Chapter 5

Introduction to Telecommunications

Applications of Telecommunications
Business Telecommunications Telecommunications Architectures

OBrien 121

Centralized Distributed Client/server Interorganizational Global

Electronic communications system

Electronic mail Voice mail Bulletin Board systems Videotex Fascimile Public Information Service

Electronic meeting systems

Desktop Video conferencing Decision room conferencing Computer conferencing Teleconferencing

Business process systems

Online transaction processing Inquiry/Response EDI / XML Electronic Funds Transfer Activity monitoring Process control Telecommuting

Trends
Industry trends

OBrien 122 - 124

Towards a greater number of competitive vendors, carriers, alliances and telecommunications network services.

Technology trends Towards open and interconnected local and global digital networks for voice, data and video, using high-speed fiber-optics and satellites.

Application Trends Towards a pervasive use of the internet and enterprise and interorganizational intranets, to support collaborative computing, online business operations and strategic advantage in local and global markets.

Technological Developments
General trend: Connect everybody to everybody else. Internet-network technologies
thousands new hardware- and software products web-browsers, HTML- editors, firewalls

Open systems: based on standards

connectivity of systems: middleware OSI, TCP/IP

Digital technologies
higher transmission speed larger information streams more efficient transmission method less errors

text: OBrien : p. 168

Internet Revolution

Explosive growth Terminology

WWW: E-mail: Usenet: IRC: FTP: Telnet: Other: inquiry sources of information via graphical browser software electronic mail place messages on bulletin board real time dialogs file transfer login on other systems telephone, video conferencing, ...

text: OBrien : p. 172

Telecommunication model

OBrien 125

Terminals
terminal, office equipment , telephones , ...

Telecommunications processors
modems, multiplexers, front-end processors, ...

Telecommunications channels and media

copper wires, coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, satellites, ...

Computers
host computers, front-end computers, network servers, ...

Telecommunications control software

telecommunication monitors, network operating systems, ...

Middleware

Interactive usage
Interactive usage : - increases considerably the productivity - requires communication networks Required transmission capacity depends on the application and on the user interface : - administrative input <1000 char/sec

- CAD/CAM millions char/sec

Physical location often crucial factor to decide on the type of connection between the computer and the workstation Standardization is an absolute must in this respect

Telecommunication Components
5 components

OBrien 126

Telecom Channels and Media Telecommunications software Telecom processors End-user workstation

Telecom processors

Computers

LAN
PC-workstation PC-workstation PC-workstation

OBrien 127 - 128

Databases and Software packages

Shared hard disk Network Server Shared printer PC-workstation PC-workstation PC-workstation

Port to other networks

WAN - Internetwork
LANs
Mainframe, hosts

network in US network in Europe

LANs
Internet

Tymnet

network in Australia

Cisco corporation network

Client/server network
Company A
Router Firewall

Internet

Intranet
Firewall

Router

Company B

Intranet
Mainframe host system

text: OBrien p 178

Client - Server
Clients
comm. server

DB. server

Print server

CAD server

Clients

DB. server

O.A. server

comm. server

The Internetwork-enterprise
The Internet
Intranets Extranets

Enterprise

Intranets

Intranets

Client

Supplier

Intranets

Electronic Commerce
Other Organizations
text: OBrien p 180

Media and Channels

Signals
analog digital

Cables
Twisted-pair Coaxial cable Fiber-optic
1 fiber 30.000 phone calls 5.500 simultaneous phone calls

Medium Metal wire Microwave Fiber optics

interference 20x more expensive

Transmission speed .0012Mbps - 10 Mbps .256 Mbps - 100Mbps .5Mbps - 1,000Mbps

Wireless
microwave satellites

Radio, Infrared, Cellular Radio, Mobile computing GPS global positioning system
text: OBrien p183 - 186

Communication hardware

Modems 9.600 14.400 28.800 bps Transmission mode

Simplex Half-duplex
Full duplex 1 circuit , 1 direction 1 circuit, 2 directions, difficult co-ordination 2 circuits, 2 directions

Transmission accurateness
parity bits forward and backward error correction

Processors
multiplexers frequency, time or statistic time distribution front-end processors to handle routine communication tasks with peripheral equipment
text: OBrien p 187 - 189

Network Topology

Star
all communications go via the central system

Bus
can easily be extended at the ends

Ring
more secure

Star network
With direct connections

OBrien 147 - 148

Point-to-point lines

- Efficient , also for high speeds - With a large number of workstations cabling might be a problem

Star network (multiplexed)

Access via multiplexed lines eventually rented

- local speed up to 2000 char/sec , 1M char/sec very expensive - internationally 1000 char/sec commonly available

Bus network
Shared usage of a broadband network

Multidrop lines

- more complex hardware - simpler cabling system

OBrien 191

Ring Networks

OBrien 147

Ring Network

- more equal basis

Public data networks

PAD = Packet Assembler and Disassembler

Data Network

PAD E.g..: DCS 1000 - 6000 char/sec , cost / volume data ( X25 ) Due to high connection cost ($ 30.000 year) usage of PAD

ISDN

ISDN Integrated services Digital network

ISDN

- universal network for telephone and data - > 6000 char/sec

Open systems
Definition: An open system is a system where the design has not been made by a supplier but by an accredited standardization organization (eg:ISO , IEEE , ANSI , CODASYL , ... )

This provides the user a better independence from a specific hardware or software supplier and therefore a better guarantee for his investments. It allows the user to make always the most appropriate and optimal choice for each of the sub-systems . Open systems are not yet sufficiently available on the market. The best examples are UNIX and the OSI network model

The OSI model

Defined by ISO ( International Standard Organization ). OSI ( Open System Interconnect ) describes a framework to subdivide connection problems in networks into almost independent sub-problems .

e.g.:

president x

diplomatic rules common language

president y

interpreter x
cryptography operator

interpreter y
cryptography operator

common key
common channel physical link

The TCP/IP and the 7 layer OSI model

TCP/IP OSI
Application layer Communication services for end users

Application- or process layer

Presentation layer

Session layer

Correct formatting and coding Support for session initiation

Data transfers between nodes routing of connections Support for error-free data transfer

Host-to-host transport layer Internet-protocol IP network-interface Physical layer

Transport layer

Network layer
data link Physical layer

physical access to communication media

OBrien 193

OSI 7-Layer Model

7. Application (user application program) 6. Presentation (user interface / screen display )

OBrien 150

5. Session ( exchange between two nodes on the network )

4. Transport ( protocol for encoding messages )

3. Network ( mechanism for separating multiple messages ) 2. Link ( data encoding schemes ) 1. Physical ( wires, connectors , voltage )