DATA COMMUNICATION AND

COMPUTER NETWORKS

LECTURE 7
 Data
Communications
■ Definition: The exchange of data between two devices through
some form of transmission medium such as wire or cable
■ For this to happen, communicating devices must be part of a
communication system consisting of hardware (physical equipment)
and software (programs)
■ When we communicate, we are sharing/exchanging information.
■ Sharing can be local or remote. Local communication usually occurs
face to face, while remote communication takes place over distance
 Data Communications
The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four
fundamental characteristics;
■ Delivery: Reliability of data delivery
■ Accuracy: Was the data sent the one that was received?
■ Timeliness: Was data delivered in its intended time?
■ Jitter: Have the electronic devices and other communication
media not altered the data?
 Components of Data
Commn.
Rule 1 Message Rule 1
Rule 2 Rule 2
Rule n Rule n

Medium
Sender Receiver

■ Message: The information (data) to be communicated. Popular

forms of information include text, numbers, pictures, audio, and video
■ Sender: The device (host) that sends the message. Can be a
computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, etc.
Components of Data Commn

■ Receiver: The device (host) that receives the message. Can be a

computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, etc.
■ Transmission medium: The physical path by which a message travels
from sender to receiver. Exs. of transmission media include twisted-pair
wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio waves.
■ Protocol: A set of rules that govern data communications. It represents
an agreement between the communicating devices. Without a protocol,
two devices may be connected but not communicating, e.g, a person
speaking only Swahili may not be understood by one who speaks only
Chinese
 Data Flow / Connectivity
The direction in which data flows between any two devices can be
described as;
- Simplex: Data flows in only one direction e.g., in a traditional
keyboard, mouse, etc
- Half-duplex: Data flows in both directions but in only one direction
at a time e.g., in a walkie-talkie/radio calls, etc
- Full-duplex (duplex): Data flows in both directions simultaneously
e.g., telephone network
Data Flow / Connectivity
Common terms used in data communication

■ Band width
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that a transmission
medium can carry at any one time. It is the rate of data
transfer, bit rate or throughput, measured in bits per second
(bps)
 Baseband Transmission
■ A signaling technology that sends digital signals over a single
frequency as discrete electrical pulses. The entire bandwidth of a
baseband system carries only one data signal and is generally less
than the amount of bandwidth available on a broadband transmission
system.
■ Baseband transmission technologies do not use modulation, but they
can use time-division multiplexing (TDM) to accommodate multiple
channels over a single baseband transmission line.
■ Common local area network (LAN) networking technologies such as
Ethernet use baseband transmission technology.
Broadband Transmission
■ A signaling technology that sends signals simultaneously over a range
of different frequencies as electromagnetic waves. The bandwidth of a
broadband system can usually carry multiple, simultaneous data
signals.
■ Broadband transmission is typically used for environments in which
video, audio, and data need to be transmitted simultaneously. Cable
television systems are based on broadband transmission
technologies.
FYI

The Process of converting analog data to analog signal is called

Modulation
Modulation is the process of varying some characteristic of a periodic
wave with an external signal called carrier signal.
 Computer Networks
Definition: A network consists of two or more computers that are
linked in order to share resources (such as printers and CDs), exchange
files, or allow electronic communications.
The computers on a network may be linked through cables, telephone
lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams
Types of Network
Connections
■ Communicating devices can connect in different ways using a
communications link
■ A link is a communications pathway that transfers data between
devices
■ Communicating nodes must be connected to same link at same time

Network connections are categorized as;

■ Point-to-point connections
■ Multipoint connections
 Point-to-point
connections
■ Definition: A connection that provides a dedicated link between
two devices. The entire capacity of the link is reserved for
transmission between those two devices.
 Multipoint
connections
■ Definition: A multipoint connection is one in which more than two
specific devices share a single link.
■ In a multipoint environment, the capacity of the channel is shared,
either spatially or temporally.
■ If several devices can use the link simultaneously, it is a spatially
shared connection.
■ If users must take turns. it is a timeshared connection.
 Multipoint
connections
Types of computer networks

■ Local Area Network (LAN):

A LAN connect groups of computers and low-voltage devices together across
short distances (within a building or between a group of two or three
buildings in close proximity to each other) to share information and resources
A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN,
though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one
per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings.

■ Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

These types of networks are larger than LANs but smaller than WANs – and
incorporate elements from both types of networks. MANs span an entire
geographic area (typically a town or city, but sometimes a campus). Ownership
and maintenance is handled by either a single person or company (a local
council, a large company, etc.).
Types of computer networks
■ Wide Area Network (WAN):
A WAN typically consists of two or more LANSs. The computers are farther apart
and are linked by telephone lines, dedicated telephone lines, or radio waves.
The internet is the largest Wide Area Network (WAN) in existence.

■ Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network, or VPN, is an encrypted connection over the
Internet from a device to a network. The encrypted connection helps ensure
that sensitive data is safely transmitted. It prevents unauthorized people from
eavesdropping on the traffic and allows the user to conduct work remotely.
VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments
Advantages of networking
computers
■ Speed of sharing files is fast
■ Cost effectiveness in terms of maintenance and upgrading
■ Security is enforced with passwords
■ Resource sharing
■ Electronic mail aids in personal and professional communication
■ Flexible access of files from anywhere
Disadvantages of using a network

■ Cost in terms of hardware

■ Data security in cases of hacking
■ Great impact of Network failure
Types of network media
■ Computers and other telecommunication devices use
signals to represent data.
■ These signals are transmitted from device to device in the
form of electromagnetic energy, which is propagated
through transmission media
■ Network media therefore is the actual path over which an
electrical signal travels as it moves from one component to
another

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Guided and Unguided
Media
■ Transmission media can be divided into two broad
categories: guided and unguided. In both media,
communication is in the form of electromagnetic waves

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 Guided Media
■ Electromagnetic waves are guided along a solid medium, such as
copper twisted pair, copper coaxial cable, and optical fiber.
■ Signals traveling along these media are directed and contained by
the physical limits of the medium.
■ Twisted–pair and coaxial cable use copper metal conductors that
accept and transport signals in form of electric current.
■ Optical fiber is a glass cable that accepts and transports signals in
the form of light.

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 Twisted-Pair Cable
■ A twisted-pair cable consists of two
conductors (usually copper) twisted
together, each with its own plastic
insulation:
■ Least expensive and most widely used
■ Number of pairs are bundled together in
a cable
■ Twisting decreases the crosstalk
interference between adjacent pairs in
the cable, by using different twist length
for neighboring pairs

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 Coaxial Cable
■ Carries signals of higher frequency ranges than twisted-pair cable.
■ Coaxial cable has one central core conductor (usually copper)
enclosed in an insulating sheath
■ Sheath is encased in an outer conductor of metal foil or braid.
■ This outer metallic wrapping serves as both a shield against noise
and as the second conductor to complete the circuit.
■ Used to transmit both analog and digital signals
■ Has superior frequency characteristics compared to twisted pair

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Advantages of coaxial cables
■ Bandwidth is high (Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that
can be transferred over a transmission media)
■ Used in long distance telephone lines
■ Transmits digital signals at a very high rate
■ Much higher noise immunity
■ Data transmission without distortion

Disadvantages of coaxial cables

■ Single cable failure can fail the entire network
■ Difficult to install compared to twisted pair
■ Expensive to buy compared to twisted pair
 Fiber -Optic Cable
■ Fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and transmits
signals in the form of light.
■ The most commonly-used optical transmitters are
semiconductor devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
and laser diodes (electroluminescence).
■ The main component of an optical receiver is a photo-
detector, which converts light into electricity using the
photoelectric effect.

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Advantages of fiber optic cable
■ Higher band width
■ Less signal attenuation
■ Immunity to electromagnetic interference
■ Light in weight
■ Greater immunity to tapping

Disadvantages of fiber optic cables

■ Installation and maintenance is difficult
■ High cost
■ Unidirectional light propagation.
 Unguided Media:
Wireless
■ Unguided media transports electromagnetic waves without using a
physical conductor.
■ Signals are broadcast through air and are thus available to anyone who
has a device capable of receiving them.
■ Transmission and reception are achieved using an antenna
■ Transmitter sends out the EM signal into the medium
■ Receiver picks up the signal from the surrounding medium
■ EM radiation includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible
light, ultraviolet waves, X-rays, and gamma rays, (EM spectrum)

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THE END