other directions. It contains ports for connecting computers and other devices. The
number of ports determine the number of computers that can be connected to a hub.
18 Network Transmission Hardware
• Bridge:
is a special computer that connects one LAN to another LAN. Both networks must use the
same protocol, or set of rules.
• Gateway:
a combination of software and hardware that links two different types of networks that use
different protocols.
19 Network Transmission Hardware
• Router:
An intelligent device that directs network traffic. When sending data through a network,
data is divided into small packets. All packets don’t travel the same route; instead one may
go in one direction and another different direction. When packets reaches the final
destination, they are reassembled into original message. A router connects multiple
networks and determines the fastest available path to send these packets of data on their
way to their correct destination.
20 Types of Networks
• Local Area Networks (LAN):
generally confined to a limited geographical area.

• Wide Area Networks (WAN):

covers a wide geographical area.
21 Local Area Networks

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Two popular types of LANs:

• Client/Server Network
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• Peer-to-Peer Network
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Client/Server Network
• A type of architecture in which one or more computers on the network acts as a server. The
server manages network resources. Depending on the size of the network, there may be
several different servers. For instance, there may be a print server to manage printing and a
database server to manage large database.
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Peer-to-Peer Network
• In this type of architecture, all of the computers on a network are equal.
• There is no computer designated as the server. People on the network each determines
what files on their computer they will share with others on the network.
• This type of network is much easier to setup and manage.
• Used in small offices.
24 Wide Area Networks
• Covers a large geographical network.
• This area may be a large as a state or a country or even the world, since the largest WAN is
the internet.
• Most WANs consist of two or more LANs and are connected by routers.
• Communication channels can include telephone systems, satellites, microwaves.
25 Network Topologies

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Bus Topology
• All devices are connected to and share a master cable.
• The master cable is called the bus or backbone.
• There is no one host computer.
• Data can be transmitted in both directions, from one device to another.
• Easy to install and inexpensive.
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Ring Topology
• Devices are connected in a circle instead of a line.
• Each computer within the circle is connected to an adjoining devices on either side.
• Data travels from device to device around the ring.
• Difficult to install, manage, and more expensive.
• Provides faster transmission speeds and can span large distances.
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Star Topology
• All devices are connected to a central hub or computer.
• All data that transfer from one computer to another must pass through the hub.
• Relatively easy to install and manage, but bottlenecks can occur because all data must pass
through the hub.
• Requires more cabling than other types.
29 Communications Protocols
Protocol
• An agreed on set of rules and procedures for transmitting data between two or more
devices.
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Some features determined by protocol:
• How the sending device indicates it has finished sending the message.
• How the receiving device indicates it has received the message.
• The type of error checking to be used.
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Two most widely used protocols:
Ethernet:
• First approved industry standard protocol.
• Based on the bus topology, but it can work with the star topology as well.
• Supports data transfer rates of up to 10 megabits per second (Mbps).
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Two Ethernet Versions:

Fast Ethernet:
• Supports data transfer rates of 100 Mbps.

Gigabit Ethernet:
• Supports transfer rates of 1000 megabits or 1 gigabit per second.
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Token Ring:
• All of the computers are arranged in a circle.
• A token, which is a special signal travels around the ring.
• To send a message, a computer on the ring catches the token, attaches a message to it
and then lets it continue to travel around the network.
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TCP/IP
• Used by both LANs and WANs and has been adopted in the Internet. Even network
operating systems such as Microsoft NT or Novell Netware, support TCP/IP.
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Network Operating System Software

Two types of operating system in computer network:
Desktop Operating System
• Windows and Mac Os
Network Operating System
• Windows, Unix, Mac OS
** Network Operating System run on the server and provide features such as administration,
file print, communications, security, database, management, and other services to personal
clients.