Communicating Over The

Network

Prof. Krishnamoorthy A
School of Computer Science and Engineering
VIT
 Outline
The Elements of Communication
Communicating The Messages
Components of the Network
End Devices & Intermediary Devices
Network Media & Network Representations
Interaction of Protocols
Protocol & Reference Model
The Elements of Communication
› Communication begins with a message, or information,
that must be sent from one individual or device to
another using many different communication methods.
› All of these methods have 3 elements in common:
- message source, or sender
- destination, or receiver
- a channel
Communicating The Messages
› Data is divided into smaller parts during transmission -
Segmentation
› The benefits of doing so:
- Many different conversations can be interleaved on the
network. The process used to interleave the pieces of
separate conversations together on the network is called
multiplexing.
- Increase the reliability of network communications. The
separate pieces of each message need not travel the same
pathway across the network from source to destination
Communicating The Messages

› Downside of segmentation and multiplexing

- level of complexity is added (process of addressing, labeling,
sending, receiving and etc are time consuming).
› Each segment of the message must go through a similar process
to ensure that it gets to the correct destination and can be
reassembled into the content of the original message.
› Various types of devices throughout the network participate in
ensuring that the pieces of the message arrive reliably at their
destination.
Components of the Network
› Devices (PCs, intermediary devices)
› Media (Cable or wireless)
› Services and processes (Software)
End Devices and Their Roles

› In the context of a network, end devices are referred to as hosts.

› A host device is either the sender or receiver
› To distinguish one host from another, each host on a network is
identified by an address.
› A host (sender) uses the address of the destination host to specify
where the message should be sent.
› Software determines the role of a host. A host can be a client,
server or both
Intermediary Devices and Their Roles
› Examples:
- Network Access Devices (Hubs, switches, and wireless access
points)
- Internetworking Devices (routers)
- Communication Servers and Modems
- Security Devices (firewalls)
Network Media

› Communication across a network is carried on a medium

› 3 types of Media:
- Metallic wires within cables
- Glass or plastic fibers (fiber optic cable)
- Wireless transmission
› The signal encoding is different for each media type.
- Metallic wires, the data is encoded into electrical impulses.
- Fiber optic - pulses of light, within either infrared or visible
light ranges.
- Wireless transmission, electromagnetic waves
› Criteria for choosing a network media are:
- The distance the media can successfully carry a signal.
- The environment in which the media is to be installed.
- The amount of data and the speed at which it must be
transmitted.
- The cost of the media and installation.
Network Representations
Network Representations
Network Interface Card - A NIC, or LAN adapter, provides the
physical connection to the network at the PC or other host device.
The media connecting the PC to the networking device plugs
directly into the NIC.
- Physical Port - A connector or outlet on a networking device
where the media is connected to a host or other networking
device.
- Interface - Specialized ports on an internetworking device that
connect to individual networks. Because routers are used to
interconnect networks, the ports on a router are referred to
network interfaces.
Rules that Govern Communications
› Communication in networks is governed by pre-defined rules called
protocols.
› A group of inter-related protocols that are necessary to perform a
communication function is called a protocol suite. These protocols are
implemented in software and hardware that is loaded on each host and
network device
› Networking protocols suites describe processes such as:
- The format or structure of the message
- The process by which networking devices share information about
pathways with other networks
- How and when error and system messages are passed between devices
- The setup and termination of data transfer sessions
› Individual protocols in a protocol suite may be vendor-specific and
proprietary
Protocol Suites & Industry Standard
› Many of the protocols that comprise a protocol suite reference
other widely utilized protocols or industry standards.
› Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) or the
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
› The use of standards in developing and implementing protocols
ensures that products from different manufacturers can work
together for efficient communications.
 The Interaction of Protocols

› Application protocol – HTTP. HTTP defines the content and formatting of

the requests and responses exchanged between the client and server
› Transport Protocol – TCP. TCP divides the HTTP messages into smaller
segments. It is also responsible for controlling the size and rate of message
exchange.
› Internetwork Protocol – IP. It encapsulating segments into packets,
assigning the appropriate addresses, and selecting the best path to the
destination host.
› Network Access Protocol – Protocols for data link management and the
physical transmission of data on the media.
Using Layer Models
› To visualize the interaction between various protocols, it is
common to use a layered model.
› Benefits of doing so:
- Assists in protocol design, because protocols that operate at a
specific layer have defined information that they act upon and a
defined interface to the layers above and below.
- Fosters competition because products from different vendors
can work together.
- Prevents technology or capability changes in one layer from
affecting other layers above and below.
- Provides a common language to describe networking functions
and capabilities.
Protocol & Reference Model
› 2 types of networking models
› A protocol model provides a model that closely matches the
structure of a particular protocol suite. The hierarchical set of
related protocols in a suite typically represents all the functionality
required to interface the human network with the data network.
Ex: TCP/IP model
› A reference model provides a common reference for maintaining
consistency within all types of network protocols and services. A
reference model is not intended to be an implementation
specification or to provide a sufficient level of detail to define
precisely the services of the network architecture. The primary
purpose of a reference model is to aid in clearer understanding of
the functions and process involved
Ex: OSI model
The OSI Reference Model
› The OSI reference model is the
primary model for network
communications.
› Allows you to view the network
functions that occur at each
layer.
› It is a framework that you can
use to understand how
information travels throughout a
network
› 7 layers -- each of which
illustrates a particular network
function.
OSI – The Application Layer

› Provides network services

to the user's applications.
› It does not provide
services to any other OSI
layer
› ***Think of any network
application you use daily
OSI – The Presentation Layer

› It ensures that the

information that the
application layer of one
system sends out is
readable by the application
layer of another system.
› *** Think of any common
file formats (JPEG, txt etc)
OSI – The Session Layer

› *** After you prepare your

data, you need to establish
the communication
channels to send data
› This layer establishes,
manages, and terminates
sessions between two
communicating hosts.
› It also synchronizes
dialogue between the two
hosts' presentation layers
and manages their data
exchange.
OSI – The Transport Layer

› Data will be segmented

and send to destination
device. Transport layer of
destination device will
reassemble them.
› This layer handles details
of reliable transfer.
(ensures that the data
arrive completely )
OSI – The Network Layer

› Many paths to the same

destination. So, which path
to follow?
› Segmented data needs
address to reach the
destination (network
address)
› This layer handle 2 above
stated issues.
OSI – The Data Link Layer

› It provides means for

exchanging data frames
over a common media
› To detect and possibly
correct errors that may
occur in the Physical layer
› Physical Addressing,
topologies and flow control
OSI – The Physical Layer
› It defines the electrical,
mechanical, procedural,
and functional
specifications for activating,
maintaining, and
deactivating the physical
link between end systems.
› Voltage levels, timing of
voltage changes, physical
data rates, maximum
transmission distances,
physical connectors, and
other, similar, attributes
defined by physical layer
specifications.
TCP/IP Model
Comparison › Both have application layers,
though they include very
different services
› --Both have comparable
transport and network
(Internet) layers
--TCP/IP combines the
presentation and session
layer issues into its
application layer
--TCP/IP combines the OSI
data link and physical layers
into one layer
--TCP/IP appears simpler
because it has fewer layers
Data Encapsulation
› Build the data
› Package the data for end to
end support (Segments)
› The data is put into a
packet or datagram that
contains a network header
with source and destination
logical addresses
Data Encapsulation

› Each network device must

put the packet into a frame.
› The frame must be
converted into a pattern of
1s and 0s (bits)
› ***Data  Segments 
Packet  Frames  Bits
Addressing in the Network

› There are various types of addresses that must be

included to successfully deliver the data from a source
application running on one host to the correct destination
application running on another
References
› Computer Networks: A Systems Approach,
Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie, 5th Ed, The
Morgan Kaufmann Series, Elsevier, 2011.
Thank you