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Cambridge (CIE) O Level Your notes

Computer Science
Types & Methods of Data Transmission
Contents
Data Packets
Packet Switching
Data Transmission
Universal Serial Bus (USB)

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Data Packets
Your notes
Data Packets
What are packets?
Packets are small 'chunks' of data that make up a larger piece of data that has been broken down by
the TCP protocol so that it can be transmitted over the internet
TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol and is used for organising data transmission over
networks
Small 'chunks' of data are easier and quicker to route over the internet than big 'chunks' of data
Routing involves finding the most optimal path over a network
Data can include anything from text, images, audio, video, animations, etc, or any combination of these

What do packets contain?

A packet consists of:

Header Payload Trailer

Source IP address Actual data being transported Additional security information

(less common)

Destination IP address End of packet notification

Packet number
(1 of 5 etc.)

To transmit the message “This is a message :)”over the internet, TCP might break the message down
into 4 packets

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Your notes

Each packet contains a:

source IP address
destination IP address
payload (the data)
a packet number
Error checks make sure that when a packet is received there is minimal or no corruption of the data
Corruption is where packet data is changed or lost in some way, or data is gained that originally was not
in the packet
Read error detection methods for more detail on how data packets can be checked to ensure
corruption is avoided/minimised

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Packet Switching
Your notes
Packet Switching
What is packet switching?
Packet switching is a method of sending and receiving data (packets) across a network
Packet switching can be broken down into five stages:

Stage Overview Detail

1 Data is broken down into Learn more by reading our data packets revision note
packets

2 Packets are assigned a

header

3 Each packet makes its way Like normal car traffic, data traffic builds up on the internet
to the destination
Routers can see this and decide to send a packet down a
different route that avoids traffic

4 Routers control the routes Routers know which nearby router is closer to the
taken for each packet destination device

5 Packets arrive and are If a packet does not reach its destination the receiver can
reordered correctly send a resend request to the sender to resend the packet

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What are the advantages of packet switching?

Interference and corruption are minimal as individual packets can be resent if they are lost or Your notes
damaged
The whole file doesn’t need to be resent if a corruption occurs, this saves time and internet bandwidth
Packet switching is quicker than sending a large packet as each packet finds the quickest way around
the network
It's harder to hack an individual's data as each packet contains minimal data, and travels through the
network separately

Worked Example
A local market shop wishes to arrange a delivery of goods from a supplier. Anna, the shop owner,
decides to send an email to request the delivery of the goods at a certain date and time.
Describe how packet switching is used to send this email and how it can be protected from
corruption.
[8]
Answer
The business email is first broken down into packets which are given a source address (where it's
come from) and a destination address (where it's going to) [1]
Each packet receives a packet number so that the email can be reassembled when it reaches its
destination [1]
Each packet also receives an error check such as a parity bit. A parity bit checks whether any
bits have been flipped due to corruption [1]
Each packet is sent over the internet via routers. Routers contain routing tables that determine
the next closest router to the destination [1]
Packets may take different routes depending on internet traffic and arrive at their destination in
any order [1]
Packets are checked for errors using the error checks and missing packets can be requested to
be resent [1]
Once all packets have been received then they can be put together in order using the packet
numbers [1]
Once assembled the original email can be read by the other business [1]

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Examiner Tips and Tricks

For high marks make sure your answer is coherent, that is it follows logically from one point to the Your notes
next.
Some marks depend on previous points you have made.
Explaining parity bits without mentioning error checking first may not gain you additional marks

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Data Transmission
Your notes
What is data transmission?
Data transmission is the process of transferring data from one device to another using a wired or
wireless connection
Wired data transmission can be completed in two ways:
Serial
Parallel

Serial & Parallel Transmission

What is serial & parallel transmission?
Serial and parallel are methods of transmitting data (bits) from a sender to a receiver
Each method determines how many bits can be transmitted at once

Serial transmission
A stream of bits is sent in sequence, one after the other
USB is an example of a wired serial connection

Parallel transmission
A stream of bits is sent in sequence, one after the other across multiple wires at the same time
Transmission is asynchronous, data does not always arrive at the same time
A skew can be caused by data arriving out of order in asynchronous transmission
A traditional printer cable is an example of a wired parallel connection

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Your notes

Advantages and disadvantages of serial & parallel

transmission
Transmission Advantages Disadvantages

Serial Reliable over longer distance Slow transmission speed

Cheaper to setup
Low interference

Parallel Very fast transmission speed Only used on short distances

Prone to high interference

Simplex, Half-Duplex & Full-Duplex Transmission

What is simplex, half-duplex & full-duplex transmission?
Simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex control the direction in which data is transmitted between a
sender and receiver

Simplex transmission
Data travels in only one direction
Sending data from a computer to a monitor is an example of simplex transmission

Half-duplex transmission
Data can travel in both directions, but not simultaneously (bi-directional)
A printer cable which waits for the data to be received before sending back a ‘low ink’ message is an
example of half-duplex transmission

Full-duplex transmission

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Data can travel in both directions at the same time (bi-directional)

Network cables can send and receive data at the same time and are examples of full-duplex data Your notes
transmission
Full-duplex is used in local and wide area networks

Advantages and disadvantages of simplex, half-duplex &

full-duplex transmission
Transmission Advantages Disadvantages

Simplex Cheap as only one wire is used Slow

Expensive for bi-directional
transmission (multiple wires)

Half-duplex Cheaper than simplex for bidirectional Slow

transmission (fewer wires)

Full-duplex Fast as data can travel in both directions Expensive

simultaneously

Wires can be combinations of serial, parallel, simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex

Simplex Half-duplex Full-duplex

Serial Serial-Simplex Serial-Half-duplex Serial-Full-duplex

Parallel Parallel-Simplex Parallel-Half-duplex Parallel-Full-duplex

Serial-Simplex
Data is transmitted one bit at a time in a single direction on one wire
Serial-Half-duplex
Data can be transmitted in both directions on a single wire but only one bit at a time can be
transmitted in one direction at a time
Serial-Full-duplex
Data can be transmitted in both directions at the same time on a single wire one bit at a time

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Parallel-Simplex
Multiple wires transmit one bit at a time in one direction Your notes
Parallel-Half-duplex
Multiple wires send multiple bits of data in both directions but only one direction at a time
Parallel-Full-duplex
Multiple wires send multiple bits of data in both directions at the same time

Worked Example
A company has a website that is stored on a web server
The company uses parallel half-duplex data transmission to transmit the data for the new videos to
the web server.

Explain why parallel half-duplex data transmission is the most appropriate method.
[6]
Answer
Parallel would allow for the fastest transmission [1]
as large amounts of data [1]
can be uploaded and downloaded [1]
but this does not have to be at the same time [1]
Data is not required to travel a long distance [1]
Therefore, skewing is not a problem [1]

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Any four of these points qualifies as a full answer, however make sure your answer is cohesive.
Saying “Parallel would allow for the fastest transmission but this does not have to be at the same
time” would qualify as one mark as only the first part makes sense and follows logically

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Universal Serial Bus (USB)

Your notes
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
What is USB?
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a widely used standard for transmitting data between devices
It is a serial communication method, and it operates asynchronously
Many devices use USB such as:
Keyboards
Mice
Video cameras
Printers
Portable media players
Mobile phone
Disk drives
Network adapters
Different USB connector types exist for different devices
The letters refer to the physical shape and design of the USB connector:
USB-A - Commonly used for flash drives, mice, keyboards, external HDD
USB-B - Found in printers, scanners, and older external storage devices
USB-C - Latest standard, known for it's small size, transfer speeds, and it's ability to carry power
The term USB can also be followed by numbers (USB 2.0, 3.0, 4 etc.)
The numbers refer to the generation of USB technology, which determines the speed and
performance:
USB 1.1 - 12 Mbps (very slow)
USB 2.0 - 480 Mbps (very common but slower compared to modern versions)
USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 - 5 Gbps to 20 Gbps (much faster, used for external HDDs and gaming devices)
USB4/ USB4 2.0 - Up to 80 Gbps (the latest and fastest, used for high speed data transfer)

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When a device is connected to a USB port the computer:

Automatically detects that the device has been connected Your notes
Looks for the correct driver:
If the driver is already installed, the appropriate device driver is loaded so that the device can
communicate with the computer
If the device is new, the computer will look for a compatible device driver
If one cannot be found, the user must download and install an appropriate driver manually

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Advantages and disadvantages of USB

Your notes
Advantages Disadvantages

Devices are automatically detected and drivers are The maximum cable length is roughly 5
automatically loaded for communication metres meaning it cannot be used over
long distances, limiting its use

Cable connectors fit in only one way. Older versions of USB have limited
transmission rates for example USB 2.0
This prevents incorrect connections and ensures has 480Mbps
compatible data transmission

As USB usage is standardised, there is a lot of support Very old USB standards may not be
available online and from retailers supported in the near future (USB 1.1, USB
2.0, etc)

Several different data transmission rates are supported.

The newest transmission rate as of 2022 is USB4 2.0 with
80 Gbps (81,920 Mbps, 170x faster than USB 2.0)

Newer USB standards are backwards compatible with

older USB standards

Worked Example
Julia uses a USB connection to transfer data onto her USB flash memory drive.
One benefit of using a USB connection is that it is a universal connection.
(i) State two other benefits of using a USB connection.
[2]
(ii) Identify the type of data transmission used in a USB connection.
[1]
Answers
(i) Any two of:

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It cannot be inserted incorrectly [1]

Supports different transmission speeds [1]
High speed transmission [1] Your notes
Automatically detected [1]
Powers the device for data transfer [1]
(ii)
Serial [1]

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