Chapter 1

Q1. Identify the five components of a data communications system.

The five components of a data communication system are the sender, the receiver, the
transmission medium, the message, and the protocol.

Q2. What are the three criteria necessary for an effective and efficient network?

The three criteria are performance, reliability, and security.

Q3. What are the advantages of a multipoint connection over a point-to-point one?

The advantages of a multipoint over a point-to-point configuration include ease of installation

Q4. What are the two types of line configuration?

The two types of line configuration are point-to-point and multipoint.

Q5. Categorize the four basic topologies in terms of line configuration.

We can divide line configuration in two broad categories:

- Point-to-point: mesh, star, and ring.

- Multipoint: bus

Q6. What is the difference between half-duplex and full-duplex transmission modes?

In half-duplex transmission, only one entity can send at a time; in a full-duplex transmission,
both entities can send at the same time.

Q7. Name the four basic network topologies, and cite an advantage of each type.

We give an advantage for each of four network topologies:

- Mesh: secure

- Bus: easy installation

- Star: robust

- Ring: easy fault isolation

Q8. For n devices in a network, what is the number of cable links required for a mesh, ring, bus,
and star topology?
The number of cables for each type of network is:

- Mesh: n (n – 1) / 2

- Star: n

- Ring: n – 1

- Bus: one backbone and n drop lines

Q9. What are some of the factors that determine whether a communication system is a LAN or
WAN?

The general factors are size, distances (covered by the network), structure, and ownership.

Q10. What is an internet? What is the Internet?

An internet is an interconnection of networks. The Internet is the name of a specific worldwide

Q11. Why are protocols needed?

A protocol defines what is communicated, in what way and when. This provides accurate and
timely transfer of information between different devices on a network.

Q12. In a LAN with a link-layer switch (Figure 1.8b), Host 1 wants to send a message to Host 3.
Since communication is through the link-layer switch, does the switch need to have an address?
Explain.

No, because each host in a LAN has an identifier, an address, that uniquely defines the host in
the LAN. A packet sent by a host to another host carries both the source host’s and the
destination host’s addresses.

Q13. How many point-to-point WANs are needed to connect n LANs if each LAN should be
able to directly communicate with any other LAN?

Each LAN should be connected to (n − 1) LANs, which means that we will have n × (n − 1)
connections. However, if each connection can be used in both directions, we need only [n × (n −
1)]/2 connections.

Q14. When we use local telephones to talk to a friend, are we using a circuit switched network or
a packet-switched network?

We use circuit switched network.

Q15. When a resident uses a dial-up or DLS service to connect to the Internet, what is the role of
the telephone company?
The telephone company acts as an ISP. The connection from the resident to the telephone
company is a point-to-point access WAN that connects the premises to the Internet. At the same
time, the telephone company needs to provide the necessary services such as e-mail.

Q16. What is the first principle we discussed in this chapter for protocol layering that needs to be
followed to make the communication bidirectional?

The first principle dictates that if we want bidirectional communication, we need to make each
layer so that it is able to perform two opposite tasks, one in each direction. For example, the third
layer task is to listen (in one direction) and talk (in the other direction). The second layer needs
to be able to encrypt and decrypt. The first layer needs to send and receive mail.

Q17. Explain the difference between an Internet draft and a proposed standard.

An Internet draft is a working document with no official status and a six month lifetime; an
Internet draft may become a proposed standard after six months if it has received enough
attention in the Internet community.

Q18. Explain the difference between a required RFC and a recommended RFC.

- Required. An RFC is labeled required if it must be implemented by all Internet systems to

- Recommended. An RFC labeled recommended is not required for minimum conformance; it is

Q19. Explain the difference between the duties of the IETF and IRTF.

The IETF is responsible for identifying operational problems and recommending solutions; the
IRTF focuses on long-term research topics.

P1. What is the maximum number of characters or symbols that can be represented by Unicode?

Unicode uses 32 bits to represent a symbol or a character. We can define 232 different symbols or
characters.

P2. A color image uses 16 bits to represent a pixel. What is the maximum number of different
colors that can be represented?

The maximum number of different colors that can be represented are 216

P3. Assume six devices are arranged in a mesh topology. How many cables are needed? How
many ports are needed for each device?

- Cable links: n (n – 1) / 2 = (6 × 5) / 2 = 15
- Number of ports: (n – 1) = 5 ports needed per device

P4. For each of the following four networks, discuss the consequences if a connection fails.

- Mesh topology: If one connection fails, the other connections will still be working.

- Star topology: The other devices will still be able to send data through the hub;

there will be no access to the device which has the failed connection to the hub.

- Bus Topology: All transmission stops if the failure is in the bus. If the drop-line

fails, only the corresponding device cannot operate.

- Ring Topology: The failed connection may disable the whole network unless it

is a dual ring or there is a by-pass mechanism.

P5. We have two computers connected by an Ethernet hub at home. Is this a LAN or a WAN?
Explain the reason.

This is a LAN. The Ethernet hub creates a LAN.

P6. In the ring topology in Figure 1.7, what happens if one of the stations is unplugged?

Theoretically, in a ring topology, unplugging one station, interrupts the ring. However, most ring
networks use a mechanism that bypasses the station; the ring can continue its operation.

P7. In the bus topology in Figure 1.6, what happens if one of the stations is unplugged?

In a bus topology, no station is in the path of the signal. Unplugging a station has no effect on the
operation of the rest of the network.

P8. Performance is inversely related to delay. When we use the Internet, which of the following
applications are more sensitive to delay?

- E-mail is not an interactive application. Even if it is delivered immediately, it

may stay in the mail-box of the receiver for a while. It is not sensitive to delay.

- We normally do not expect a file to be copied immediately. It is not very sensitive

to delay.

- Surfing the Internet is the an application very sensitive to delay. We except to

get access to the site we are searching.

In this case, the communication is only between a caller and the callee. A dedicated line is
established between them. The connection is point-to-point.

P10. Compare the telephone network and the Internet. What are the similarities? What are the
differences?

The telephone network was originally designed for voice communication; the Internet was
originally designed for data communication. The two networks are similar in the fact that both
are made of interconnections of small networks. The telephone network, as we will see in future
chapters, is mostly a circuit-switched network; the Internet is mostly a packet-switched network.