Chapter 1:

Introduction to Data
Communication

1.1 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 CONTENTS

 Data Communications
 Computer Networks
 Network Types
 Protocols & Standards

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 1-1 DATA COMMUNICATIONS

The term telecommunication means communication at a

distance. Data communications are the exchange of data
between two devices via some form of transmission
medium such as a wire cable.

Topics discussed in this section:

Components and Effectiveness
Data Représentation
Data Flow

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 Data Communication
 Definition
 Data refers to facts, concepts and instructions
presented in whatever forms
 In the context of computer information systems,
data represented by binary units (bits) produced
in forms of 0s and 1s
 Data communication is the exchange of data (in
the forms of 0s and 1s) between two devices via
some forms of transmission medium

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 Components
 5 Component of Data Communication System
 Message – Information to be communicated=>text,

numbers, pictures, sound or video.

 Sender – device that sends the message-computer,

telephone, video camera and so on.

 Receiver – Device that receives the message – same as

sender
 Medium – Physical path by which a message travels-

twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber optic, laser or radio waves

 Protocol – A set of rules govern data communication –

represent an agreement between the communicating

devices

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 Figure 1.1 Five components of data communication

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 Data Communication

 Effectiveness of Data Communication System

 A. Delivery
 The system must deliver data to the correct

destination and received by the intended device

 B. Accuracy
 The system must deliver data accurately(cannot

be altered during transmission) without error

 C. Timeliness
 The system must deliver data in timely manner

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 Data Representation
 The word data refers to information presented in
whatever form is agreed upon by the parties creating
and using the data.
 Data representation:
 ACSII
 Unicode
 Extended ASCII
 ISO
 Types of data:
 Text
 Audio
 Numbers
 Video
 Image

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

1.9
 1-2 COMPUTER NETWORKS

A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes)

connected by communication links. A node can be a
computer, printer, or any other device capable of sending
and/or receiving data generated by other nodes on the
network.

Topics discussed in this section:

Network Criteria
Physical Structures
Network Topology

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 Network Criteria

 Performance
 Measure in many way including response and transit
time
 Depends on a number of users, types of transmission
medium, capability of hardware and software
 Reliability
 Accuracy of delivery: the time it take the link to
recover from a failure
 Security
 Security of data from: unauthorized access, viruses

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 Physical Structure

 Types of Connection
1. Point to point
 Two and only two device are connected by a
dedicated link
2.  Multipoint
 Three or more devices share a link

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 Figure 1.3 Types of connections: point-to-point and multipoint

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 Network
Topology
 Known as physical topology – the way in
which a network is laid out physically.

Figure 1.4 Categories of topology

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 Network
Topology
Mesh
 Every device has a dedicated point to point link to every
device
 Fully connected mesh has n(n-1)/2 physical channel to link n
devices

Advantages Disadvantages
 Eliminate traffic problem  Amount of cable increase
 Robust, one unusable, other
 Number of input output port
can be used
increase
 Privacy and security
 Wiring can be greater than
 Easy to reroute
space
 expensive

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 Figure 1.5 A fully connected mesh topology (five devices)

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 Network
Topology
Star
 Each point has a dedicated point to point only to a central
controller, called hub
 It does not allow direct traffic between devices
Advantage
 Less cabling-less expensive than mesh topology

 Easy to install and reconfigure

 To easy fault identification and fault isolation

Disadvantage
 More cabling required compared some other topologies

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 Figure 1.6 A star topology connecting four stations

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 Network
Topology
Bus
 One long cable act as backbone to link all devices in the
network
 Node are connected to the bus by drop lines and tap.

Advantages
 Easy to install

 Use less cable with one long backbone

Disadvantages
 Difficult to reconfigure

 Any tab to the backbone will degrade the quality of the

network
 Fault of the backbone will stop all transmission

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 Figure 1.7 A bus topology connecting three stations

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 Network
Topology
Ring
 Has a dedicate point to point only with two devices on
either side.
 Signal pass in along ring in one direction from device to
device until reach destination
 Each device act as repeater.

Advantage
 Easy to install and reconfigure

Disadvantage
 Unidirectional traffic can be disadvantage

 A break in a ring can disable entire network

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 Figure 1.8 A ring topology connecting five stations

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 Figure 1.9 A hybrid topology: a star backbone with three bus networks

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 1-3 NETWORKS TYPES

Types of network can be categorized based on

geographical area, the ownership and the type of
topology used.

Topics discussed in this section:

Local Area Network (LAN)
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Switching

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 Types of Networks

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 Types of Networks
 Local Area Network(LAN)
 Usually privately owned

 Within building, single office, plant and campus

 Limited to a few kilometers.

 Designed to allow resources to be shared between

personal computer or computer.

 Common LAN topologies – bus, star and ring

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 Figure 1.10 An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet

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 Figure 1.11 Multiples-building LAN

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 Types of Networks
 Metropolitan Area Network(MAN)
 Designed for customers who need a high-speed

connectivity.
 is a backbone network that connects local area

network in a metropolitan area such as city or town

and handles the bulk activity or traffic across region.
 Example: cable TV network

 Common MAN topology – ring

1.29
 Figure 1.12 Example of MAN

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 Categories of Networks

 Wide Area Network(WAN)

 a network that covers a large geographic area(such

as city, country or the world) using a communication

channel combines many types of media such as
telephone lines, cable and air waves
 An enterprise network

 Example: Internet

 Common WAN topology – ring

1.31
 Figure 1.13 Example of WAN

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 Categories of Networks

 Wide Area Network(WAN)

 a network that covers a large geographic area(such

as city, country or the world) using a communication

channel combines many types of media such as
telephone lines, cable and air waves
 An enterprise network

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 Figure 1.14 WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN

1.34
 1-4 PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDS

In this section, we define two widely used terms: protocols

and standards. First, we define protocol, which is
synonymous with rule. Then we discuss standards, which
are agreed-upon rules.

Topics discussed in this section:

Protocols
Standards
Standards Organizations

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 Protocols

 A set of rules that govern data communication

 It defines what is communicated, how it is

communicated and when it is communicated
 Element of protocols:
 Syntax

 Semantic

 Timing

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 Protocols
 Syntax
 The structure or format of data, eg the first eight bits to

be the address of sender, the second is the address of

the receiver and the remains are the message
 Semantics
 The meaning of each sections of bits, means how is a

particular pattern to be interpreted eg does an address

identify the route to be taken
 Timing
 Refers to two characteristics, when data should be sent

and how fast they can be sent

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 Standards
 Guidelines to manufactures, vendors, government
agencies and other service providers to ensure the
kind of interconnectivity necessary in today’s
marketplace and in international communications
 A model that makes possible for a product to work
regardless of the individual manufacturer.
 Data communications standards fall into 2 categories:
 De facto-standard have been legislated through

widespread use of people

 De jure-standard have been legislated by an

officially standard organizations

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 Standards Organization

 The International Standard Organization(ISO)

 An organization dedicated to worlwide agreement on
international standards in a variety of fields

 The International Telecommunications Union-

Telecommunication Standards (ITU-T)
 An international standards organization that develops
standards for telecommunication eg V-series

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 Standards Organization

 The American National Standards Institute(ANSI)

 A non-profit organization, US representative to both the
ISO and ITU-T

 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

(IEEE)
 The largest national professional group involved in
developing standards for computing, communication,
engineering and electronics

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 Standards Organization

 The Electronics Industries Association(EIA)

 An association of electronics manufacturers in US that
responsible for developing EIA standards

 The Federal Communication Commission

(FCC)
 Has authority to approve every piece of communication
technology

1.41
 SUMMARY

Discussed on:
 Concept of data communication: its components and
effectiveness, data representations & data flow.
 Networks: Criteria, physical structures and types of
network.
 Protocol, standards & standards organizations.

1.42
 Chapter 1:
Introduction to Data Communication

The End

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1.43 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.