DATA

COMMUNICATION
Chapter 1
◦ 1. Identify the five components of a data communications
system.
◦ Data communications are the exchange of data between
two devices via some form of transmission medium such as a
wire cable

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 Solution
1. Sender. The sender is the device that sends the data
message. It can be a computer, workstation, telephone
handset, video camera, and so on.
2. Receiver. The receiver is the device that receives the
message. It can be a computer, workstation, telephone
handset, television, and so on
3. Message. The message is the information (data) to be
communicated. Popular forms of information include text,
numbers, pictures, audio, and video

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4. Transmission medium. The transmission medium is the physical
path by which a message travels from sender to receiver. Some
examples of transmission media include twisted-pair wire,
coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio waves.

5. Protocol. A protocol is a set of rules

that govern data communications. It represents an agreement between
the communicating devices. Without a protocol, two devices may be
connected but not communicating, just as a person speaking French
cannot be understood by a person who speaks only Japanese.
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◦ What are the three criteria necessary for an effective and
efficient network?
1. Performance ( often evaluated by two networking metrics:
throughput and delay. )
2. Reliability
3. Security (protecting data from unauthorized access,
protecting data from damage and development)

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◦ What are the advantages of a multipoint connection over a
point-to-point connection?
◦ Point-to-Point A point-to-point connection provides a
dedicated link between two devices
◦ A multipoint connection is one in which more than two specific
devices share a single link

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 Solution
1. Ease of installation
2. Low cost

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◦ What are the two types of line configuration?
◦ Line configurations (or type of connections) are point-to-point
or multipoint.

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◦ Categorize the four basic topologies in terms of line
configuration?

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 Mesh
◦ Every device is connected to each other device by dedicated
link.

◦ (point to point)

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 Star
◦ each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only to a
central controller, usually called a hub.
◦ The devices are not directly linked to one another
◦ star topology does not allow direct traffic between device

◦ (point-to-point)

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 Bus
◦ One long cable acts as a backbone to link all the devices in a
network

◦ (Multipoint)

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 Ring
◦ Each device is linked to only its immediate neighbors
◦ signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to
device, until it reaches its destination.

◦ (point-to-point)

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◦ What is the difference between half-duplex and full-duplex
transmission modes?
◦ Data Flow
◦ Communication between
two devices can be simplex,
half-duplex, or full-duplex

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 Solution
◦ In half-duplex transmission, Only one device can send at a
time, in full-duplex transmission, both devices can send at the
same time

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◦ Name the four basic network topologies, and cite an
advantage of each type.
◦ Mesh
1. the use of dedicated links guarantees that each connection
can carry its own data load, thus eliminating the traffic
problems that can occur when links must be shared by
multiple devices.
2. robust. If one link becomes unusable, it does not
incapacitate the entire system.
3. security. When every message travels along a dedicated line,
only the intended recipient sees it
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◦ Star
1. easy to install and reconfigure.
2. robustness. If one link fails, only that link is affected. All other
links remain active
◦ Bus
1. ease of installation
2. uses less cabling than mesh or star topologies
◦ Ring
1. Easy fault isolation
2. easy to install and reconfigure
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◦ For n devices in a network, what is the number of cable links
required for a mesh, ring, bus, and star topology?

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◦ What are some of the factors that determine whether a
communication system is a LAN or WAN?
◦ Categories of Networks
◦ LAN(local area network)
◦ WAN(wide area network)
◦ Metropolitan Area Networks
◦ Number of users
◦ Few kilometers
◦ Single transmission media, and what topology
◦ Private owned

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◦ What is an internet? What is the Internet?

◦ Why are protocols needed?

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

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

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◦ For each of the following four networks, discuss the
consequences if a connection fails.
◦ a. Five devices arranged in a mesh topology
◦ b. Five devices arranged in a star topology (not counting the
hub)
◦ c. Five devices arranged in a bus topology
◦ d. Five devices arranged in a ring topology

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◦ You have two computers connected by an Ethernet hub at
home. Is this a LAN, a MAN, or a WAN? Explain your reason

◦ In the ring topology in Figure 1.8, what happens if one of the

stations is unplugged?

◦ In the bus topology in Figure 1.7, what happens if one ofthe

stations is unplugged?

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