CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

When cartoonists and disk jockeys are giving out their e-mail addresses to fans, it is a sign of the
increasing interconnectivity that defines the way we communicate with the people and institutions
of interest to us. The Internet and the World Wide Web are pointing to the real possibility of
collaboration on a global scale. Through a computer and modem, a musician in Minneapolis can
gain direct access to the facilities of the Institute pour le Recherche et Coordination Acoustique
Musique in Paris. Acancer researcher at Stanford University can compare research findings with
colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Washington. An accounting manager in Dallas
can get cost-of-manufacturing data from a subsidiary in Singapore in time to present slides at an
important meeting.
Networks are changing the way we do business and the way we live. Business decisions have
to be made even more quickly, and the decision makers require immedi-ate access to accurate
information. But before we ask how quickly we can get hooked up,we need to know how
networks operate, what types of technology are available, and which design best fills which set of
needs. When a company adds a new division, the technology has to be flexible enough to reflect
changing configurations. Is a particular design robust enough to handle the growth?
Understanding what it does and when to use each type of technology is essential to providing the
right system in today's dynam-ically changing information environment.
The development of the personal computer brought about tremendous changes for business,
industry, science, and education. Information processing technology, once the domain of highly
trained technicians, became friendly enough for nontechnical workers to use. Soon salespeople,
accountants, professors, researchers, secretaries, and manag-ers began designing their own
spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. Corporations and universities began buying
microcomputers to facilitate the management of infor-mation. As these microcomputers were
installed, the traditional terminals that had pro-vided passive connections to mainframes were
removed. Terminal emulation through a PC now provided a new smart link to a central server.
Even with all this new processing power, people had no efficient way to share data.Except
for those with computers connected directly to a mainframe, anyone wanting to get or send
information had to do it manually. In the 1970s, a Toronto company that
2
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

handled data processing fora local bank would generate material, write it to tape, and then hire an
armored car to transport it three blocks to the bank's computer-every week.(A courier carrying a
tape on an airplane was considered the ultimate bandwidth for data communication.) In the newer
PC and workstation world, data could be either copied onto a floppy disk and physically reloaded
onto another PC-even one as close as the next desk-or printed out; mailed, faxed, or couriered to its
destination; then rekeyed into a remote computer. This not only was time-consuming but also
created other incon-veniences. Retyping data could compound human errors, and the problems
associated with floppy disk transfer were sometimes worse. In addition to the size limitations,which
often required multiple, carefully sequenced disks to carry one transmission, flop-pies turned out to
be a terrific way for a virus to hop from computer to computer.
And standards of productivity were changing. Why wait a week for that report from Germany to
arrive by mail when, if computers could talk to each other, it could appear almost instantaneously?
The time had come for connecting personal computers into a computer network.
A' similar revolution is occurring in telecommunications networks. Technological advances are
making it possible for communications links to carry more and faster sig-nals. As a result, services
are evolving to allow use of the expanded capacity,including extensions to established telephone
services such as conference calling, call waiting,voice mail, and caller ID; new digital services
include video conferences and informa-tion retrieval.
Developing the right hardware has been one of the challenges facing network designers but by
no means the only one. Designing connections between personal com-puters, workstations, and
other digital devices requires an understanding of the needs of the users. How does information flow?
Who is sharing data and what kind is being shared? How much physical distance does the
information have to travel? Is data shar-ing limited to several PCs within one office, or do the data
also need tobe shared with local field offices, or with an unpredictable number of subscribers all
over the world? In fact, to manage their business effectively, many institutions today must have
more than.one type of network.

1.1. DATA COMMUNICATION

When we communicate, we are sharing information. This sharing can be local or remote. Between
individuals, local communication usually occurs face to face, while remote communication takes
place over distance. The term telecommunications, which includes telephony, telegraphy, and
television, means communication at a distance (tele is Greek for far).
The word data refers to facts, concepts, and instructions presented in whatever form is agreed
upon by the parties creating and using the data. In the context of com-puter information systems,
data are represented by binary information units (or bits)produced and consumed in the form of Os
and 1s.

In computer information system, data are represented by binary information units (or bits) produced
and consumed in the form of Os and 1s.
 SECTION 1.I DATA COMMUNICATION
3
Data communication is the exchange of data (in the form of Os and 1s) between two
devices via some form of transmission medium (such as a wire cable). Data
com-munication is considered local if the communicating devices are in the same building
or a similarly restricted geographical area, and is considered remote if the devices are
farther apart.
For data communication to occur, the communicating devices must be part of a
communication system made up of a combination of hardware and software. The
effec-tiveness of a data communication system depends on three fundamental
characteristics:
1. Delivery. The system must deliver data to the correct destination. Data must be received
by the intended device or user and only by that device or user.
2. Accuracy.The system must deliver data accurately. Data that have been altered in
transmission and left uncorrected are unusable.
3.Timeliness. The system must deliver data in a timely manner. Data delivered late are
useless. In the case of video, audio, and voice data, timely delivery means delivering data
as they are produced, in the same order that they are produced, and without significant
delay. This kind of delivery is called real-tie transmission.

Components
A data communication system is made p of five components (see Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 Data communication system components

1. Message. The message is the information (data) to be communicated. It can con-sists of

text, numbers, pictures, sound, or video-or any combination of these.
2. Sender. The sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be a
computer,workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.
3. Receiver.The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can be a com-puter,
workstation, telephonehandset, television, and so on.
4. Medium. The transmission medium is the physical path by which a message trav-els from
sender to receiver. It can consist of twisted pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, laser,
or radio waves (terrestrial or satellite microwave).
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

5. Protocol. A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication. 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.

1.2 NETWORKS
A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes) connected by media links.A node
can be a computer, printer, or any other device capable of sending and/or receiv-ing data
generated by other nodes on the network. The links connecting the devices are.often called
communication channels.

Distributed Processing
Networks use distributed processing, in which a task is divided among multiple com-puters.
Instead of a single large machine being responsible for all aspects of a process,each
separate computer (usually a personal computer or workstation) handles a subset.
Advantages of distributed processing include the following:
Security/encapsulation. A system designer can limit the kinds of interactions that a given
user can have with the entire system. For example, a bank can allow users access to their
own accounts through an automated teller machine (ATM) without allowing them access
to the bank's entire database.
Distributed databases. No one system needs to provide storage capacity for the entire
database. For example, the World Wide Web gives users access to informa-tion that may
be actually stored and manipulated anywhere on the Internet.
Faster problem solving. Multiple computers working on parts of a problem con-currently
can often solve the problem faster than a single machine working alone.For example,
networks of PCs have broken encryption codes that were presumed to be unbreakable
because of the amount of time it would take a single computer to crack them.
Security through redundancy. Multiple computers running the same program at the same
time can provide security through redundancy. For example, in the space shuttle,three
computers run the same program so that if one has a hardware error,the other two can
override it.
Collaborative processing. Both' multiple computers and multiple users may inter-act on a
task. For example, in multiuser network games the actions of each player are visible to and
affect all the others.

Network Criteria
To be considered effective and efficient, a network must meet a number of criteria. The
most important of these are performance, reliability, and security (see Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2 Network criteria

Performance
Performance can be measured in many ways, including transit time and response
time.Transit time is the amount of time required for a message to travel from one device to
another. Response time is the elapsed time between an inquiry and a response.
The performance of a network depends on a number of factors, including the num-ber
of users, the type of transmission medium, the capabilities of the connected hard-ware, and
the efficiency of the software.
Number of users. Having a large number of concurrent users can slow response time in a
network not designed to coordinate heavy traffic loads. The design of a given network is
based on an assessment of the average number of users that will be communicating at any
one time. In peak load periods, however, the actual num-ber of users can exceed the average
and thereby decrease performance. How a net-work responds to loading is a measure of its
performance.
Type of transmission medium. The medium defines the speed at which data can travel
through a connection (the data rate). Today's networks are moving to faster and faster
transmission media, such as fiber optic cabling. A medium that can carry data at 100
megabits per second is ten times more powerful than a medium that can carry data at only
10 megabits per second. However, the speed of light imposes an upper bound on the data
rate.
Hardware. The types of hardware included in a network affect both the speed and capacity
of transmission. A higher speed computer with greater storage capacity provides better
performance.
Software. The software used to process data at the sender, receiver, and intermedi-ate nodes
also affects network performance. Moving a message from node to node through a network
requires processing to transform the raw data into transmittable signals, to route these
signals tothe proper destination, to ensure error-free deliv-ery, and to recast the signals into
a form the receiver can use. The software that provides these services affects both the speed
and the reliability of a network link.Well-designed software can speed the process and make
transmission more effec-tive and efficient.
SECTION 1.2 NETWORKS 5

Reliability
In addition to accuracy of delivery, network reliability is measured by frequency of
fail-ure,the time it takes a link to recover from a failure, and the network's robustness in a
catastrophe.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

Frequency of failure. All networks fail occasionally. A network that fails

often,however, is of lintle value to a user.
· Recovery time of a network after a failure. How long does it take to restore ser-vice? A
network that recovers quickly is more useful than one that does not.
Catastrophe. Networks must be protected from catastrophic events such as
fire,carthquake, or theft. One protection against unforeseen damage is a reliable system to
back up network software.

Security
Network security issues include protecting data from unauthorized access and viruses.
Unauthorized access. For a network to be useful, sensitive data must be pro-tected from
unauthorized access. Protection can be accomplished at a number of levels. At the lowest
level are user identification codes and passwords. At a higher level are encryption
techniques. In these mechanisms, data are systematically altered in such a way that if they
are intercepted by an unauthorized user,they will be unintelligible.
Viruses. Because a network is accessible from many points, it can be susceptible to
computer viruses. A virus is an illicitly introduced code that damages the sys-tem.A good
network is protected from viruses by hardware and software designed specifically for that
purpose.

Applications
In the short time they have been around, data communication networks have become an
indispensable part of business, industry, and entertainment. Some of the network
appli-cations in different fields are the following:
Marketing and sales. Computer networks are used extensively in both marketing and
sales organizations. Marketing professionals use them to collect, exchange,and
analyze data relating to customer needs and product development cycles. Sales
applications include teleshopping, which uses order-entry computers or telephones
connected to an order-processing network, and on-line reservation services for hotels,
airlines, and so on.
Financial services. Today's financial services are totally dependent on computer
networks. Applications include credit history searches; foreign exchange and
investment services, and electronic funds transfer (EFT), which allows a user to
transfer money without going into a bank (an automated teller machine is a kind of
electronic funds transfer; automatic paycheck deposit is another).
Manufacturing.Computer networks are used today in many aspects of manufac-turing,
including the manufacturing process itself. Two applications that use net-works to
provide essential services are computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-assisted
manufacturing (CAM), both of which allow multiple users to work on a project
simultaneously.
Electronic messaging. Probably the most widely used network application is
elec-tronic mail (e-mail).
 SECTION 1.3 PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDS
7

Directory services: Directory services allow lists of files to be stored in a central location
to speed worldwide search operations.
Information services. Network information services include bulletin boards and data
banks. A World Wide Web site offering the technical specifications for a new product is
an information service.
Electronic data interchange (EDI). EDI allows business information (including
documents such as purchase orders, and invoices) to be transferred without using paper.
Teleconferencing. Teleconferencing allows conferences to occur without the
par-ticipants being in the same place. Applications include simple text conferencing
(where participants communicate through their keyboards and computer moni-tors),
voice conferencing (where participants at a number of locations communi-cate
simultaneously over the phone), and video conferencing (where participants can see as
well as talk to one another).
Cellular telephone. In the past, two parties wishing to use the services of thetele-phone
company had to be linked by a fixed physical connection. Today's cellular networks
make it possible to maintain wireless phone connections even while trav-eling over large
distances.
Cable television. Future services provided by cable television networks may include
video on request,as well as the same information, financial, and commu-nications
services currently provided by the telephone companies and computer networks.

1.3 PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDS

Protocols
In computer networks, communication occurs between entities in different systems. An entity
is anything capable of sending or receiving information. Examples include appli-cation
programs, file transfer packages, browsers, database management systems,and electronic mail
software. A system is a physical object that contains one or more enti-ties. Examples include
computers and terminals.
But two entities cannot just send bit streams to each other and expect to be under-stood.
For communication to occur, the entities must agree on a protocol. As defined on p. 4, a
protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication. A protocol defines what is
communicated, how it is communicated, and when it is communicated.The key elements of a
protocol are syntax, semantics, and timing.

Syntax
Syntax refers to the structure or format of the data, meaning the order in which they are
presented. For example, a simple protocol might expect the first eight bits of data to be the
address of the sender, the second eight bits to be the address of the receiver,and the rest of the
stream to be the message itself.
8 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
Semantics
Semantics refers to the meaning of cach section of bits. How is a particular pattern to be
interpreted, and what action is to be taken based on that interpretation? For example,does an
address identify the route to be taken or the final destination of the message?

Timing
Timing refers to two characteristics: when data should be sent and how fast it can be sent. For
example, if a sender produces data at 100 Mbps but the receiver can process data at only 1 Mbps,
the transmission will overload the receiver and data will be largely lost.

In data communication, a protocol is a set of rules (conventions) that govern all aspects of
information communication.

Standards.
With so many factors to synchronize, a great deal of coordination across the nodes of a network
is necessary if communication is to occur at all, let alone accurately or effi-ciently. A single
manufacturer can build all of its products to work well together,but what if some of the best
components for your needs are not made by the same com-pany? What good is a television that
can pick up only one set of signals if local stations are broadcasting another? Where there are no
standards, difficulties arise. Automobiles are an example of nonstandardized products. A steering
wheel from one make or model of car will not fit into another model without modification. A
standard provides a model for development that makes it possible for a product to work
regardless of the individ-ual manufacturer.
Standards are essential in creating and maintaining an open and competitive mar-ket for
equipment manufacturers and in guaranteeing national and international interoperability of data
and telecommunications technology and processes. They pro-vide guidelines to manufacturers,
vendors, government agencies, and other service pro-viders to ensure the kind of
interconnectivity necessary in today's marketplace and in international communications.
Badly thought-out standards can slow development by forcing adherence to early,possibly
inflexible, designs. But today pragmatism and consumer pressure have forced the industry to
recognize the need for general models, and there is growing agreement as to what those models
are. The intelligence and foresight of designers seem to be such that the standards now being
adopted will encourage rather than hinder technical advancement.
Data communication standards fall into two categories: de facto(meaning “by fact" or “by
convention”) and de jure (meaning “by law” or “by regulation”). See Fig-ure 1.3.
De jure standards are those that have been legislated by an officially recognized body.
Standards that have not been approved by an organized body but have been adopted as standards
through widespread use are de facto standards. De facto standards are often established originally
by manufacturers seeking to define the functionality of a new product or technology.
 SECTION 1.4 STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS
9

Figure 1.3 Categories of standards

De facto standards can be further subdivided into two classes: proprietary and
non-proprietary. Proprietary standards are those originally invented by a commercial
orga-nization as a basis for the operation of its products. They are called proprietary because
they are wholly owned by the company that invented them. These standards are also called
closed standards because they close off communications between systems pro-duced by
different vendors. Nonproprietary standards ar those originally developed by groups or
committees that have passed them into the public domain; they are also called open
standards because they open communication between different systems.

1.4 STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS

Standards are developed by cooperation among standards creation committees,forums,and
govemment regulatory agencies.

Standards Creation Committees

While many organizations are dedicated to the establishment of standards, data and
tele-communications in North America rely primarily on those published by the following:
The International Standards Organization (ISO)
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T, formerly the CCITT)
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
The Electronic Industries Association (EIA)
Bellcore

ISO
The International Standards Organization (ISO; also referred to as the International
Organization for Standardization) is a multinational body whose membership is drawn
mainly from the standards creation committees of various governments throughout the
world.Created in 1947, the ISO is an entirely voluntary organization dedicated to worldwide
agreement on international standards. With a membership that currently includes
representative bodies from 82 industrialized nations, it aims to facilitate the international
exchange of goods and services by providing models for compatibility,
 improved quality, increased productivity, and decreased prices. The ISO is active in
developing cooperation in the realms of scientific, technological, and economic activ-ity.
Of primary concem to this book are the ISO's efforts in the field of information technology,
which have resulted in the creation of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model for
network communications. The United States is represented in the ISO by ANSI.

The ISO is an organization dedicated to worldwide agreement on international standards

in a varicty of fields.

ITU-T
By the carly 1970s a number of countries were defining national standards for
telecom-munications, but there was still little international compatibility. The United
Nations responded by forming, as part of its International Telecommunications Union
(ITU), a committee, the Consultative Committce for International Telegraphy and
Telephony (CCITT). This committee was devoted to the research and establishment of
standards for telecommunications in general and phone and data systems in particular.On
March 1,1993,the name of this committee was changed to the International
Telecommunica-tions Union-Telecommunication Standards Sector (ITU-T).
The ITU-T is divided into study groups, each devoted to a different aspect of the
industry. National committees (such as ANSI in the United States and the CEPT in Europe)
submit proposals to these study groups. If the study group agrees, the proposal is ratified
and becomes part of the ITU-T standard, issued every four years.
The best-known ITU-T standards are the V series (V.32, V.33, V.42),which define
data transmission over phone lines; the X series (X.25,X.400,X.500),which define
transmission over public digital networks; e-mail and directory services; and the
Inte-grated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which includes parts of the other series and
defines the emerging international digital network. Current projects include an extension
of ISDN called Broadband ISDN, popularly known as the Information Superhighway.

ITU-T is an international standards organization related to the United Nations that

develops standards for telecommunications. Two popular standards developed by ITU-T
are the V series and the X series.
10 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

ANSI
Despite its name, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a completely
private nonprofit corporation not affiliated with the·U.S. federal government. However,all
ANSI activities are undertaken with the welfare of the United States and its citizens
occupying primary importance. ANSI's expressed aims include serving as the national
coordinating institution for voluntary standardization in the United States, furthering the
adoption of standards as a way of advancing the U.S. economy, and ensuring the
participation and protection of the public interests. ANSI members include professional
societies, industry associations, governmental and regulatory bodies, and consumer groups.
Current areas of discussion include internetwork planning and engineering;ISDN services,
signaling, and architecture; and optical hierarchy (SONET).
 SECTION 1.4 STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS
11

ANSI submits proposals to the ITU-T and is the designated voting member from the
United States to the ISO. Similar services are provided in the European Community by the
Committee of European Post, Telegraph, and Telephone (CEPT) and the Euro-pean
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

ANSI,a nonprofit organization, is the U.S. voting representative to both the ISO and the
ITU-T.

IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the largest professional
engineering society in the world. International in scope, it aims to advance theory,
cre-ativity, and product quality in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and radio
as well as in all related branches of engineering. As one of its goals, the IEEE oversees the
development and adoption of international standards for computing and communi-cation.
The IEEE has a special committee for local area networks (LANs), out of which has come
Project 802 (e.g., the 802.3,802.4,and 802.5 standards).

The IEEE is the largest national professional group involved in developing standards for
com-puting,communication, electrical engineering, and electronics. It sponsored an
important standard for local area networks called Project 802.

EIA
Aligned with ANSI, the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) is a nonprofit
organi-zation devoted to the promotion of electronics manufacturing concerns. Its activities
include public awareness education and lobbying efforts in addition to standards
devel-opment. In the field of information technology, the EIA has made significant
contribu-tions by defining physical connection interfaces and electronic signaling
specifications for data communication. In particular, EIA-232-D, EIA-449, and EIA-530
define serial transmission between two digital devices (e.g., computer to modem).

EIA is an association of electronics manufacturers in the United States. It is responsible for

developing the EIA-232-D and EIA-530 standards.

Bellcore
Bellcore, which stands for Bell Communication Research, is an outgrowth of the Bell Labs.
Bellcore provides research and development resources for the advancement of
telecommunications technology. It is an important source of draft standards to ANSI.

Forums
Telecommunications technology development is moving faster than the ability of
stan-dards committees to ratify standards. Standards committees are procedural bodies and
by nature slow moving. To accommodate the need for working models and agreements and
to facilitate the standardization process, many special interest groups have devel-oped
forums made up of representatives from interested corporations. The forums work
 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
12

with universities and users to test, evaluate, and standardize new technologies.By
con-centrating their efforts on a particular technology, the forums are ableto speed
accep-tance and use of those technologies in the telecommunications community. The
forums present their conclusions to the standards bodies.
Some important forums for the telecommunications industry include the following:

Frame Relay Forum

The Frame Relay Forum was formed by DEC, Northern Telecom, Cisco, and
Strata-Com to promote the acceptance and implementation of Frame Relay. Today, it
has around 40 members representing North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim.
Issues under review include flow control, encapsulation, translation, and multicasting.
Results are submitted to the ISO.

ATM Forum and ATM Consortium

The ATM Forum and the ATM Consortium exist to promote the acceptance and use of
Asynchronous Transmission Mode (ATM) technology. The ATM Forum is made up of
Customer Premises Equipment (e.g., PBX systems) vendors and Central Office
(e.g.,telephone exchange) providers. It is concerned with the standardization of services
to ensure interoperability. The ATM Consortium is made up of vendors of hardware and
software that support ATM.

Internet Society and Internet Engineerig Task Force

The Internet Society and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) are concerned
with speeding the growth and evolution of Internet communications. The Internet
Soci-ety concentrates on user issues, including enhancements to the TCP/IP protocol
suite.The IETF is the standards body for the Internet itself. It reviews Internet software
and hardware.Important contributions include the development of Simple Network
Man-agement Protocol (SNMP) and the review of performance standards for bridges,
rout-ers,and router protocols.

Regulatory Agencies
All communications technology is subject to regulation by government agencies such as
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. The purpose of
these agencies is to protect the public interest by regulating radio, television, and
wire/cable communications.

FCC
The FCC has authority over interstate and international commerce as it relates to
com-munications. Every piece of communications technology must have FCC approval
before it may be marketed (check the bottom of your telephone for an FCC approval
code). Specific FCC responsibilities include the following:
12 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
To review rate and service-charge applications made by telegraph and telephone
providers.
-To review the technical specifications of communications hardware.
 SECTION 1.5 SUMMARY
13
目 To establish reasonable common carrier rates of return.
日 To divide and allocate radio frequencies.
To assign carrier frequencies for radio and television broadcasts.

1.5 SUMMARY
Data communication is the transfer of data from one device to another via some form of
transmission medium.
A data communication system mus transmit data to the correct destination in an accurate
and timely manner.
The five basic components of a data communication system are the message, the sender,
the receiver, the medium, and the protocol.
Networks allow shared access to information devices.
Networks use distributed processing, in which a task is divided among multiple
computers.
Networks are judged by their performance, relability, and security.
A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication; the key elements of a
protocol are syntax, semantics, and timing.
Standards are necessary to ensure that products from different manufacturers can work
together as expected.
The ISO,ITU-T,ANSI, IEEE, EIA, and Bellcore are some of the organizations involved
in standards creation.
Forums consist of representatives from corporations that test, evaluate and stan-dardize
new technologies.
Some important forums are the Frame Relay Forum, the ATM Forum, the Internet
Society, and the Internet Engineering Task Force.
The FCC is a regulatory agency that regulates radio, television, and wire/cable
communications.

1.6 PRACTICE SET

Multiple Choice
1._are rules that govern a communication exchange.
a. Media
b. Criteria
c. Protocols
d. All of the above
2.The_is the physical path over which a message travels.
a. protocol
 b.medium
c. signal
d. All of the above
3. Frequency of failure and network recovery time after a failurc are measures of the
of a network.
a. performance
b.reliability
c.security
d.feasibility
4. The performance of a data communications network depends on
a. the number of users
b. the transmission media
c. the hardware and software
d. all of the above
5. Viruses are a network_issue.
a. performance
b.reliability
c. security
d. all of the above
6. Protection of data from a natural disaster such as a tornado is a network issue.
a. performance
b.reliability
c.security
d. management
7.Which agency is the United States voting member to the ISO?
a.USO
b. IEEE
c. NATO
d.ANSI
8. Which agency created standards for telephone communications (V series) and
standards for network interfaces and public networks (X series)?
a.ATT
b.ITU-T
c. ANSI
d. ISO
9. Which organization has authority over interstate and international commerce in the
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
communications field?
a.ITU-T
b. IEEE
 15
SECTION 1.6 PRACTICE SET

c.FCC
d.Internet Society
10. are special-interest groups that quickly test, evaluate, and standardize new technologies.
a. Forums
b. Regulatory agencies
c. Standards organizations
d.All of the above
11. Which agency developed standards for electrical connections and the physical transfer of data between devices?
a. EIA
b. ITU-T
c. ANSI
d. ISO
12.Which organization consists of computer scientists and engineers and is known for its development of LAN standards?
a. EIA
b. ITU-T
c. ANSI
d. IEEE

Exercises

1. What is the relationship between telecommunications and data communications?Is one a subset of the other? Give
reasons for your answers.
2. Give two examples of a product that uses nonstandardized parts. Give two exam-ples of a product that uses standardized
SECTION 1.6 PRACTICE SET 15
parts.
3.Give five instances of how networks were a part of your life today.
4. How can networks be used to make a building secure?