NET-256-002

Computer Network
Foundations
Lecture 1 : Overview of the Internet,
client/server paradigm, circuit switching,
packet
switching.

Lecture 1
Lecture 1: Introduction

Our goal: Overview:

 what’s the Internet?
 get “feel” and  what’s a protocol?
terminology
 network edge; hosts, access
 more depth, detail
later in course net, physical media
 approach:  network core: packet/circuit
use Internet as switching, Internet structure
example
 protocol layers, service
models
The Internet as we know it …

 Enormous network of computers

 E-mail

 Mailing List

 Bulletin boards

 Web pages

 Intranets

 Distribution of information, software, etc

What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts”
view
PC  millions of connected Mobile network
server computing devices: Global ISP
wireless hosts = end systems
laptop
cellular running network Home network
handheld
apps Regional ISP
 communication
access links
points  fiber, copper, Institutional network
wired
links radio, satellite
 transmission
rate =
 routers: forward
router bandwidth
packets (chunks of
data)
What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts”
view
 protocols control sending, Mobile network
receiving of msgs Global ISP
e.g., TCP, IP, HTTP, Skype,
Ethernet
Home network
 Internet: “network of
Regional ISP
networks”
loosely hierarchical
Institutional network
public Internet versus
private intranet
 Internet standards
RFC: Request for comments
IETF: Internet Engineering
Task Force
What’s the Internet: a service view

 communication
infrastructure enables
distributed applications:
Web, VoIP, email, games,
e-commerce, file sharing
 communication services
provided to apps:
reliable data delivery
from source to
destination
“best effort” (unreliable)
data delivery
What is a Network?

A network consists of 2 or more

computers connected together, and they
can communicate and share resources
(e.g. information)

7
 Why Networking?

• Sharing information — i.e. data

communication

• Do you prefer these?

• Or this?
• Sharing hardware or software

• E.g. print document

• Centralize administration and support

• E.g. Internet-based, so everyone can access the same
administrative or support application from their PCs

9
How many kinds of
Networks?

• Depending on one’s perspective, we

can classify networks in different
ways
• Based on transmission media: Wired (UTP,
coaxial cables, fiber-optic cables) and
Wireless
• Based on network size: LAN and WAN (and
MAN)
• Based on management method: Peer-to-
peer and Client/Server
• Based on topology (connectivity): Bus,
Star, Ring
LAN and WAN
• Local Area Network (LAN)
• Small network, short distance
• A room, a floor, a building
• Limited by no. of computers and
distance covered
• Usually one kind of technology
throughout the LAN
• Serve a department within an
organization
• Examples:
• Network inside the Student Computer
Room
• Network inside your home
• Wide Area Network (WAN)
• A network that uses long-range
telecommunication links to connect 2 or
more LANs/computers housed in different
places far apart.
• Towns, states, countries
• Examples: Your home
• Network of our Campus
• Internet

WAN USA

Student
Computer
12
Centre
• Example of WAN: Broadband Cable
Network
• Cable TV services have been extensively
developed in most modern cities
• Cable TV companies try to make use of their
coaxial cable installed (that are supposed to
carry TV signals) to deliver broadband data
services
• Many cable network wiring has been
replaced with hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) ― i.e.
use of fiber-optic cable to connect to the
subscribers’ buildings, and then the original
coaxial cable to connect to each household
13
 The connection is shared by a
number of subscribers, hence
PC may raise performance and
security problems
TV

Fiber-o
ptic cab
le
Cable
Drop
Coaxial Cable company
Cable
Peer-to-Peer Networks
• Peer-to-peer network is also called
workgroup
• No hierarchy among computers  all
are equal
• No administrator responsible for the
network

Peer-to-peer
• Advantages of peer-to-peer networks:
• Low cost
• Simple to configure
• User has full accessibility of the computer
• Disadvantages of peer-to-peer
networks:
• May have duplication in resources
• Difficult to uphold security policy
• Difficult to handle uneven loading
• Where peer-to-peer network is
appropriate:
• 10 or less users
• No specialized services required
• Security is not an issue
• Only limited growth in the foreseeable
future
Clients and Servers
• Network Clients (Workstation)
• Computers that request network resources
or services
• Network Servers
• Computers that manage and provide
network resources and services to clients
• Usually have more processing power,
memory and hard disk space than clients
• Run Network Operating System that can
manage not only data, but also users,
groups, security, and applications on the
network
• Servers often have a more stringent
requirement on its performance and
• Advantages of client/server networks
• Facilitate resource sharing – centrally
administrate and control
• Facilitate system backup and improve
fault tolerance
• Enhance security – only administrator can
have access to Server
• Support more users – difficult to achieve
with peer-to-peer networks

• Disadvantages of client/server
networks
• High cost for Servers
• Need expert to configure the network
• Introduce a single point of failure to the
system
Topology ― 3 basic types
• How so many computers are connected
together?
Bus Topology
Ring Topology

Star Topology

Hub
• Bus Topology
• Simple and low-cost
• A single cable called a trunk (backbone,
segment)
• Only one computer can send messages at
a time
• Passive topology - computer only listen
for, not regenerate data
• Star Topology
• Each computer has a cable connected to a
single point
• More cabling, hence higher cost
• All signals transmission through the hub; if
down, entire network down
• Depending on the intelligence of hub, two
or more computers may send message at
the same time
 How to construct a network with Bus / Star
Topology?

Bus Topology

Coaxial
cable

Star Topology
BNC T-Connector

21
Network Card
• Ring Topology
• Every computer serves as
a repeater to boost signals
• Typical way to send data: Ack T T
T
• Token passing
T dat T dat
• only the computer who a a
gets the token can send
T
data T
T Ack
• Disadvantages T Ack
dat
a
• Difficult to add computers T
• More expensive T Ack
• If one computer fails, whole network
fails
22
What’s a protocol?
human protocols: network protocols:
 “what’s the time?”  machines rather than
 “I have a question” humans
 introductions  all communication
activity in Internet
governed by protocols
… specific msgs sent
… specific actions protocols define format,
taken when msgs order of msgs sent and
received among
received, or other
network entities, and
events actions taken on msg
transmission, receipt
What’s a protocol?
a human protocol and a computer network protocol:

Hi
TCP connection
request
Hi
TCP connection
Got the response
time? Get http://www.awl.com/kurose-ross
2:00
<file>
time

Q: Other human protocols?

Access networks and physical
media
Q: How to connect end
systems to edge
router?
 residential access nets
 institutional access
networks (school,
company)
 mobile access networks

Keep in mind:
 bandwidth (bits per
second) of access
network
Dial-up Modem
central
office
telephone
network Internet

home ISP
home
dial-up modem
PC
modem (e.g., AOL)

 Uses existing telephony infrastructure

 Home is connected to central office
 up to 56Kbps direct access to router
(often less)
 Can’t surf and phone at same time: not
“always on”
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

Internet
home Dedicated Physical Line
phone

DSLAM

telephone
splitter network

DSL
modem central
office
home
PC

 Also uses existing telephone infrastructure

 dedicated physical line to telephone central office
Cable Network Architecture: Overview

Typically 500 to 5,000 homes

cable headend

home
cable distribution
network (simplified)
Cable Network Architecture: Overview

server(s)

cable headend
home
cable distribution
network
Cable Network Architecture: Overview

cable headend
cable distribution
home
network (simplified)
Cable Network Architecture: Overview
FDM (more shortly):
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

cable headend

home
cable distribution
network
Ethernet Internet
access
100 Mbps Institutional
router
Ethernet To Institution’s
switch ISP

100 Mbps

1 Gbps
100 Mbps

server

 Typically used in companies, universities, etc

 10 Mbs, 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps Ethernet
 Today, end systems typically connect into
Ethernet switch
Wireless access networks
 shared wireless access
network connects end system
to router router
 wireless LANs:
base
802.11b/g (WiFi): 11 or 54 Mbps
station
 wider-area wireless access
provided by telco operator
~1Mbps over cellular system
next up (?): WiMAX (10’s Mbps) mobile
over wide area hosts
Home networks
Typical home network components:
 DSL or cable modem
 router/firewall/NAT
 Ethernet
 wireless access
point wireless
to/from laptops
cable router/
cable
modem firewall
headend
wireless
access
Ethernet point

Introduction
The Network Core

 the fundamental
question: how is data
transferred through net?
circuit switching:
dedicated circuit per
call: telephone net
packet-switching:
data sent thru net in
discrete “chunks”
Network Core: Circuit
Switching
End-end resources
reserved for “call”
 link bandwidth, switch
capacity
 dedicated resources: no
sharing
 circuit-like (guaranteed)
performance
 call setup required
Network Core: Circuit
Switching
network resources  dividing link
(e.g., bandwidth) bandwidth into
“pieces”
divided into  frequency division
“pieces”  time division
 pieces allocated to calls
 resource piece idle if
not used by owning call
(no sharing)
Circuit Switching: FDM and TDM
FDM Example:
4 users

frequency

time
TDM

frequency

time
Network Core: Packet
Switching
each end-end data stream resource contention:
divided into packets  aggregate resource
demand can exceed
 user A, B packets share
amount available
network resources  congestion: packets
 each packet uses full link queue, wait for link
bandwidth use
 store and forward:
 resources used as needed
packets move one
hop at a time
 Node receives complete
packet before forwarding
 Internet structure: network of
networks
 roughly hierarchical
 at center: “tier-1” ISPs (e.g., Verizon, Sprint, AT&T,
Cable and Wireless), national/international coverage
treat each other as equals

Tier-1
providers
Tier 1 ISP
interconnec
t (peer)
privately
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP
 Internet structure: network of
networks
 “Tier-2” ISPs: smaller (often regional) ISPs
Connect to one or more tier-1 ISPs, possibly other tier-2 ISPs

Tier-2 ISPs
also peer
Tier-2 ISP pays Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP privately with
tier-1 ISP for
each other.
connectivity to Tier 1 ISP
rest of Internet
 tier-2 ISP is
customer of
tier-1 provider
Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Tier-2 ISP

Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP

 Internet structure: network of
networks
 “Tier-3” ISPs and local ISPs
last hop (“access”) network (closest to end systems)

local
ISP Tier 3 local
local local
ISP ISP
ISP ISP
Local and Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP
tier- 3 ISPs
are Tier 1 ISP
customers of
higher tier
ISPs
connecting
them to rest Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Tier-2 ISP
of Internet local
Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP
ISP
local local local
ISP ISP ISP
 Internet structure: network of
networks
 a packet passes through many networks!

local
ISP Tier 3 local
local local
ISP ISP
ISP ISP
Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP

Tier 1 ISP

Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Tier-2 ISP

local
Tier-2 ISP Tier-2 ISP
ISP
local local local
ISP ISP ISP
Protocol “Layers”
Networks are complex!
 many “pieces”:
hosts
routers
links of various
media
applications
protocols
hardware,
software
1-44
Organization of air travel

ticket (purchase) ticket (complain)

baggage (check) baggage (claim)

gates (load) gates (unload)

runway takeoff runway landing

airplane routing airplane routing

airplane routing

 a series of steps
Layering of airline
functionality

ticket (purchase) ticket (complain) ticket

baggage (check) baggage (claim baggage

gates (load) gates (unload) gate

runway (takeoff) runway (land) takeoff/landing

airplane routing airplane routing airplane routing airplane routing airplane routing

departure intermediate air-traffic arrival

airport control centers airport

Layers: each layer implements a service

via its own internal-layer actions
relying on services provided by layer below
Why layering?
Dealing with complex systems:
 explicit structure allows identification,
relationship of complex system’s pieces
layered reference model for discussion
 modularization eases maintenance, updating of
system
change of implementation of layer’s service
transparent to rest of system
e.g., change in gate procedure doesn’t affect
rest of system
Internet protocol
stack
 application: supporting network
applications
FTP, SMTP, HTTP application
 transport: process-process data
transfer transport
TCP, UDP
network
 network: routing of datagrams
from source to destination link
IP, routing protocols
physical
 link: data transfer between
neighboring network elements
PPP, Ethernet
 physical: bits “on the wire”
ISO/OSI reference model
 presentation: allow applications to
interpret meaning of data, e.g., application
encryption, compression, presentatio
machine-specific conventions n
 session: synchronization, session
checkpointing, recovery of data transport
exchange network
 Internet stack “missing” these link
layers! physical
these services, if needed, must
be implemented in application
needed?
 source
message M applicatio
Encapsulation
segment Ht M n
datagram Hn Ht M transport
frame Hl Hn Ht M network
link
physical link
physical
switch

destination Hn H t M network
M applicatio H l Hn H t M link Hn H t M
Ht M n physical
Hn H t M transport
M router
H l Hn H t network
link
physical
Introduction:
Summary
Covered a “ton” of material! You now have:
 Internet overview  context, overview,
 what’s a protocol? “feel” of networking
 more depth, detail to
 network edge, core,
follow!
access network
packet-switching
versus circuit-switching
Internet structure
 layering, service models