Computer Networks

Lecture 1
Introduction

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 Overview

■ Administrative
■ Networking: An Overview of Ideas and
Issues

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Reading
■ Text book:
❑ Data Communications and Networking, 4/e
■ B.A. Forouzan,
McGraw-Hill, 2003,
ISBN 0-07-292354-7.
■ Reference books:
❑ Computer Networking, a top-down approach
featuring the Internet (3rd edition),
■ J.K.Kurose, K.W.Ross,
Addison-Wesley, 2005,
ISBN 0-321-26976-4.
❑ Computer Networks, A Systems Approach
L. Peterson & Davie

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Required Skills

■ The course does not assume prior knowledge

of networking.

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My Requirement from YOU

■ I require YOU to take active part during lectures

❑ Which means Lot of Questioning in the class –

(Interactive session)

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Aim of the Course
■ Aim of the course is to introduce you to the
world of computer networks, so that you
could
❑ know the science being used in running this
network
❑ Use this knowledge in your professional field

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Network design

Before looking inside a computer

network, first agree on what a
computer network is

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Computer network ?
Specialized to
handle:
■ Set of serial lines to attach
terminals to mainframe ? Keystrokes
■ Telephone network carrying
voice traffic ? Voice
■ Cable network to disseminate
video signals ? Video

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What distinguishes a
Computer network ?

■ Generality
■ Built from general purpose
programmable hardware
■ Supports wide range of applications

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Information, Computers, Networks

■ Information: anything that is represented in bits

❑ Form (can be represented as bits) vs
❑ Substance (cannot be represented as bits)
■ Properties:
❑ Infinitely replicable
❑ Computers can “manipulate” information
❑ Networks create “access” to information

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Networks

■ Potential of networking:
❑ move bits everywhere, cheaply, and with desired
performance characteristics
■ Network provides “connectivity”

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What is “Connectivity” ?

■ Direct or indirect access to every other node in the

network

■ Connectivity is the magic needed to communicate if

you do not have a direct pt-pt physical link.
❑ Tradeoff: Performance characteristics worse than true physical
link!

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Building Blocks

■ Nodes: PC, special-purpose hardware…

❑ hosts
❑ switches

■ Links: coax cable, optical fiber…

❑ point-to-point

…
❑ multiple access

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Why not connect each node
with every other node ?
■ Number of computers that can be
connected becomes very limited
■ Number of wires coming out of each
node becomes unmanageable
■ Amount of physical hardware/devices
required becomes very expensive
■ Solution: indirect connectivity using
intermediate data forwarding nodes

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Switched Networks

■ A network can be defined recursively as...

❑ two or more nodes

connected by a link
❑ white nodes
(switches)
implement the
network
❑ colored nodes
(hosts) use the
network

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Switched Networks

■ A network can be defined recursively as...

❑ two or more networks
connected by one or more
nodes: internetworks
❑ white nodes (router or
gateway) interconnects
the networks
❑ a cloud denotes “any type
of independent network”

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A Network

A network can be defined recursively as

two or more nodes connected by a

physical link
Or
two or more networks connected by one or
more nodes

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Switching Strategies
■ Circuit switching: • Packet switching:
carry bit streams store-and-forward
a. establishes a dedicated messages
circuit
a. operates on discrete
b. links reserved for use
blocks of data
by communication
channel b. utilizes resources
c. send/receive bit stream according to traffic
at constant rate demand
d. example: original c. send/receive messages
telephone network at variable rate
d. example: Internet

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What next ?

■ Hosts are directly or indirectly connected to

each other
❑ Can we now provide host-host connectivity ?
■ Nodes must be able to say which host it
wants to communicate with

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Addressing and Routing

■ Address: byte-string that identifies a node

❑ usually unique
■ Routing: forwarding decisions
❑ process of determining how to forward messages
to the destination node based on its address
■ Types of addresses
❑ unicast: node-specific
❑ broadcast: all nodes on the network
❑ multicast: some subset of nodes on the network

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Wrap-up

■ A network can be constructed from

nesting of networks

■ An address is required for each node

that is reachable on the network

■ Address is used to route messages

toward appropriate destination

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What next ?

■ Hosts know how to reach other hosts on

the network
■ How should a node use the network for
its communication ?

■ All pairs of hosts should have the ability

to exchange messages: cost-effective
resource sharing for efficiency

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Multiplexing
■ Physical links and nodes are shared among users
❑ (synchronous) Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM)
❑ Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM)
L1 R
1

L2 R
Multiple flows
2
on a single link
Switch 1 Switch 2
L3 R
3
Do you see any problem with TDM / FDM ?

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What Goes Wrong in the Network?

Reliability at stake

■ Bit-level errors (electrical interference)

■ Packet-level errors (congestion)
❑ distinction between lost and late packet
■ Link and node failures
❑ distinction between broken and flaky link
❑ distinction between failed and slow node

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What Goes Undesirable in the
Network?
Required performance at stake

■ Messages are delayed

■ Messages are delivered out-of-order
■ Third parties eavesdrop

■ The challenge is to fill the gap between

application expectations and hardware
capabilities
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Research areas in Networking

■ Routing
■ Security
■ Ad-hoc networks
■ Wireless networks
■ Protocols
■ Quality of Service
■ …

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Readings

■ Chapter 1: 1.1, 1.2

❑ Computer Networks, A Systems Approach
L. Peterson & Davie

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