CS 3251

Computer Networking
Section A
Ashutosh Dhekne ([email protected])
School of Computer Science
Spring 2024
How do you get Internet at your home?

DSL

Home
5G Internet Cable

FTTH
 How do you get Internet at your home?

DSL
Being Phased out

Home
5G Internet Cable

15%
>50%

FTTH
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/
~20%
2022/07/how-do-americans-connect-to-the-internet
Access networks: digital subscriber line (DSL)
central office telephone
network

DSL splitter
modem DSLAM

voice, data transmitted ISP

at different frequencies over DSL access
dedicated line to central office multiplexer

 use existing telephone line to central office DSLAM

• data over DSL phone line goes to Internet
• voice over DSL phone line goes to telephone net
 24-52 Mbps dedicated downstream transmission rate
 3.5-16 Mbps dedicated upstream transmission rate
Introduction: 1-4
What does a modem do?
How is it different from a router?

Modem
Analog Signals as understood by Analog Signals as understood by
the telephone company the computer

Every company can Every computer can

have their own protocols have its own protocol
What does a modem do?
How is it different from a router?

Modem
Analog Signals as understood by Analog Signals as understood by
the telephone company the computer

• Modems are physical layer devices

• They convert between different analog signal formats
• Modems cannot interpret data
• They cannot send data to more than one computer
• They do not create an internal network – the computer is
on the telco’s network in this configuration
What does a modem do?
How is it different from a router?

Modem Router
Analog Signals as
understood by the
telephone Analog Signals
company as understood
by the
computer
What does a modem do?
How is it different from a router?

Modem Router
Analog Signals as
understood by the
telephone Analog Signals
company as understood
by the
computer

• Routers are IP Layer devices

• They can connect to and direct traffic properly to >1 computers
• They create an internal network so computers can
communicate with each other without the Internet
Access networks: cable-based access
cable headend

cable splitter
modem

C
O
V V V V V V N
I I I I I I D D T
D D D D D D A A R
E E E E E E T T O
O O O O O O A A L

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Channels

frequency division multiplexing (FDM): different channels transmitted in

different frequency bands
Introduction: 1-9
Access networks: cable-based access
cable headend

cable splitter cable modem

modem CMTS termination system
data, TV transmitted at different
frequencies over shared cable ISP
distribution network

 HFC: hybrid fiber coax

• asymmetric: up to 40 Mbps – 1.2 Gbps downstream transmission rate, 30-100 Mbps
upstream transmission rate
 network of cable, fiber attaches homes to ISP router
• homes share access network to cable headend
Introduction: 1-10
Access networks: home networks
Wireless and wired
devices

to/from headend or
central office
often combined
in single box

cable or DSL modem

WiFi wireless access router, firewall, NAT

point (54, 450 Mbps)
wired Ethernet (1 Gbps)
Introduction: 1-11
Wireless access networks
Shared wireless access network connects end system to router
 via base station aka “access point”

Wireless local area networks Wide-area cellular access networks

(WLANs)  provided by mobile, cellular network
 typically within or around operator (10’s km)
building (~100 ft)  10’s Mbps
 802.11b/g/n (WiFi): 11, 54, 450  4G cellular networks (5G coming)
Mbps transmission rate

to Internet
to Internet
Introduction: 1-12
Access networks: enterprise networks

Enterprise link to
ISP (Internet)
institutional router
Ethernet institutional mail,
switch web servers
1Kbps = 1thousand bits per second
1Mbps = 1 million bits per second
1Gbps = 1 billion bits per second
 companies, universities, etc.
 mix of wired, wireless link technologies, connecting a mix of switches
and routers (we’ll cover differences shortly)
 Ethernet: wired access at 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps
 WiFi: wireless access points at 11, 54, 450 Mbps
Introduction: 1-13
 Access networks: data center networks
mobile network
 high-bandwidth links (10s to 100s Gbps) national or global ISP
connect hundreds to thousands of
servers together, and to Internet

local or
regional ISP

home network content

provider
network datacenter
network

Courtesy: Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing enterprise

Center (mghpcc.org) network

Introduction: 1-14
Host: sends packets of data
host sending function:
 takes application message
 breaks into smaller chunks, known two packets,
as packets, of length L bits L bits each
 transmits packet into access
network at transmission rate R 2 1

• link transmission rate, aka link host

capacity, aka link bandwidth R: link transmission rate

packet time needed to L (bits)

transmission = transmit L-bit =
delay packet into link R (bits/sec)
Introduction: 1-15
But what exactly is transmission rate?
• The full answer to this question is very complicated (entire course on
physical layer communications will be needed).

• But here is an easy way to remember:

Simple
A clean channel looks like this Threshold
separates bits
1 1 1

Bits
0 0 0 0

Clock
But what exactly is transmission rate?
• The full answer to this question is very complicated (entire course on
physical layer communications will be needed).

• But here is an easy way to remember:

Difficult to tell 0
from 1. Need
A noisy channel looks like this more
time/voltage
1 1 1

Bits
0 0 0 0

Clock
But what exactly is transmission rate? Difficult to tell 0
from 1. Need
A noisy channel looks like this more
time/voltage
1 1 1

Bits
0 0 0 0

Clock

The more time each bit consumes, the slower is the link rate, and
the longer is the transmission time
Links: physical media
 bit: propagates between Twisted pair (TP)
transmitter/receiver pairs  two insulated copper wires
 physical link: what lies • Category 5: 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps Ethernet
between transmitter & • Category 6: 10Gbps Ethernet
receiver
 guided media:
• signals propagate in solid
media: copper, fiber, coax
 unguided media:
• signals propagate freely,
e.g., radio
Introduction: 1-19
Links: physical media
Coaxial cable: Fiber optic cable:
 two concentric copper conductors  glass fiber carrying light pulses, each
pulse a bit
 bidirectional  high-speed operation:
 broadband: • high-speed point-to-point
• multiple frequency channels on cable transmission (10’s-100’s Gbps)
• 100’s Mbps per channel  low error rate:
• repeaters spaced far apart
• immune to electromagnetic noise

Introduction: 1-20
Links: physical media
Wireless radio Radio link types:
 signal carried in various  Wireless LAN (WiFi)
“bands” in electromagnetic • 10-100’s Mbps; 10’s of meters
spectrum  wide-area (e.g., 4G cellular)
 no physical “wire” • 10’s Mbps over ~10 Km
 broadcast, “half-duplex” (sender  Bluetooth: cable replacement
to receiver) • short distances, limited rates
 propagation environment  terrestrial microwave
effects: • point-to-point; 45 Mbps channels
• reflection  satellite
• obstruction by objects • up to 45 Mbps per channel
• Interference/noise • 270 msec end-end delay
Introduction: 1-21
Chapter 1: roadmap
• What is the Internet?
• What is a protocol?
• Network edge: hosts, access
network, physical media
• Network core: packet/circuit
switching, internet structure
• Performance: loss, delay, throughput
• Security
• Protocol layers, service models
• History
Introduction: 1-22
The network core
mobile network
• mesh of interconnected routers
national or global ISP
• packet-switching: hosts break
application-layer messages into packets
• network forwards packets from one
router to the next, across links on local or
regional ISP
path from source to destination
home network content
provider
network datacenter
network

enterprise
network

Introduction: 1-23
We stopped here on Jan 11th