Lecture 1 - Introduction
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Networks
Lecture 1
Introduction
17 Jan 2025
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this class, you should:
• Know the basic terms, including host, packet, protocol, throughput, store-and-
forward, and autonomous system.
• Know about the logical (the five layers) and physical architecture (as a network
of ASes) of the Internet.
• Know the pros and cons of packet switching and circuit switching.
• Know the different components of end-to-end delay and their relations to
bandwidth, packet size, distance, propagation speed, and queue size.
The Actual Title
of this Course
I Reincarnated Back to the 17th Century
with My Fiancé in a Long-Distance Relationship
A love story
of how two lovers, Alice
Bob
Separated by long-distance,
Send their love letters to each other
Yes, Alice and Bob
• Direct connection
• Use existing telephone network
Understand by Analogy
Computer Network vs Postal Service
• Both work across the globe
• Seamless Abstraction
• Over different mediums
Lecture 1: Roadmap
1.1 What is the Internet?
1.2 Network Edge
- hosts, access networks, links Chapter 1
1.3 Network Core
- packet switching, circuit switching, network structure
1.4 Delay, Loss and Throughput in Networks
1.5 Protocol Layers and Service Models
Why the Internet?
• US Department of Defense
- Maintain communication during a nuclear war
- Reliable redundancy
• APRANET
- One of many early networks
• Why the Internet?
• What is the Internet?
World
Internet ≠ Wide Web
Just one of the many services
that runs over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a network of
connected computing devices
In other words
• It is infrastructure that connects hosts/end systems
together
- Allows hosts to communicate with each other
• Network edge
- End hosts, servers, etc. Host
Host Host
• Network core
- ISPs, Routers, etc. Host
Network
Core
Host
Host
Host
Network Edge
• Why the Internet?
• What is the Internet?
• How the Internet is organised?
Lecture 1: Roadmap
1.1 What is the Internet?
1.2 Network Edge
- hosts, access networks, links
1.3 Network Core
- packet switching, circuit switching, network structure
1.4 Delay, Loss and Throughput in Networks
1.5 Protocol Layers and Service Models
Hosts/End Systems
Hosts run network
applications
Examples
• Web: browsers web servers
• WoW: clients game servers
• VoIP: IP phones PBX servers
• BitTorrent: peers trackers
• BitCoin: miners exchange
Applications communicate
using protocols
Protocols define the:
1. format and order of messages exchanged among
network entities, and
2. actions taken upon receiving or sending the
messages
Some Examples
Some Examples
institutional
network
Home Networks
Ethernet
to/from headend or
central office
often combined
in single box
modem
wireless access point router
Enterprise Access Networks
Institutional router
to Internet to Internet
Physical Media
• Hosts connect to the access network over different physical
media (cable).
- Guided media:
• signals propagate in solid media, e.g. fiber
- Unguided media:
• signals propagate freely, e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular
L bits
per packet
2 1
source destination
R bps R bps
routing algorithm
source
Which is more efficient?
Circuit Switching Packet Switching
• Setup/teardown required • No setup/teardown
• Resources are reserved required
• Service is guaranteed • Resources shared on
demand
• Best effort service
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
access
net
access
net
access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net
Connecting the Internet
• Connect each access ISP to a Global ISP
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
global
access
net
ISP access
net
access
net
access
net
access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net
Connecting the Internet
• If one Global ISP is a viable business, there will be
competitors
- which must be connected
access access
Internet exchange point
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
IXP access
net
net
ISP A
access ISP C
net
access
net
access
net
peering link
access
net
access access
net access net
net
Connecting the Internet
• Regional networks may arise as middlemen to connect access net to
ISPs
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
IXP access
net
net
ISP A
access
ISP C
net
access
net
access
net regional net
access
net
access access
net access net
net
Connecting the Internet
• Content providers like Google or Akamai might even run their own
network
- to bring services content closer to users
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
IXP access
net
net
ISP A
Content provider
access
network
IXP access
net ISP B net
access
ISP C
net
access
net
access
net regional net
access
net
access access
net access net
net
The Internet is a network of
networks
Network of Networks
• Hosts connect to Internet via access ISPs (Internet Service Providers)
- Residential, company and university ISPs
• Access ISPs in turn must be interconnected.
• Resulting network of networks is very complex
- Evolution was driven by economics and national policies
• Therefore, the Internet is a “network-of-networks”, organized into
autonomous systems (AS), each is owned by an organization.
Internet structure
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google
B
packets queueing (delay)
free (available) buffers: arriving packets
dropped (loss) if no free buffers
buffer
(waiting area) packet being transmitted
A
B
packet arriving to
full buffer is lost
Four Sources of Packet Delay
3) transmission
A 4) propagation
B
1) nodal
processing 2) queueing
B
1) nodal
processing 2) queueing
B
1) nodal
processing 2) queueing
1) Processing:
Check bucket
2) Queueing:
Wait for turn
3) Transmission: Time taken to
pour into pipe
4) Propagation: Time taken to
travel across pipe
End-to-end Packet Delay
• End-to-end packet delay is the time taken for a
packet to travel from source to destination. It
consists of:
- transmission delay
- propagation delay
- processing delay
- queueing delay
3 probes 3 probes
3 probes
Throughput
• Throughput: how many bits can be transmitted per
unit time.
- Throughput is measured for end-to-end communication.
- Link capacity (bandwidth) is meant for a specific link.
Internet
Internet: A Service View
• The Internet supports various kinds of
network applications:
- Web, VoIP, email, games, e-commerce, social
nets, …
Hi TCP connection
request
Hi TCP connection
response
Got the
time? Get http://www.awl.com/kurose-ross
time
2:00
<file>
Transport
Network
Link
Physical
Applications treat the Internet as
Application a black box