NETWORK PROTOCOLS

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DATA COMMUNICATIONS
• Data Communication
Exchange of Data between two nodes via any transmission medium.

• Data Transmission
Direction of flow of information between two communication devices.
1. Simplex - Communication is unidirectional. One node will transmit and
another one will receive. Example - Keyboard to Computer, Radio
Broadcasting and Remote to Television.
2. Half Duplex - Communication can be in both direction, but not at the same
time. If one device is sending, the other can only receive and vice-versa.
Example - Walkie - Talkie
3. Duplex or Full Duplex - Communication is in both direction simultaneously.
Nodes can send and receive data at the same time. Example - Telephone,
Mobile phone
NETWORK PROTOCOLS

Rules Establishment
Protocols account for the following requirements:
1) An identified sender and receiver.
2) A common language and grammar.
3) Speed and timing of delivery.
4) Confirmation or acknowledgement requirements.

Protocols

It is the set of rules that governs data communication. It determines

1. What is communicated
2. How is it communicated
3. When it is communicated
KEY ELEMENTS OF PROTOCOLS:

1. Syntax: Syntax refers to the structure and format of the data being
communicated. It defines the "rules" for how data is formatted, encoded, and
transmitted across the network. This includes:
•Data format: The arrangement of data in a specific order, such as headers, footers,
and main body.

•Encoding: The method of representing the data (e.g., binary, ASCII, hexadecimal).

•Signal: The way data is represented as signals on the transmission medium (e.g.,
electrical pulses, light pulses).

In essence, syntax ensures that data is correctly formatted and adheres to the rules
specified by the protocol.
2. Semantics: Semantics refers to the meaning and interpretation of the data
being communicated. It defines the "rules" for how the communicated data is
understood and acted upon by the network devices. This includes:

•Commands and Responses: The actions that should be taken based on the
received data (e.g., retrieving a webpage, storing data).

•Error handling: How errors are detected and corrected (e.g., retransmissions,
acknowledgments).

•Protocol behavior: The expected behavior of devices when specific types of

data are received.
Example: HTTP (Web Browsing)

•Request a Web Page: When your browser sends a request for a webpage, the web
server knows it should respond by sending back the requested page.
•Error Handling: If the page doesn't exist, the server sends back an error message
(e.g., "404 Not Found").

Example: Email

•Send an Email: When you send an email, your email server forwards it to the
recipient's server.
•Receive an Email: When your email server receives an email, it places it in your
inbox.
•Error Handling: If the recipient's email address doesn't exist, the server sends
back a "bounce" message indicating the delivery failure.
3. Timing: The term timing refers to two characteristics: when data should be
sent and how fast they can be sent and received.

For example, if a sender produces data at 100 Mbps but the receiver can process
data at only 1 Mbps, the transmission will overload the receiver and some data
will be lost.
STEPS OF COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Message Encoding
- The first step to sending a message is encoding.
- Encoding is the process of converting information into another acceptable form for
transmission.
- Decoding reverses this process in order to interpret this information.
- Message is encoded into a pattern of signals or waves depending on the network
media it will be transmitted.
- The destination host receives and decodes the signals in order to interpret the
message.
Message Formatting and Encapsulation
- Both sender and receiver must agreed to a format.
- Each computer message is encapsulated into a specific format called a frame.
-A frame acts as an envelope, it provides the address of the destination, address of
the host and the message.

Message Size
-Messages sent over a network are broken into smaller pieces to allow it to be more
easily understood.
- Big messages are break into smaller messages.
- The message will be sent in separate frames with each frame having its own
addressing information.
- At the destination host the message is reconstructed into the original message.
Message Timing
- There are 3 rules of engagement for message timing:

1) Access Method = When two people talk at the same time you get a collision of
information, making it hard for either to understand and they must start again.
In networking terms host need to know when to start sending messages and
how to respond when an error occurs.

2) Flow Control = Is how much information can be sent and the speed it can be
delivered. For networking source and destination hosts use flow control methods to
negotiate correct timing for successful communication.

3) Response Timeout = Hosts on a network have rules that specify how long to
wait for a response and what action to take is a response timeout occurs.
When a packet is sent the receiver has to send an acknowledgement to the sender. When a sender doesn’t receive any acknowledgement it waits
for a certain period of time (i.e. response timeout as sender cannot wait forever for the acknowledgement), it’s the responsibility of network
protocols to set a response time out and also what actions the sender should do when such scenario occurs.