Chapter I

Data Communication Basics

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 Lets Start!

➔ Communication?

➔ Data Communication?

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 Topics discussed in this section:
✓ Communication Basics
✓ Characteristics of Communication
✓ Communication Types
✓ Components of a data communications system
✓ Data Representation
✓ Modes of Data Transmission (Data Flow)
✓ Data Transmission formats
✓ Multiplexing
✓ Transmission Impairments
✓ Signal Encoding Techniques
✓ Data Transmission Error Detection and Correction

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 Communication Basics

✓ Communication is the process of sending and

receiving message (information).
✓ Data communication are the exchange of data
between two devices via some form of transmission
medium such as a wire cable / any other.
✓ Communication can be manual (local) or
Electromechanical (Remote)

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 Characteristics of Communication
➢ Delivery: data must delivered to the correct destination.
➢ Accuracy: The system must deliver the data accurately.
➢ Data which is altered and left uncorrected are
unusable.

➢ Timeliness: The system must deliver data in a timely

manner.
➢ Data delivered late are useless.

➢ Jitter: is uneven delay in the delivery of packets .

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 Communication Types

◼ Unicasting
◼ One-to-One communication

◼ Multicasting
◼ One-to-many communication

◼ Broadcasting
◼ One-to-All communication

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 Components of a data communication system

Figure 1.1 Components of a data communication system

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 Components…
✓ Source: generates data to be transmitted
✓ Transmitter: converts data into transmittable
signals
✓ Transmission System: carries data from
source to destination
✓ Receiver: converts received signal into data
✓ Destination: takes incoming data
✓ Message: the actual information
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 Data Representation
◼ Today information comes in different forms
such as:
◼ Text : is represented as bit pattern, (a sequence of bits)
◼ Different set of patterns
◼ Example: Unicode, ASCII
◼ Numbers: is also represented as bit pattern
◼ Image: is a collection of pixels, represented as bit
pattern
◼ Audio: Different from Text, Number, or Image.
◼ It is continuous not discrete
◼ Video: is a picture in motion
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 Modes of Data Transmission (Data Flow)

Figure 1.2 Data flow (simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex)

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 Data Transmission formats
Note
To be transmitted, data must be
transformed to electromagnetic signals.

• Signals can be analog or digital.

➢ Analog: Continuous value
➢ In analog signals, voltage varies continuously
➢ Digital: Discrete value
➢ In digital signals, voltage turns off and on repeatedly

1.11
 Figure 1.3 Comparison of analog and digital signals

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 Figure 1.4 Analog signal

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 Figure 1.5 Digital signal

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 Advantages & Disadvantages of Digital Signals

Digital Signal Analog Signal

◼ Can be easily compressed ◼ Best suited for audio and

video
◼ Can be encrypted ◼ Available anywhere
◼ Less susceptible to noise ◼ Example: Human Voice

◼ Equipment is more
common and less expensive

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 Figure 1.6 Types of Digital Data Transmission

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 Figure 1.7 Parallel transmission

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 Figure 1.8 Serial transmission

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 Figure 1.9 Asynchronous transmission

Note
In asynchronous transmission, we send 1
start bit (0) at the beginning and 1 or more
stop bits (1s) at the end of each byte. There
may be a gap between
each byte.
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 Note

In synchronous transmission, we send

bits one after another without start or
stop bits or gaps. It is the responsibility
of the receiver to group the bits. The bits
are usually sent as bytes and many
bytes are grouped in a frame. A frame is
identified with a start and an end byte.

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 Figure 1.10 Synchronous transmission

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 Transmission Impairments
✓ The imperfection in Signals transmission causes
signal impairment
✓ i.e. What is sent is not what is received.

Figure 1.12 Causes of impairment

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 Attenuation
✓ Means loss of energy -> weaker signal
✓ When a signal travels through a medium it loses
energy overcoming the resistance of the medium
✓ Amplifiers are used to compensate for this loss of
energy.
✓ To show the loss or gain of energy the unit “decibel”
is used. dB = 10log10P2/P1, where
P1 : input signal
P2 : output signal
1.23
 Figure 1.13 Attenuation

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 Distortion

✓ Means that the signal changes its form or

shape
✓ The different components arrive with different
delays at the receiver.
✓ That means that the signals have different
phases at the receiver than they did at the
source.
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 Figure 1.14 Distortion

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 Noise
➢ Is the insertion of additional signal between transmitter
and receiver
➢ There are different types of noise
✓ Thermal: random noise of electrons in the wire creates an
extra signal
✓ Induced: from motors and appliances, these devices act as a
transmitter antenna and medium act as receiving antenna.
✓ Crosstalk: same as Induced but between two wires.
✓ Impulse: Spikes that result from power lines, lightning, etc.

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 Figure 1.15 Noise

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2

Transmission Media
9

◼ Guided and Unguided media. When selecting which medium is suitable,

several factors should be kept in mind:
◼ Costs and installation effort,

◼ Transmission safety - susceptibility to tapping, interference

susceptibility, error probability, etc.

◼ Maximum data rate,

◼ Distances and topological position of the participants, etc.

3

Guided Media
0

◼ Twisted Pair Cable

◼ Unshielded twisted-pair cable (UTP)
◼ Shielded twisted-pair cable (STP)
◼ Coaxial cable
◼ Five Categories for twisted pair:
❖ Cat1 – traditional telephone cable
❖ Cat2 – data transmission up to 4Mbps
❖ Cat3 – data transmission up to 16Mbps
❖ Cat4 – data transmission up to 20Mbps
❖ Cat5 – data transmission up to 100Mbps
◼ Fiber Optic cable
3

UTP vs STP
1

◼ UTP
◼ Speed and throughput: 10 – 100 Mbps

◼ Average $ per node: Least Expensive

◼ Media and connector size: Small

◼ Maximum cable length: 100m (short)

◼ STP
▪ Speed and throughput: 10 – 100 Mbps
▪ Average $ per node: Moderately Expensive
▪ Media and connector size: Medium to Large
▪ Maximum cable length: 100m (short)
Coaxial Cable

❖ Speed and throughput: 10 – 100 Mbps

❖ Average $ per node: Inexpensive
❖ Media and connector size: Medium
❖ Maximum cable length: 500m (medium)
Fiber Optic Cable

• Average $ per node: Most Expensive

• Media and connector size: Small
• Single mode, maximum cable length: Up to 3000m
• Multimode mode, maximum cable length: Up to 2000m
• Single mode: One stream of laser-generated light
Summary
Type Shielded/unshielded- Coaxial Optical
twisted-pair cable fiber
(STP/UTP)
Design

Preparation, Very simple Simple Complex

installation

Installation Very good Good Good,

properties limited
bending
radius
Interference High, if not shielded Low Almost
susceptibility non-
existent
Unguided Media
◼ Wireless Communication
Networking connectivity devices
◼ Hubs The Cloud

◼ Simply a multi-
port repeater.
◼ Used to
connect
multiple
devices to the
same network
drop.
Networking connectivity devices
◼ Repeater
◼ Cleans up (regenerates) and repeats the signal.
◼ Used when a network’s cabling extends beyond its
capability.
Networking connectivity devices
◼ Bridge
◼ Connects two LAN segments.
◼ Keeps traffic local by filtering traffic based on
MAC Addresses.
 Networking connectivity devices
◼ Switches
◼ Connects multiple LAN segments.
◼ Can be called a multi-port bridge.

◼ Provides full bandwidth out each port.

The Cloud
Networking connectivity devices
◼ Router
◼ Can be used to connect different Layer 2
devices and different topologies.
◼ Makes decisions based on network addresses
(IP Addresses).
The Cloud
Physical & Logical Topologies

◼ Physical Topologies define the actual layout of

the wire (media).
◼ For example, this classroom’s wiring is laid out
in an extended star
◼ Logical Topologies define how the media is
accessed by the hosts.
◼ For example, in this classroom hosts access the
media on a first come, first served basis
Network Physical topology

Extended
Bus
Star

Ring Hierarchical

Star Mesh
Bus Topology
◼ Single backbone
◼ All hosts directly
connected to backbone
◼ Each end of the bus must
be properly terminated
Ring Topology
◼ No backbone
◼ A host is directly
connected to each of its
neighbors
◼ Used for token passing
logical topologies
Star Topology
◼ All devices connected to
a central point
◼ Center of star is usually a
hub or a switch
◼ Used for Ethernet
technologies
Extended Star Topology
◼ Connects individual star
topologies together.
◼ At the center of the star is
a hub or a switch.
◼ Extends the length and
size of the network.
◼ This is the topology we
are using in our lab!
Hierarchical Topology

Server ◼ Like the extended star

Server
except a computer
controls traffic—not a
hub or a switch.
Mesh Topology

◼ Each host has its own

connection to every other
host
◼ Used in situations where
communication must not
be interrupted.
Logical Topologies
◼ Broadcast Topology
◼ Each host on the LAN sends its data (or broadcasts its

data) to every other host.

◼ Access to media is based of “first-come, first-serve.”

(Ethernet works this way)

◼ Token Passing Topology
◼ Access to media is controlled by an electronic token.

◼ Possession of the token gives the host the right to pass

data to its destination.

Network protocols
◼ Protocol is a set of rules which governs how data is sent
from one point to another. In data communications, there
are widely accepted protocols for sending data. Both the
sender and receiver must use the same protocol when
communicating.
Network protocols
◼ Protocols control all aspects of data communication, which
include the following:
◼ How the physical network is built

◼ How computers connect to the network

◼ How the data is formatted for transmission

◼ How that data is sent

◼ How to deal with errors

Different organizations and committees.

◼ Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

◼ American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
◼ Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
◼ Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)
◼ International Telecommunications Union (ITU), formerly
known as the Comité Consultatif International
Téléphonique et Télégraphique (CCITT).
Type of Network
◼ Local-area networks (LAN)
◼ Operate with in limited geographic area

◼ Allow multi-access to high-bandwidth media

◼ Control the network privately under the local

administration
◼ Provide full time connectivity to local services

◼ Connect physically adjacent devices

Type of Network
◼ Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
◼ Operate over a large geographically separated areas
◼ Allow users to have real-time communication
capabilities with other users
◼ Provide full-time remote resources connected to local
services
◼ Provide e-mail, World Wide Web, file transfer, and e-
commerce services
Modem
◼ Modem stands for modulator demodulator. A modem changes
the digital signal to an analogue frequency, and sends this
tone across the analogue link. At the other end, another
modem receives the signal and converts it back to digital.
◼ Modulation: The process a modem uses to convert the digital
data into analogue tones which are sent over the dial up
connection.
◼ Demodulator: The process a modem uses to convert the
analogue tones into digital data which are sent over the dial up
connection.
Type of Network
◼ Metropolitan-Area Networks (MANs)
◼ A MAN is a network that spans a metropolitan area such
as a city or suburban area.
◼ A MAN usually consists of two or more LANs in a
common geographic area.
◼ Typically, a service provider is used to connect two or
more LAN sites using private communication lines or
optical services. A MAN can also be created using
wireless bridge technology by beaming signals across
public areas.
Network Architecture
◼ Client/server
◼ Servers are designed to
handle requests from many
clients simultaneously
Network Architecture
◼ Client/server
◼ The authentication service acts as a sentry to guard

access to the network. With the centralization of user

accounts, security, and access control, server-based
networks simplify the administration of large networks.
Network Architecture
◼ Peer-to-peer
◼ In a peer-to-peer network, networked computers act as

equal partners, or peers. As peers, each computer can

take on the client function or the server function.
◼ In a peer-to-peer network, individual users control their

own resources. The users may decide to share certain

files with other users.
Network Architecture
◼ Peer-to-peer
◼ Computer A functions as client, while B functions as the
server. At a later time, computers A and B can reverse
roles.
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Switching

◼ Two different switching techniques are

used by the network nowadays:
◼ circuit switching and
◼ packet switching.

The traditional telephone system is based on cir

cuit switching, but packet switching is beginning
to make inroads with the rise of voice over IP
technology.

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 Switching

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 Circuit switching vs packet switching

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