Communication Networks

Evolution of Computer Networks

• Telegraphy Networks
• Terminal-Oriented Networks
• Computer-to-Computer Networks

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
Communication Networks

Approaches to Network Design

Function Telegraph Network Telephone Network Internet
Basic User Transmission of Bi-directional real-time transfer of Datagram & reliable stream
Service telegrams voice signals service between computers
Switching Connectionless packet-
Message switching Circuit switching
Approach switching
Terminal Telegraph, Teletype Telephone, modem Computer

Information
Morse, Baudot, ASCII Analog voice or PCM digital voice Any binary information
representation
Transmission Digital over various Analog and digital over various
Digital over various media
system media media
Geographical
Addressing addresses
Hierarchical numbering plan Hierarchical address space

Each packet routed

Routing Manual routing Route selected during call setup
independently
Character multiplexing, Packet multiplexing, shared
Multiplexing Message multiplexing
Circuit multiplexing
media access networks

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
Communication Networks

Telegraphy Networks

Morse telegraph (1837)

– binary communications using dots & dashes
– Morse code maps alphabet to sequences of dots/dashes
– maximum distance of 32 km over copper wires
– text messages transmitted hop-by-hop across a
network of relay stations
– local hand delivery
Marconi radio telegraph (1894)
– dots & dashes modulating bursts of electromagnetic
radiation
– ship-to-shore and transatlantic communications
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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Terminal-Oriented Networks
• Allow expensive host computers to be shared by a number
of terminals

. T
C .
.
T

. T
.
C .
T T
Modem T
PSTN Modem
Pool

T = terminal

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Line-Sharing Techniques
• Transmissions from terminals very bursty, so dedicated
lines inefficient
• Polling protocols for controling the sharing of a
transmission line were developed

Poll to terminal

C Response from terminal

T T T T

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Statistical Multiplexing Techniques

• Statistical multiplexers developed to allow the sharing of a
transmission line
• Messages from a terminal encapsulated in a frame that has
a header that contains the terminal address
• A message must wait for line to become available

Info Address
T
.
.
Host Mux .
T
Address Info T

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks
Typical Terminal-Oriented Network
• Tree-topology network connecting terminals to centralized
shared computers
• Not flexible: could not handle proliferation of computers
& applications
Host

.
.
.

.
San

.
New York

.
T
Francisco City
.
.
.

T .
.
.
Chicago T Atlanta
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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Computer-to-Computer Networks
• The proliferation of computers led to a need to develop
networks to interconnect computers
• Fundamentally different than connecting terminals to
computers, because now both parties are intelligent
• Interactive applications required quick response
– implying that messages cannot be too long, because this
will cause long delays
• Solution: Packet switching
– variable-length messages up to some maximum allowed
– longer messages are broken into several packets
– connectionless transfer vs. connection-oriented transfer
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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks
ARPANET
• Testbed for wide-area network packet switching research
• Interconnection of computers using a mesh networks
• Packet switches route packets from source to destination

AMES McCLELLAN UTAH BOULDER GWC CASE

RADC
ILL
LINC CARN
AMES USC

MIT
MITRE
UCSB

STAN SCD
ETAC

UCLA RAND TINKER BBN HARV NBS

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
Communication Networks

ARPANET Packet Switching Innovations

• Flexible interconnection of computers

• Connectionless transfer of packets
• Distributed synthesis of routes
• Adaptation to failures and traffic variations
• Layered architecture
• Investigation of complex network dynamics

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Local Area Networks

• Development of workstations led to LANs to allow sharing
of resources (file servers, printers, ...)
• LAN different than WAN
– bandwidth is cheap, transmission relatively error-free
– use broadcast packet transmissions, flat address space

(a) (b)
transceivers z z z z z z

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
 Communication Networks

Internetworking

• Different protocols were developed to transmit packets

across different types of networks
– packet switch networks, radio networks, satellite
networks
• Problem: How to exchange information between
computers attached to any of these networks?

• Internet Protocol (IP): creating a network of networks

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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
Communication Networks
• Gateways provide interconnection across networks
• IP packets sent from gateway to gateway

net 3
G
net 1
G
G
G
net 5

net 2 G net 4 G

G = Gateway
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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3
Communication Networks

Internet Innovations

• Keep gateways simple, complexity at the edge

• Best-effort transfer of IP datagrams
• Route IP packets according to destination address
• Domain Name System to map between host names
(people-friendly) and IP addresses (machine-friendly)
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to provide
reliable connections over unreliable datagram transfer
• Any application that can run over TCP/IP can
immediately run over the entire Internet
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 Communication Networks

Definition of the Internet

“Internet” (capital i) the global information system that:
• is logically linked together by a globally unique address space
based on the Internet Protocol (IP) or its subsequent
extensions/follow-ons;
• is able to support communications using the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite or its
subsequent extensions/follow-ons, and/or other IP-compatible
protocol
• provides, uses or makes accessible, either publicly or privately,
high level services layered on the communications and related
infrastructure described herein
• Federal Networking Council (1995)
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© A. Leon-Garcia 2000 Lecture 3