DATA COMMUNICATION & COMPUTER NETWORK

IMP (22414) QUESTION

1. List different characteristics of data communication system. { 2 marks }
Ans:
1. Delivery
2. Accuracy
3. Timeliness
4. Jitter

2. Define guided and unguided communication media. { 2 marks }

Ans:
o Guided communication media:
Guided transmission media are known as the wired communication. The
electromagnetic signals travel between the communicating devices through
a physical medium/conductor.

o Unguided communication media:

The unguided media is also called wireless communication. It does not
require any physical medium to transmit electromagnetic signals. In
unguided media, the electromagnetic signals are broadcasted through air
to everyone.

3. Classify mobile generations . { 2 marks }

Ans:
o First Generation (1G)
o Second Generation (2G)
o Third Generation (3G)
o Fourth Generation (4G) or LTE
o Fifth Generation (5G)

4. State different types of Network topologies . { 2 marks }

Ans:
o Mesh Topology
o Star Topology
o Bus Topology
o Ring Topology

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 o Hybrid Topology

5. Compare LRC and CRC (Any two points each) . { 2 marks }

Ans:
LRC CRC
Longitudinal Redundancy Check (LRC)is a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is one of the
method in which a block of bits is organized most common and powerful error detecting codes
in table(rows and columns)calculate the parity in which a sequence of redundant bits, called the
bit for each column and the set of this parity CRC is appended to the end of the unit so that the
bit is also sending with original data. resulting data unit become exactly divisible by a
From the block of parity we can check the second, predetermined binary number.
redundancy

LRC of n bits can easily CRC is more powerful than

detect
Burst error of n bits. VRC and LRC in detecting
errors.
A longitudinal redundancy check (LRC) is an CRC is based on binary division.
error-
detection method based on binary addition

6. List classes of IP addressing with their IP address range. . { 2 marks }

Ans:
An IP address is an address used to uniquely identify a device on an IP
network.
Classes and range:
o Class A- 1.0.0.1 to 126.255.255.254
o Class B - 128.1.0.1 to 191.255.255.254
o Class C - 192.0.1.1 to 223.255.254.254
o Class D- 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255
o Class E - 240.0.0.0 to 254.255.255.254

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 7. Differentiate between synchronous and asynchronous communication.(Any
four points) { 4 marks }
Ans:

Synchronous communication Asynchronous communication

In Synchronous Transmission, data is sent In Asynchronous Transmission, data is

in form of blocks or frames. sent in form of byte or character.

Sender and Receiver use the same clock Does not need clock signal
signal between the sender and the
receiver
It is more efficient and more reliable than In this transmission start bits and stop
asynchronous transmission to bits are added with data.
transfer the large amount of data.

Synchronous transmission is fast. Asynchronous transmission is

slow.
In Synchronous transmission, time interval In asynchronous transmission, time
of transmission is constant. interval of transmission is
not constant, it is random.

8. Draw and explain fiber optic cable. { 4 marks }

Ans:

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Fiber optic cable:
 A fiber-optic cable is made up of glass or plastic.
 It transmits signals in the form of light.
 The outer jacket is made up of PVC or Teflon.
 Kevlar strands are placed inside the jacket to strengthen the cable.
 Below the Kevlar strands, there is another plastic coating which acts as
a cushion.
 The fiber is at the center of the cable, and it consists of cladding and glass
core.
 The density of the cladding is less than that of the core.
 Optical fibers use the principle of ‘reflection’ to pass light through a channel

9. State the functions of any two layers of OSI Model { 4 marks }

Ans:
The functions of the physical layer are :
1. Bit synchronization: The physical layer provides the synchronization of the
bits by providing a clock. This clock controls both sender and receiver thus
providing synchronization at bit level.

2. Bit rate control: The Physical layer also defines the transmission rate i.e. the
number of bits sent per second.

3. Physical topologies: Physical layer specifies the way in which the different,
devices/nodes are arranged in a network i.e. bus, star or mesh topology.

4. Transmission mode: Physical layer also defines the way in which the data
flows between the two connected devices. The various transmission modes
possible are: Simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex.

Functions of data link layer:

 Framing: Data-link layer takes packets from Network Layer and
encapsulates them into Frames. Then, it sends each frame bit-by-bit on the

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 hardware. At receiver’ end, data link layer picks up signals from hardware
and assembles them into frames.

 Addressing: Data-link layer provides layer-2 hardware addressing

mechanism. Hardware address is assumed to be unique on the link. It is
encoded into hardware at the time of manufacturing.

 Synchronization: When data frames are sent on the link, both machines
must be synchronized in order to transfer to take place.

 Error Control: Sometimes signals may have encountered problem in

transition and the bits are flipped. These errors are detected and attempted
to recover actual data bits. It also provides error reporting mechanism to
the sender.

 Flow Control: Stations on same link may have different speed or capacity.
Data-link layer ensures flow control that enables both machines to
exchange data on same speed.

 Multi-Access: When host on the shared link tries to transfer the data, it has
a high probability of collision. Data-link layer provides mechanism such as
CSMA/CD to equip capability of accessing a shared media among
multiple Systems.

Functions of the Network layer are as follows:

 It is responsible for routing packets from the source host to the destination
host. The routes can be based upon static tables that are rarely changed, or
they can be automatically updated depending upon network conditions.

 The data link layer assigns the physical address locally. When the data
packets are routed to remote locations, a logical addressing scheme is
required to differentiate between the source system and the destination
system. This is provided by the network layer.

 This layer also provides mechanisms for congestion control.

 The network layer tackles issues like transmission delays, transmission

time, avoidance of jitters, etc.

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 10. State the two advantages and disadvantages of unguided media { 4 marks }

Ans:
Advantages:
 Use for long distance communication.

 High speed data transmission.

 Many receiver stations can receive signals from same sender station
Disadvantages :
 .Radio waves travel through Lowest portion of atmosphere which can have
lot of noise and interfering signals
 Radio wave communication through unguided media is an insecure
communication.
 Radio wave propagation is susceptible to weather effects like rain, thunder
and storm etc.

11. Draw and explain block diagram of communication system. { 4 marks }

Ans:

Considering the communication between two computers , the communication

system is as shown in above diagram

It has following five components:

1. Message
2. Sender
3. Medium
4. Receiver
5. Protocol

Message:

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  Message is the information or data which is to be sent from sender to the
receiver
 A message can be in the form of sound, text, picture, video or
combination of them(multimedia)

Sender:
 Sender is device such as host, camera, workstation, telephone etc. which
sends the message over medium
Medium:
 The message originated from sender needs a path over which it can travel to
the receiver. Such path is called as medium or channel

Receiver:
 It is the device which receives the message and reproduces it. A receiver
can be host, camera, workstation, telephone etc.
Protocol:
 A protocol is defined as set of rules agreed by sender and receiver. Protocol
governs the exchange of data in true sense.

12. Describe different connecting devices used in computer network.{ 4 mark }

Ans:
Network Connecting devices are:
1. Repeater

2. Hub

3. Switch

4. Bridge

5. Router

6. Gateway

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7. Modem

Repeater:
o It is used to take the distorted, weak and corrupt input signal and
regenerate this signal at its output.
o It ensures that the signals are not distorted or weak before it reaches
the destination.

o It recreates the bit pattern of the signal, and puts this regenerated signal
back on to the transmission mediumIt works in the physical layer with no
intelligent function.
Hub:
o It is also known as multiport repeater.
o It is normally used for connecting stations in a physical star topology.
o It is the broadcasting device.
o It sends packets to all nodes in the network.Switch: It is used to connect
multiple computers in which it can direct a transmission toits specific
destination. (Unicast the signals).
o It is a unicasting device.
o It avoids unnecessary network traffic.
o It operates in both the physical and the data link layer.
Bridge:
o It is a device which connects two or more segment of a network.
o A bridge filters data traffic at a network boundary.
o Bridges reduces the amount of traffic on a LAN by dividing it into two
segments.
o It inspects incoming traffic and decides whether to forward or discard it.
o It sends packets between two networks of same type.
o A bridge operates in both the physical and the data link layer.

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Gateway:
o It is a node in a computer network, a key stopping point for data on its way
to or from other networks.
o Gateway is protocol converter.

o Gateway enables communication between different network architecture

and environments.
o It works at all layers of OSI model.
Router:
o It is a device that helps in determining the best and shortest path out of
the available paths, for a particular transmission.
o Routers use logical and physical addressing to connect two or more
logically separate networks.
o Router read complex network address in packet and efficiently directs
packets from one network to another, reducing excessive traffic.
o It works at Physical, Data-Link and Network Layer of OSI model
o It Connect dissimilar networks.
Modem:
o Modem works as modulator as well as demodulator.
o t is the device used to converts digital signals generated by the computer
into analog signals which can be transmitted over a telephone or cable line
transforms incoming analog signals into their digital equivalents.
o A two way communication is established

13. Describe Multiplexing techniques { 4 marks }

Ans:
Multiplexing is a technique by which different analog and digital streams of
transmission can be simultaneously processed over a shared link.
Multiplexing divides the high capacity medium into low capacity logical
medium which is then shared by different streams. Communication is
possible over the air (radio frequency), using a physical media (cable), and
light (optical fiber). All mediums are capable of multiplexing. When
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multiple senders try to send over a single medium, a device called
Multiplexer divides the physical channel and allocates one to each. On the
other end of communication, a De-multiplexer receives data from a single
medium, identifies each, and sends to different receivers.

Different multiplexing techniques are

o Frequency Division multiplexing

o Time division multiplexing

Frequency Division Multiplexing: When the carrier is frequency, FDM is

used. FDM is an analog technology. FDM divides the spectrum or
carrier

bandwidth in logical channels and allocates one user to each channel. Each
user can use the channel frequency independently and has exclusive access
of it. All channels are divided in such a way that they do not overlap with
each other. Channels are separated by guard bands. Guard band is a
frequency which is not used by either channel.

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Time Division Multiplexing: TDM is applied primarily on digital signals
but can be applied on analog signals as well. In TDM the shared channel is
divided among its user by means of time slot. Each user can transmit data
within the provided time slot only. Digital signals are divided in frames,
equivalent to time slot i.e. frame of an optimal size which can be
transmitted in given time slot. TDM works in synchronized mode. Both
ends, i.e. Multiplexer and De- multiplexer are timely synchronized and both
switch to next channel simultaneously.

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When channel A transmits its frame at one end, the De-multiplexer provides
media to channel A on the other end. As soon as the channel A’s time slot
expires, this side switches to channel B. On the other end, the De-multiplexer

14. Compare IPV4 and IPV6 (any four point) .{ 4 mark }

Ans:
IPV4 IPv6
Source and destination addresses are 32 Source and destination addresses
bits (4 bytes) in length. are 128Bits (16 bytes) in length.

No. addresses are limited to number of Larger addressing area

bits (32 bits)
Uses broadcast addresses to send traffic There are no IPv6 broadcast
to all nodes on a subnet. addresses. Instead, multicast scoped
addresses aroused
Fragmentation is supported at Fragmentation is not supported at
Originating hosts and intermediate routers. It is only supported at the
routers. originating host
IP header includes a checksum IP header does not include a
checksum.

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IP header includes options All optional data is moved to
IPv6extension headers
IPv4 has classful addressing scheme, Classless addressing scheme.
includes classes like A,B,C,D and E.

Uses decimal dotted notation Uses hexadecimal notation

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