Chapter Five

Data Communication and Computer Network

Data Communication:
Data Communication technology means by which data is transferred from one location to
another. This development is used for computer networks.
Data communications refers to the transmission of this digital data between two or more
computers and a computer network or data network is a telecommunications network that allows
computers to exchange data. The physical connection between networked computing devices is
established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer network is the
Internet.
Data communication refers to the exchange of data between a source and a receiver. 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.

Basic Elements of a Communication System

Communication is the process of transferring messages from one point to another. There are 3
basic elements of any communication system are:
a. A sender (source), which creates and send the message to be transmitted.
b. A medium, which carries the message.
c. A receiver (sink or object), which receives the message.

The electronic systems, which transfer data from one point to another, are called data
communication systems.

Sender Medium (Channel) Receiver

(Source) (Object or Sink)
Carries the message
Creates the message Receives the message
Fig: Basic Elements of a communication system

Transmission Media
Transmission media is the means used to establish communication channel. It is through
transmission media that data moves from source to destination during communication. There are
1
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
two types of transmission media:
 Guided transmission media
 Unguided transmission media
Guided Transmission Media
In guided transmission media, the data follows a definite path. This path is wire or cable. When
data is communicated over guided media, it follows a definite path, the wire/cable. There are three
types of guided media:
 Twisted pair cable
 Coaxial Cable
 Fiber optic cable

Twisted Pair Cable

 Contains pairs of plastic-coated wires that are twisted
 Made of copper

Two types:
 Shielded twisted pair (STP)
 Unshielded twisted pair(UTP)
STP

It is covered by a layer of plastic and metallic coat that prevents data from being lost or affected.
The metal prevents electromagnetic interference that comes from outside world.

Advantage over UTP:

Less susceptible to electromagnetic interference than UTP

Disadvantage :

Bulky in size and difficult to install

Fig STP cable dissected

UTP

UTP does not have metallic shield (foil) unlike STP. Because of this it is more susceptible to
electromagnetic interference.

2
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Fig UTP
The standard connector for UTP cable is RJ-45. RJ-stands for Registered Jack. UTP cable has
four pairs of wires (8 wires in general) in each cable.
There are different categories of UTP cable:
 Cat 1
 Cat 2
 Cat 3
 Cat 4
 Cat 5

Coaxial Cable

It has a single copper conductor at its center. It has braided metal shield that prevents
electromagnetic interference. The metallic braid/shield traps electromagnetic interference that
distorts our data.
 Used in cable TVs
 It uses a connector called BNC

Fig Coaxial cable dissected

Advantage: -less susceptible to interference than twisted pair cable

-Can support high data transfer rate compared to twisted pair
Disadvantage: -expensive than STP
-Difficult to install compared to STP
Fiber Optic cable
Fiber optic cables transmit data as pulses of light. The data is sent in the form of light in these
cables. Those cables are small strands of glass or plastic cables. Because they use light and since
light is the fastest traveling thing, data transfer rate is very high (very fast).
Adv: -support high data transfer rate (high bandwidth)
-not susceptible to electromagnetic interference
3
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Disadvantage: -very expensive
- difficult to install

Fig fiber optic cable

Unguided Media
Unguided media uses radio waves/electromagnetic waves to transmit data from source to
destination. They use air (space) as a channel and hence they do not use wires.

This media may use:

 Satellites
 Microwave dishes (antenna)

Fig: unguided media

Data Communication
Communication of data between two or more independent devices is called data communication.
Data is transmitted in the form of signal over communication channel whether wired or wireless.
Signal is detectable transmitted energy that carries information.
Two types of signals:
 Digital signal
 Analog signal
Digital Signal
Computers can understand and process only digital signals. The digital signal has only two states:
high and low, no intermediate value. They are discrete in nature. The state of the signal is either
high or low, and there is no intermediate value.

4
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Fig digital signal
Analog Signal
Analog signal is a continuous signal which has the behavior of continuously varying. In this case
there is no fixed number of states for the signal i.e. it shows continuous variation.

Fig analog signal

Data Transmission Modes:

There are three ways, or modes, of transmitting data from one point to another(direction).
There are 3 types: -simplex, - half duplex & - full duplex.

Sender a. Simplex
Receiver

Sender b. Half duplex Receiver

OR

c. Full duplex
Sender Receiver
AND

Fig: Modes of Data Transmission.

a. Simplex: If transmission is simplex, communication can take place in only one direction.
Ex. Radio / Television broadcasting / Calling Bell.
b. Half Duplex: A half-duplex system can transmit data in both directions, but only in one
direction at a time. Hence, a half-duplex line can alternately send and receive data. It

5
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
 requires two wires. This is most common type of transmission for voice communication
because only one person is supposed to speak at a time. It is also used to connect a
terminal with a computer. The terminal might transmit data and then the computer
responds with an acknowledgement. Ex: Walkie – Talkie
c. Full Duplex: In this system which allows information to flow simultaneously in both
directions on the transmission path. Use of a full duplex line improves efficiency,
because the line turn-around time required in half-duplex arrangement is eliminated. It
requires four wires. Ex: Telephone networks use full duplex channels.
Computer Network
Data communication-the process of transmitting data over communication channels from one
location to another.
Computer network-to transmit data from one computer to another, we need to interconnect the
computers together. The path that interconnects the computer is called computer network. Data
flows through this network from one computer to another.
What is the purpose of network?
-To share information using the network
-To share resources. For example, you can use one printer on your LAN as a default printer
without the need to buy one printer for each computer. Every computer on the network can use
that same printer.
-Flexible Working Environment- employees can work at home by networking computers to their
office, on trips through their portable computers, travel to remote offices and use telephones and
networks to perform their duties.

Network Types
Computer networks can be categorized using different criteria. One of this is the geographical
area the network covers. Based on geographical area coverage, we have three types of networks:
 LAN (Local Area Network)
 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
 WAN (Wide Area Network)
Local Area Networks (LANs): are privately owned networks with in a campus of up to a
few Kilometers and mainly used to connect some machines in an organization to share
resources, LANs are distinguished from other kinds of networks by their size, transmission
technology, and their topology.

Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs): are bigger versions of a LAN and normally uses
similar technology. It might cover a group of nearby corporate offices or a city and might be
either private or public. Cable television network is a good example of MAN. The key aspect
of MAN is that there is broadcast medium (two cables) to which all the computers are
attached, which simplifies its design compared to other kinds of networks.

A Wide Area Network (WAN)-: spans a large geographical area, often a country or
continent. WANs usually have an irregular topology. It contains a collection of machines
intended for running user (application) programs.

Network Topology

6
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Topology is physical arrangement of computers and other network devices when they are
networked (connected together). Topology is about layout of devices (whether it is computer, or
other device) in a given network. We have three primary types of topology:
 Bus topology
 Star topology
 Ring topology
Bus topology
In bus topology there is a common connecting media (cable) which is called bus. Every device
on bus topology is connected to this bus. The bus carries data from one computer to the other.
Data flows in both directions on the bus. All the devices on the network share this single data
path, the bus.

Fig bus topology

Advantage: -devices can be attached or detached from the network without affecting the
network.
-If a device fails, the network is not affected.
The disadvantage of bus topology is that if the bus is cut somewhere in the middle, the whole
network will not function.
Ring Topology
In ring topology, every device is connected to a ring forming a loop. Each device is connected to
two other devices in ring topology. Data is transmitted over the ring in one direction only
following the ring. So, if data is sent over the ring, it reaches all devices on the ring one after the
other.
Advantage: it is active
Disadvantage:
-If one computer fails, the whole network fails.
-difficult to add or remove computers from network

7
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Fig ring topology
One disadvantage of ring topology is if the ring is cut somewhere, the network goes down.

Star Topology
In star topology, all computers are connected to a central unit. All communication in star
topology passes through this central device.

Fig star topology

Star topology is the most dominant type network topology. The central unit can be hub or switch.
The hub/switch receives the data sent by source computer and forwards it to destination
computer. A twisted pair is used for configuration most commonly.

One disadvantage of star topology is if the central unit fails, no communication is possible.
Advantage: -if one node fails, the other nodes will not be affected
- Easy to install
Mesh Topology:
Are combinations of the above and are common on very large networks. Messages sent can take
any of several possible paths from source to destination. Some WAN like internet employs mesh.

8
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Advantage - Relative immunity to failure and trouble-shooting problems.
Disadvantage - More expensive.

Figure 5.12: Mesh Network Topology

Topology:
 Physical topology
 Logical topology

Physical Topology
The way computers are connected together physically is physical topology. It is the physical look
of the network.

Logical Topology
The way computers access the media of transmission/channel and transmit data is called logical
topology. Logical topology is concerned with the movement of data i.e. how the data moves
from one computer to another. It describes data network form the view point of data traveling
mechanism on the network.

Two types of logical topologies:

 Logical ring topology
 Logical bus topology

Ring Logical Topology

Ring logical topology functions by passing data from one node to next. The data moves from one
computer to next reaching the original source of the data finally. The data follows a ring and it
rotates over the ring.

9
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Fig data movement in ring logical topology

Bus Logical Topology

The sending node broadcasts the data to the entire network. The data is sent to common line to
where every node is connected.
Physical star topology could be bus or ring in logical terms. The hub itself uses bus or ring inside
to connect the computers.

Fig data movement on logical bus topology

Network Devices
A variety of equipment is used to connect computers to create a network of computers. Each of
these devices have different purpose or functions. Some of these devices are:
 Switch
 Hub
 Repeater
 Bridge
 Gateway
 Router

Switch
Switch is a concentrator device that provides central connection point for computers or other
network devices. In star topology, twisted pair wire run from each node to a central switch/hub.
Switch has the capacity to amplify signals if it gets weaker as it moves from source to
destination. They send information to the correct location/computer on the network unlike hub.
They have 8, 12, or 24 ports where media cables plug.

Hub
10
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
In star topology, all computers are connected to a central unit called hub. Hub collects signals
from input lines and distribute to all connected computers. They can also regenerate/boost
signals prior to sending them. It acts as a medium of distribution.

Repeater
Signals loose power and strength as it moves further and further over cable. This creates problem
when communicating information to a far distance. To avoid this problem, we use a device
called repeater. Repeater accepts signals and boosts/amplifies it. They are used when the total
length of your network cable exceeds the standards set for the type of cable being used. E.g UTP
cable’s maximum distance is 100m. For a distance of more than 100m, you need repeater.

Bridge
A bridge allows you to connect two sequences of large a network together. By the help of bridge,
you can divide large network into two or more groups. This increases the efficiency of the
network. A bridge monitors the information traffic on both sides of the network.

Fig Bridge

Gateway
Gateway is used to connect two segments of a network that uses different topologies. It enables
these LANs to talk/communicate with each other. This was not possible without the use of this
device.

Fig gateway

Router
11
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
A router is an intelligent device that sends/routes communication traffic directly to the
appropriate network. If part of the network fails, routers are smart enough to determine this and
send the data using another route (alternate route).

Fig router

Internet and its Application

Internet is the network of networks. It is the largest WAN in the world. It is a global network of
computers that cover the whole world. There are millions of computers on internet and almost all
countries are involved in this network. Ethiopia is also part of this global network.

There are many application of internet. Some of them include:

 World Wide Web(WWW)
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
 Telnet
 Email
 Discussion Groups
 Ecommerce, etc

WWW
Tim Berners-Lee proposed the idea of web at European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN) in
1991, in Geneva, Switzerland. Web is a page that has built-in links to other related documents.
These links are called hyperlinks.

WWW is the most widely used application of internet. WWW uses a link that takes you to other
documents easily by clicking. This link is called hyperlink. By using hyperlinks, you can
navigate between documents/topics easily. WWW is created using a language called Hypertext
Markup Language (HTML). Hyperlink is also created using this language.

WWW uses web address that takes you the document you want. The address looks like this:
http://www.google.com
http://www.yahoo.com
These addresses are called Uniform Resource Locator (URL). URL is like channels of radio you
can tune in.
Purpose of WWW: to provide online information (information sharing).
FTP

12
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
FTP is used to transfer files from one remote computer to local computer. You can sit at your
computer and get a file from a computer that is found at different place. If you transfer files from
remote computer to your computer, this is called downloading. If you transfer file form your
computer to remote computer, this is called uploading.

fig FTP

Telnet
Telnet is the process of connecting your computer to remote computer and work on it. Once you
are connected to it, you can run programs on the remote computer as if you are just sitting on it.
In this case your computer (the computer you are sitting at) acts as an input and output device i.e.
it accepts input from you, sends the input to remote computer, and then accepts output from
remote computer and display to you.

Email (Electronic Mail)

-It is used to send mail to friends electronically. It uses electronic box instead of post office box.
-easy, fast, and reliable way of communication

Ecommerce
Ecommerce enables you to buy and sell products using internet. The question is how is the
payment done? In developed countries money exchange is done using credit card. When you are
using credit there is no actual money movement, rather they use it as money. You give your
credit card number to the sellers and then it is done. The product is shipped to your address or
sent through post office.

Using credit card, you can buy anything or sell it to customers. In Ethiopia, we don’t have credit
card. Because of this it is not possible to use ecommerce.

Computer Virus

Definition: Computer Virus is a small piece of software which designed deliberately to infect
computers. Their infection can vary from annoying (e.g deleting files, destroying the hard disk
etc). Computer viruses are called viruses because they share some of the traits of biological

13
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
viruses. A computer virus passes from computer to computer like a biological virus pass from
person to person.

There are similarities at a deeper level, as well. A biological virus is not a living thing. A virus is
a fragment of DNA inside a protective jacket. Unlike a cell, a virus has no way to do anything or
to reproduce by itself-it is not alive. Instead, a biological virus must inject its DNA into a cell.
The viral DNA then uses the cell’s existing machinery to reproduce itself.

A computer virus shares some of these traits. A computer virus must pick-a-back on top of
another program or document in order to get executed. Once the program is running, the virus
then able to inject other programs or documents.

How does Computer Viruses Spread?

Computer viruses are pieces of codes attached to a program like a popular game or popular
application software or even an E-mail message. A person might download an infected program
or document from the Internet and run it. At this time the virus loads itself into the computer’s
memory, and then it adds the virus’s code to the running programs. The user really has no way to
know that the virus ever runs.

Unfortunately, the virus has now reproduced itself by infecting the running programs.
The next time either of those programs gets executed, they infect other programs, and the cycle
continues. Another highway for the diffusion of viruses is through floppy disks. If one of the
infected programs is given to another person on a floppy disk, then other programs of the
destination computer get infected.

As virus creators got more sophisticated, they learned new tricks. One important trick
was the ability to load viruses into memory so the viruses keep running in the back ground as
long as the computer is on. This gave viruses a much more effective way to replicate themselves.
Another trick was ability to infect the boot sector on floppy disks and hard disks. The boot sector
is the first sector, which holds a small program that is the first part of the operating system that
the computer loads. By putting its code in a boot sector, a virus can guarantee it gets executed. It
can load itself into memory immediately, and it is able to run whenever the computer is on. Boot
sector viruses can infect the boot sector of any floppy disk inserted in the infected computer and
they spread as a wildfire.

How Computer System infected by a Virus?

14
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
 When an infected program is loaded into memory, an infected disk is inserted, infected macro
is run etc. Typical sources of viruses are the following:
- Using private software.
- Download infected program files (like software or game) from the Internet or
newsgroups.
- E-mail attachments (videos, pictures, music, text files).
- Using infected diskettes.
Types of Computer Viruses:
There are numerous types of computer viruses. To make the topic easy to understand, let us
see them by classifying by the ways they infect the computer system.

1. File Infectors: These are viruses that attach themselves to the executable program files those
with extension like: .BIN, .COM, .EXE, .OVC, .SYS, .OVY.
When we run these programs, they will be loaded in memory taking the viruses with them.
The virus becomes active in memory, making copies of itself and infecting other files that are
currently running on the disk or the directory.

2. Boot Sector Infectors: Every logical drive, both hard disk and floppy, contains a boot sector.
This is true even of disks that are not bootable. The boot sector of a disk contains specific
information relating to the formatting of the disk, the data stored there and also it contains a
small program called the boot program (which loads the dos system files). The boot program
displays the familiar ―No-system disk or Disk Error‖ message if the Dos system files are not
present. It is also the program that gets infected by viruses.
You get a boot sector infection by living an infected diskette in a drive and rebooting the
computer. When the boot sector program is read and executed, the virus goes into memory and
infects your hard drive. Remember, because every disk has a boot sector, it is possible (and
common) to infect a computer from a data disk.

3. Master Boot sector Infectors: The firs physical sector of every hard disk contains the disk’s
Master Boot Record and partition Table. The Mater Boot record has a small program within it
called the Master Boot Program. The master boot program is used the computer to look up the
values in the partition table for the starting location of the bootable partition, and then tells the
system to go there and execute any code it finds. On floppy disks, these same viruses infect the
boot sector.

Master Boot Record viruses infect the hard disk in exactly the same manner as boot
sector viruses – by leaving an infected diskette in a drive and rebooting the computer. When the
boot sector program is read and executed, the virus goes into memory and infects the master boot
record of the hard drive.

4. Multi-partite viruses: These viruses are the hybrid of Boot and program viruses. They will
infect both boot sectors and Master Boot Records. They infect program files, when the infected
program is executed. When the infected program run, the virus infect both the boot sector and the
Master Boot Record. When you boot the computer next time, the virus from the Boot Master
Record loads in memory and then start infecting other program files on disk.

15
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
There are also other virus categories:
 Trojan horse: simply a computer programs. It is also known as a ―backdoor virus‖
is typically downloaded by an unwitting computer user. Once the Trojan is installed,
it searches for private information including files, passwords, logins & credit card
number and etc. These viruses appear as a normal program to the user.
 Worms: These are viruses spread from system to system (often by email, It spreads
independently by sending mails, it uses computer networks and security holes to
replicate itself.
 Time bomb: Time bomb viruses hide and wait for a certain pre-programmed
moment.

Virus Symptoms:

Although there are different types of computer system problems that are caused by computer
viruses, the following are few of the symptoms that are most commonly facing an infected
computer:
- A program will take longer time to load.
- The disk’s or file’s size keeps changing.
- Send email in the name of the computer’s owner.
- The disk keeps running out of free space.
- Render the disk and programs unusable.
- The drive light keeps flashing when you are doing anything.
- You may not access the hard drive when you boot from floppy.
- Destroy motherboard BIOS.
- Viewing unknown files that you don’t know from where they come.
- Your files may get a strange name you don’t recognize.
- Clicking noises keep coming from the keyboard.
- You may not open a file.

Computer Virus Prevention:

The first task is to prevent viruses from entering the computer. To do so:
- Use only programs (software) that are installed from the original installation disks
or CDS – But this may not enough.
- Avoid the usage of illegal software copies.
- Scan the floppy disk or the attached email or the downloaded programs before
using them.

If unknowingly the virus infection is happened, the spreading of the virus must be control or
eliminated.
To do so: -Disinfect, the infected file, or disk by using current anti-virus software.

16
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
 Computer security, also called cyber security, the protection of computer systems and
information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically
protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment—namely,
serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms.
Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of
your computer. Prevention measures help you stop unauthorized users (hackers) from
accessing any part of your computer system
There are essentially two major types of computer security — software and hardware
security — with a number of other categories within them.
Benefits of managing cyber security?
 Protect networks and data from unauthorized access.
 Improved information security and business continuity management.
 Improved stakeholder confidence in your information security arrangements.
 Improved company credentials with the correct security controls in place.

Common examples of network security implementation:

 extra logins.
 new passwords.
 application security. antivirus programs. antispyware software. encryption.
firewalls. Monitored internet access.

17
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
Chapter five questions

1. What is a computer network? What are its advantages?

2. Define the terms ‘LAN’, ‘WAN’, and ‘MAN’.

3. Identify the basic elements of a communication system and the purpose of each.

4. Differentiate between ‘simplex’, ‘half-duplex’, and ‘full-duplex’ modes of data

transmission.

5. Differentiate between analog and digital transmission of data.

6. Discuss twisted pair cable, coaxial cable and fiber optics cable.

7. Differentiate among the twisted pair, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cables.

8. Explain how microwave, communication satellite, radio and infrared technologies

are used for data transmission.

9. What is meant by network topology?

10. Describe the star, bus, ring, mesh, and tree topologies of a network.

11. Differentiate among the bus, star, ring, tree and mesh topologies.

12. What is the Internet?

13. Name some of the basic services provided by the Internet. Explain how each of
these services helps the Internet users.

14. What is an Electronic mail (e-mail)? How can it differ from the traditional postal
mail?

15. What is World Wide Web? And how does it work?

16. Write short notes on:

a. a) Electronic mail b) File transfer protocol
b. c) Telnet service d) WWW

17. List out and Explain networking devices

18. What is computer virus? How does a computer virus transmit from one computer
to another

18
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science
19. Write the symptoms and preventions of computer virus.

19
Compiled by.Molalign(course Instructor) Department of Computer Science