Computer Networks

CS-406

Dr. Salman Afsar

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 What is Data Communication
• Data Communication is a process of transferring
data electronically from one place to another.
• Data can be transferred by using different
medium
• The basic elements of DC are
1. Sender
2. Medium
3. Reciever

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 What is Data Communication
1. Sender: The sender is the device that
sends the information.
I. It is also called Source.
II. Normally computer is used as sender in DC
Systems
2. Medium: The medium is the physical
path that connects sender and
receiver
I. Medium can be a copper wire, a fiber optic
cable, airwaves etc.
II. It is also called communication channel.

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 What is Data Communication
3. Receiver: The receiver is the device that
accepts the information
I. It is also called Sink.
II. Receiver can be a computer, Printer, or
computer related device.
III. The receiver must be capable of accepting
the information

Source Sink

Micro-Comp Message Micro-Comp

(Sender) (Receiver)

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 Types of Data Transmission
Analog and Digital Signals
• Analog network uses continuous voltage
varying as a function of time
Example: voice over telephone lines

• Transmission of data in continuous wave form

• Analog signal is measured in volts and its
frequency in Hertz
• Sound waves are an other example of analog
signals

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• Digital network
• Transfer of data in the form of Digital Signal is
called digital data Transmission
• directly transmits two discrete states
– Note: 0 for pulse oFF and 1 for pulse ON

• Digital Signals are faster and more efficient

• They provide low error rate.

• Provide high Transmission Speed and high quality

voice transmission.

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 Analog and Digital Signals

• Modem
– Device needed when transmitting data over
analog lines
– Converts data from digital to analog to be
sent over analog telephone lines
– Also reconverts data back to digital after data
transmission
– Abbreviation for modulator/demodulator

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Page 99
 Analog and Digital
Signals

Analog and Digital Signals

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Figure 4.1 Use of Modem in Analog Network
 Analog and Digital
Signals
Speed of Transmission

Bandwidth –

• difference between highest and lowest frequencies

(cycles per second) that can be transmitted on a
single medium

• common measure of a medium’s capacity

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Page 100
 Analog and Digital
Signals
Speed of Transmission

• Hertz – cycles per second

• Baud – number of signals sent per second
• Bits per second (bps) – number of bits sent per
second

When each cycle sends one signal that transmits exactly one

Not ee:bit of data (often the case), then the three terms are identical

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Page 100
 KEY ELEMENTS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
NETWORKING
Types of Transmission Lines
• Switched line system
– Example: public telephone system
– Uses switching centers to route signals
along best possible path to destination
• Private (dedicated) lines
– Leased from companies such as MCI, Sprint,
AT&T
– Use direct physical lines between source
and destination
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Page 115
 KEY ELEMENTS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
NETWORKING
Types of Transmission Lines

• Simplex – data travels in one direction only

• Half-duplex – data can travel in both
directions, but only one direction at a time
• Full-duplex – data travels in both
directions at the same time

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Page 101
 KEY ELEMENTS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
NETWORKING
Transmission Media

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Page 101
 Transmission Media
• Two main categories:
– Guided ― wires, cables
– Unguided ― wireless transmission, e.g.
radio, microwave, infrared, sound, sonar
• We will concentrate on guided media
here:
– Twisted-Pair cables:
 Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) cables
 Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) cables
– Coaxial cables
– Fiber-optic cables
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 Twisted-Pair Cables
• If the pair of wires are not twisted,
electromagnetic noises from, e.g., motors, will
affect the closer wire more than the further one,
thereby causing errors

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Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP)
• Typically wrapped inside a plastic cover (for mechanical
protection)
• A sample UTP cable with 5 unshielded twisted pairs of wires

Insulator Metal
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Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP)
• STP cables are similar to UTP cables, except
there is a metal foil or braided-metal-mesh
cover that encases each pair of insulated
wires

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Categories of UTP Cables
EIA classifies UTP cables according to the
quality:
• Category 1 ― the lowest quality, only good
for voice, mainly found in very old buildings,
not recommended now

• Category 2 ― good for voice and low data

rates (up to 4Mbps for low-speed token ring
networks)

• Category 3 ― at least 3 twists per foot, for up

to 10 Mbps (common in phone networks in
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residential buildings)
Category 4 ― up to 16 Mbps (mainly for
token rings)

• Category 5 (or 5e) ― up to 100 Mbps

(common for networks targeted for high-
speed data communications)

• Category 6 ― more twists than Cat 5, up to

1 Gbps

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Coaxial Cables
• In general, coaxial cables, or coax, carry
signals of higher freq (100KHz–500MHz)
than UTP cables
• Outer metallic wrapping serves both as a
shield against noise and as the second
conductor that completes the circuit

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 Coaxial Cable
• Hosts on an RG58 network require a network card with an RG58
adapter.

• To add the host to the network, the cable section must have an RG58
connector on both ends with a “T” piece fitted between them.

• Both ends of the segment should be terminated using a a piece of

equipment known as a terminator.

• A terminator stops signals on the

network echoing back when they
reach the end of the segment.

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Fiber-Optic Cables

• Transmits data as pulses of light through tiny tubes of

glass
•Consists of very narrow Strand of glass called Core
•Strands are thin like human hair
•CORE is the center of fiber where light travels
•There is concentric layer of glass around core called
CLADDING.
CLADDING: Cladding reflects the light back in to the core
• The diameter of the typical core is 62.5 microns
•One micron is equal to 10-6 meters
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Fiber-Optic Cables

• The diameter of cladding is typically 125 meters

• Cladding has a protective coating of plastic called Jacket

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 Micron
• A metric unit of length equal to one million
of a meter
• A micron (micrometer) is measurement
used to express the diameter of a wool
fiber.
– Lower microns are the fine fiber

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 Fiber-Optic Cables
• Light travels at 3108 ms-1 in free space and
is the fastest possible speed in the Universe
• Light slows down in denser media, e.g. glass
• Refraction occurs at interface, with light
bending away from the normal when it enters
a less dense medium

• Beyond the critical angle  total

internal reflection 25
• Refraction: is the characteristic of a
material to either pass or reflect light.

• Refraction is the change in direction of a

wave due to a change in its speed.

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 Unbounded/Wireless
Transmission Media
What is wireless transmission media?
 Used when inconvenient, impractical, or impossible to
install cables
 Includes Bluetooth and IrDA

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Next
 Wireless Transmission
Media
What are broadcast radio and cellular radio?

– Broadcast radio
distributes radio
signals over long
and short
distances
– Cellular radio
is form of
broadcast radio
used for mobile
communications
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Next
 Wireless Transmission
Media
What is a microwave station?
– Earth-based
reflective
dish used for
microwave
communications

– Must transmit in
straight line with
no obstructions

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Next
 Wireless Transmission Media
What is a communications satellite?
– Space station
that receives
microwave
signals from
earth-based
station,
amplifies
signals, and
broadcasts
signals back to
any number of
earth-based
stations 30
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