UNIT-V

DATA COMMUNICATION

Data Communication

 The term “Data Communication” comprises two words: Data and

Communication.
 Data can be any text, image, audio, video, and multimedia files.
 Communication is an act of sending or receiving data.

 Data Communication refers to the exchange of data between a

source and a receiver via form of transmission media such as a wire
cable.

 The device that transmits the data is known as source and the
device that receives the transmitted data is known as receiver.

 The following Figure is an illustration of a simple data

communication system.

Types of Communication Modes / Transmission Modes

The way in which data is transmitted from one device to another
device is known as transmission mode.

The transmission mode is also known as the communication mode.

The Transmission mode is divided into three categories:

o Simplex mode
o Half-duplex mode
o Full-duplex mode

Simplex mode

 In Simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional, i.e., the data

flow in one direction.
 A device can only send the data but cannot receive it or it can
receive the data but cannot send the data.
 This transmission mode is not very popular as mainly
communications require the two-way exchange of data. The
 simplex mode is used in the business field as in sales that do not
require any corresponding reply.
 The radio station is a simplex channel as it transmits the signal to
the listeners but never allows them to transmit back.
 Keyboard and Monitor are the examples of the simplex mode as a
keyboard can only accept the data from the user and monitor can
only be used to display the data on the screen.
 The main advantage of the simplex mode is that the full capacity of
the communication channel can be utilized during transmission.

Half-Duplex mode

 In a Half-duplex channel, direction can be reversed, i.e., the station

can transmit and receive the data as well.
 Messages flow in both the directions, but not at the same time.
 The entire bandwidth of the communication channel is utilized in
one direction at a time.
 In half-duplex mode, it is possible to perform the error detection,
and if any error occurs, then the receiver requests the sender to
retransmit the data.
 A Walkie-talkie is an example of the Half-duplex mode. In Walkie-
talkie, one party speaks, and another party listens. After a pause,
the other speaks and first party listens. Speaking simultaneously
will create the distorted sound which cannot be understood.

Full-duplex mode
 In Full duplex mode, the communication is bi-directional, i.e., the
data flow in both the directions.
 Both the stations can send and receive the message simultaneously.
 Full-duplex mode has two simplex channels. One channel has traffic
moving in one direction, and another channel has traffic flowing in
the opposite direction.
 The Full-duplex mode is the fastest mode of communication
between devices.
 The most common example of the full-duplex mode is a telephone
network. When two people are communicating with each other by a
telephone line, both can talk and listen at the same time.

Data Transmission Medias

 Data Transmission media is a communication channel that carries

the information from the sender to the receiver. Data is transmitted
through the electromagnetic signals.
 The main functionality of the transmission media is to carry the
information in the form of bits through LAN(Local Area Network).

 Transmission media are of two types:

1. Guided Transmission Medium
2. Unguided Transmission Medium

The following diagram categorizes transmission media

Classification Of Transmission Media:-

Guided Media

 It is defined as the physical medium through which the signals are

transmitted.
 It is also known as Bounded media bounded media or wired
media.
 They comprise cables or wires through which data is transmitted.
Features:
 High Speed
 Secure
 Used for comparatively shorter distances
There are 3 major types of Guided Media:
a. Coaxial Cable
b. Optical Fiber Cable
c. Twisted Pair Cable

Coaxial Cable:-
 Coaxial cable is very commonly used transmission media.

 For example, TV wire is usually a coaxial cable.

Optical Fiber Cable:-

 A fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and transmits signals

in the form of light.

 Fiber optic cable is a cable that uses electrical signals for

communication.

 It is a cable that holds the optical fibers coated in plastic that are
used to send the data by pulses of light.

 The plastic coating protects the optical fibers from heat, cold,
electromagnetic interference from other types of wiring.

Twisted Pair Cable:-

 This cable is the most commonly used and is cheaper than others. It
is lightweight, cheap, can be installed easily, and they support
many different types of network.

 A twisted pair consists of two conductors (normally copper), each

with its own plastic insulation, twisted together.

 One of these wires is used to carry signals to the receiver, and the
other is used only as ground reference.

 The receiver uses the difference between the two.

 In addition to the signal sent by the sender on one of the wires,
interference (noise) and crosstalk may affect both wires and create
unwanted signals.

2. Unguided Transmission Medium

 It is also referred to as Wireless or Unbounded transmission media.
 An unguided transmission transmits the electromagnetic waves
without using any physical medium.
 Therefore it is also known as wireless transmission.

 In unguided media, air is the media through which the

electromagnetic energy can flow easily.
 No physical medium is required for the transmission of
electromagnetic signals.
 They transport data in the form of electromagnetic waves that do
not require any cables for transmission.
 These media are bounded by geographical boundaries.

Features:
o Signal is broadcasted through air
o Less Secure
o Used for larger distances

There are 3 major types of Unguided Media:

a. Radio waves
b. Micro waves
c. Infrared waves

a) Radio waves:-
 Radio waves are the electromagnetic waves that are transmitted in
all the directions of free space.

 Radio waves are omnidirectional, i.e., the signals are propagated in

all the directions.

 The range in frequencies of radio waves is from 3Khz to 1 khz.

 An example of the radio wave is FM radio. AM and FM radios and

cordless phones use Radio waves for transmission.

b) Microwaves:-

 Electromagnetic waves having frequencies between 1 and 300 GHz

are called micro waves.

 Micro waves are unidirectional.

 When an antenna transmits microwaves, they can be narrowly

focused. This means that the sending and receiving antennas need
to be aligned.

 A pair of antennas can be aligned without interfering with another

pair of aligned antennas.

c) Infrared:-

 It is used in TV remotes, wireless mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.

 An infrared transmission is a wireless technology used for

communication over short ranges.

 The frequency of the infrared in the range from 300 GHz to 400
THz.
 It is used for short-range communication such as data transfer
between two cell phones, TV remote operation, data transfer
between a computer and cell phone resides in the same closed
area.

Advantages:
 It supports high bandwidth, and hence the data rate will be very
high.
 Infrared waves cannot penetrate the walls. Therefore, the infrared
communication in one room cannot be interrupted by the nearby
rooms.

Types of Networks

Network: Computer network is a group of two or more

interconnected computers sharing one common medium of
communication. There are mainly 3 types of networks.
 Local Area Network [LAN]

 Metropolitan Area Network [MAN]

 Wide Area Network [WAN]

1. Local Area Network [LAN] :

 A Local Area Network is a group computers in a localized area (a
room, a factory, a small building)
 LAN stands for Local Area Network. A LAN is a network that is
personal to an organization and is installed for the use of a
particular office or factory.
Advantages:
 Resource Sharing is the main advantages of a network. Resources
like printers, modems, data storage devices can be stored by ‘LAN’
in an organization.

 The communication is very easy to send the messages to different

local computer in the LAN.

 File transfer is very easy from one system to another system in a

less time.

2. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN):

 MAN stands for Metropolitan Area Network. A MAN is a

communication network that connects computers that are spread
over cities and towns.

 Cable television network and cellular phone Network are good

examples of MAN.

3. Wide Area Network (WAN):

 WAN stands for wide area network

 A WAN is a communication network that connects geographically

separated areas such as countries or continents.

 LAN could not support the network needs of a large business with
offices and operations spread over a wide area. This led to the
development of WAN.

 Communication on a WAN takes place via telephone lines, satellites

or microwave links rather than through a physical cable.
TOPOLOGY AND ITS TYPES

Network Topology: Topology defines the structure of the network

of how all the components are interconnected to each other.

Bus Topology

 Bus topology is the kind of network topology where every

node, i.e. every device on the network, is connected to a solo
main cable line.
 Data is transmitted in a single route, from one point to the
other.
 We cannot transmit data in both ways.
 When this topology has precisely two endpoints, it is known as
Linear Bus Topology.
 It is mostly used for small networks.
Ring Topology

o Ring topology is like a bus topology, but with connected ends.

o The node that receives the message from the previous
computer will retransmit to the next node.
o The data flows in one direction, i.e., it is unidirectional.
o The data flows in a single loop continuously known as an
endless loop.
o It has no terminated ends, i.e., each node is connected to
other node and having no termination point.
o The data in a ring topology flow in a clockwise direction.
Tree Topology

o Tree topology combines the characteristics of bus topology and

star topology.
o A tree topology is a type of structure in which all the computers
are connected with each other in hierarchical fashion.
o The top-most node in tree topology is known as a root node, and
all other nodes are the descendants of the root node.
o There is only one path exists between two nodes for the data
transmission. Thus, it forms a parent-child hierarchy.

Star Topology

o Star topology is an arrangement of the network in which every

node is connected to the central hub, switch or a central
computer.
 o The central computer is known as a server, and the peripheral
devices attached to the server are known as clients.
o Coaxial cable or RJ-45 cables are used to connect the computers.
o Hubs or Switches are mainly used as connection devices in
a physical star topology.
o Star topology is the most popular topology in network
implementation.

Mesh Topology

o Mesh technology is an arrangement of the network in which

computers are interconnected with each other through various
redundant connections.
o There are multiple paths from one computer to another
computer.
o It does not contain the switch, hub or any central computer which
acts as a central point of communication.
 o The Internet is an example of the mesh topology.
o Mesh topology is mainly used for WAN implementations where
communication failures are a critical concern.

What is Modem?
Modem is short for "Modulator-Demodulator." It is
a hardware component that allows a computer or another device, such
as a router or switch, to connect to the Internet. It converts or
"modulates" an analog signal from a telephone or cable wire
to digital data (1s and 0s) that a computer can recognize. Similarly, it
converts digital data from a computer or other device into an analog
signal that can be sent over standard telephone lines.
What is Hub?
A hub is a physical layer networking device which is used to
connect multiple devices in a network. They are generally used to
connect computers in a LAN.

A hub has many ports in it. A computer which intends to be connected

to the network is plugged in to one of these ports. When a data frame
arrives at a port, it is broadcast to every other port, without
considering whether it is destined for a particular destination or not.
What is Network Protocol?

Network Protocols are a set of rules governing exchange of

information in an easy, reliable and secure way. Before we discuss the
most common protocols used to transmit and receive data over a
network, we need to understand how a network is logically organized
or designed. The most popular model used to establish open
communication between two systems is the Open Systems
Interface (OSI) model proposed by ISO.

Types of Protocols

1. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

2. Internet Protocol (IP)

3. User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

4. Post office Protocol (POP)

5. Simple mail transport Protocol (SMTP)

6. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

7. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

8. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

9. Telnet

10. Gopher