Lecture No 3: Data Communication and Networking

PC : data processing

Data communication: networking

Main purpose of the network ( the interconnectivity of two or more than

computers and other devices

1. Sharing of resources :

2. Exchange of information

Data (unprocess, unorganized , unstructured)and information (structure,

organized and processed)

Information : salman , 0345000000000000 swat

a-z 1-9

Data communication refers to the exchange of data between a source and a receiver

via form of transmission media such as a wire cable. Data communication is said to be
local if communicating devices are in the same building or a similarly restricted
geographical area.

The meanings of source and receiver are very simple. The device that transmits the
data is known as source and the device that receives the transmitted data is known as
receiver. Data communication aims at the transfer of data and maintenance of the data
during the process but not the actual generation of the information at the source and
receiver. 

Datum mean the facts information statistics or the like derived by calculation or

experimentation. The facts and information so gathered are processed in accordance
with defined systems of procedure. Data can exist in a variety of forms such as
numbers, text, bits and bytes. The Figure is an illustration of a simple data
communication system.
A data communication system may collect data from remote locations through data transmission
circuits, and then outputs processed results to remote locations. Figure provides a broader view
of data communication networks. The different data communication techniques which are
presently in widespread use evolved gradually either to improve the data communication
techniques already existing or to replace the same with better options and features. Then, there
are data communication jargons to contend with such as baud rate, modems, routers, LAN,
WAN, TCP/IP, ISDN, during the selection of communication systems. Hence, it becomes
necessary to review and understand these terms and gradual development of data
communication methods.

Components of data communication system

A Communication system has following components:

1. Message: It is the information or data to be communicated. It can consist of text,

numbers, pictures, sound or video or any combination of these.

2. Sender: It is the device/computer that generates and sends that message.

3. Receiver: It is the device or computer that receives the message. The location of
receiver computer is generally different from the sender computer. The distance
between sender and receiver depends upon the types of network used in between.

4. Medium: It is the channel or physical path through which the message is carried
from sender to the receiver. The medium can be wired like twisted pair wire, coaxial
cable, fiber-optic cable or wireless like laser, radio waves, and microwaves.

5. Protocol: It is a set of rules that govern the communication between the devices.
Both sender and receiver follow same protocols to communicate with each other.

A protocol performs the following functions:

Data sequencing. It refers to breaking a long message into smaller packets of fixed
size. Data sequencing rules define the method of numbering packets to detect loss or
duplication of packets, and to correctly identify packets, which belong to same
message.

2. Data routing. Data routing defines the most efficient path between the source and
destination.

3. Data formatting. Data formatting rules define which group of bits or characters
within packet constitute data, control, addressing, or other information.

4. Flow control. A communication protocol also prevents a fast sender from

overwhelming a slow receiver. It ensures resource sharing and protection against
traffic congestion by regulating the flow of data on communication lines.

5. Error control. These rules are designed to detect errors in messages and to ensure
transmission of correct messages. The most common method is to retransmit
erroneous message block. In such a case, a block having error is discarded by the
receiver and is retransmitted by the sender.
6. Precedence and order of transmission. These rules ensure that all the nodes get
a chance to use the communication lines and other resources of the network based on
the priorities assigned to them.

7. Connection establishment and termination. These rules define how connections

are established, maintained and terminated when two nodes of a network want to
communicate with each other.

Data security. Providing data security and privacy is also built into most
communication software packages. It prevents access of data by unauthorized users.

9. Log information. Several communication software are designed to develop log

information, which consists of all jobs and data communications tasks that have taken
place. Such information may be used for charging the users of the network based on
their usage of the network resources.

The effectiveness depends on four fundamental characteristics of data

communications

1. Delivery: The data must be deliver in correct order with correct destination.

2. Accuracy: The data must be deliver accurately.

3. Timeliness: The data must be deliver in a timely manner. Late delivered Data
useless.
4. Jitter: It is the uneven delay in the packet arrival time that cause uneven quality.

Mode of Communication:

Simplex

In simplex transmission mode, the communication between sender and receiver

occurs in only one direction.  The sender can only send the data, and the receiver
can only receive the data.  The receiver cannot reply to the sender.

Simplex transmission can be thought of as a one-way road in which the traffic travels
only in one direction—no vehicle coming from the opposite direction is allowed to drive
through.

To take a keyboard / monitor relationship as an example, the keyboard can only send
the input to the monitor, and the monitor can only receive the input and display it on the
screen.  The monitor cannot reply, or send any feedback, to the keyboard.

Half Duplex

The communication between sender and receiver occurs in both directions in half
duplex transmission, but only one at a time.  The sender and receiver can both send
and receive the information, but only one is allowed to send at any given time.  Half
duplex is still considered a one-way road, in which a vehicle traveling in the opposite
direction of the traffic has to wait till the road is empty before it can pass through.

For example, in walkie-talkies, the speakers at both ends can speak, but they have to
speak one by one.  They cannot speak simultaneously.

3. Full Duplex

n full duplex transmission mode, the communication between sender and receiver
can occur simultaneously.  The sender and receiver can both transmit and receive
 at the same time. Full duplex transmission mode is like a two-way road, in which
traffic can flow in both directions at the same time.

For example, in a telephone conversation, two people communicate, and both

are free to speak and listen at the same time.

What is Network?

In the today world, two devices are in network if a process in one device is able to
exchange information with a process in another device. Networks are known as a medium of
connections between nodes (set of devices) or computers. A network is consist of group
of computer systems, servers, networking devices are linked together to share resources,
including a printer or a file server. The connections is established by using either cable media or
wireless media.

Types of Networks

Types of Networks

1. LAN (Local Area Network)

A Local Area Network is a privately owned computer network covering a small
Networks geographical area, like a home, office, or groups of buildings e.g. a school
Network. A LAN is used to connect the computers and other network devices so that the
devices can communicate with each other to share the resources. The resources to be
shared can be a hardware device like printer, software like an application program or
data. The size of LAN is usually small. The various devices in LAN are connected to
central devices called Hub or Switch using a cable.Now-a-days LANs are being installed
using wireless technologies. Such a system makes use of access point or APs to
 transmit and receive data. One of the computers in a network can become a server
serving all the remaining computers called Clients.
For example, a library will have a wired or wireless LAN Network for users to
interconnect local networking devices e.g., printers and servers to connect to
the internet.

LAN offers high speed communication of data rates of 4 to 16 megabits per

second (Mbps). IEEE has projects investigating the standardization of 100 Gbit/s,
and possibly 40 Gbit/s. LANs Network may have connections with other
LANs Network via leased lines, leased services.

2. MAN (Metropolitan Area Networks)

MAN stands for Metropolitan Area Networks is one of a number of types of
networks. A MAN is a relatively new class of network. MAN is larger than a local
area network and as its name implies, covers the area of a single city. MANs
rarely extend beyond 100 KM and frequently comprise a combination of different
hardware and transmission media. It can be single network such as a cable TV
network, or it is a means of connecting a number of LANs into a larger network
so that resources can be shared LAN to LAN as well as device to device.

A MAN can be created as a single network such as Cable TV Network, covering the entire city
or a group of several Local Area Networks (LANs). It this way resource can be shared from LAN
to LAN and from computer to computer also. MANs are usually owned by large organizations to
interconnect its various branches across a city.
The two most important components of MANs are security and standardization.
Security is important because information is being shared between dissimilar systems.
Standardization is necessary to ensure reliable data communication.

A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity

backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide
area networks and the Internet.

The Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) protocols are mostly at the data link level
(layer 2 in the OSI model), which are defined by IEEE, ITU-T, etc.

3. WAN (Wide Area Networks) 

a wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunication network. A wide area
network is simply a LAN of LANs or Network of Networks. WANs connect LANs
that may be on opposite sides of a building, across the country or around the
world. WANS are characterized by the slowest data communication rates and
the largest distances. WANs can be of two types: an enterprise WAN and Global
WAN.

Computers connected to a Wide Area Networks are often connected through

public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected
through leased lines or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet.
Some segments of the Internet, like VPN based extranets, are also WANs in
themselves. Finally, many WANs are corporate or research networks that utilize
leased lines.
Numerous WANs have been constructed, including public packet networks, large
corporate networks, military networks, banking networks, stock brokerage
networks, and airline reservation networks.
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