Chapter 1 Questions and Problems

1.7.2 Questions
Q1-1. Identify the five components of a data communications system.

The five components of a data communication system are the sender, receiver, transmission medium, message, and
protocol.

Q1-2. What are the three criteria necessary for an effective and efficient network?

The three criteria are performance, reliability, and security

Q1-3. What are the advantages of a multipoint connection over a point-to-point one?

Advantages of a multipoint over a point-to-point connection is ease of installation and low cost.

Q1-4. What are the two types of line configuration?

The two types of line configuration are point-to-point and multipoint.

Q1-5. Categorize the four basic topologies in terms of line configuration.

The four basic topologies in terms of line configuration are

Point-to-point: mesh, star, and ring.

Multipoint: bus

Q1-6. What is the difference between half-duplex and full-duplex transmission modes?

In half-duplex transmission, only one entity can send at a time; in a full-duplex

transmission, both entities can send at the same time.

Q1-7. Name the four basic network topologies, and cite an advantage of each type.
The four basic network topologies and their advantages are
a. Mesh: secure
b. Bus: easy installation
c. Star: robust
d. Ring: easy fault isolation

Q1-8. For n devices in a network, what is the number of cable links required for a mesh, ring, bus, and star topology?

The number of cables for each type of network is:

a. Mesh: n (n – 1) / 2
b. Star: n
c. Ring: n – 1
d. Bus: one backbone and n drop lines

Q1-9. What are some of the factors that determine whether a communication system is, a LAN or WAN?

The general factors are size, distances (covered by the network), structure, and
ownership.

Q1-10. What is an internet? What is the Internet?

An internet is an interconnection of networks. The Internet is the name of a specific worldwide network.

Q1-11. Why are protocols needed?

A protocol defines what is communicated, in what way and when. This provides
accurate and timely transfer of information between different devices on a network.

Q1-12. In a LAN with a link-layer switch (Figure 1.8b), Host 1 wants to send a message to Host 3. Since communication is
through the link-layer switch, does the switch need to have an address? Explain.
No, the link-layer switch in a LAN does not need to have an address. The switch does not require an address of its own. Its
functionality is based on the MAC addresses of the devices connected to it and the MAC address table it maintains.

Q1-13. How many point-to-point WANs are needed to connect n LANs if each LAN should be able to directly communicate
with any other LAN?

Chapter 1 Questions and Problems 1

 To connect n LANs in such a way that each LAN can directly communicate with any other LAN, (n-1) point-to-point WAN
connections are needed. This is known as a full-mesh topology. Therefore,(n x (n-1)) / 2 amount of point-to-point WANs are
needed.

Q1-14. When we use local telephones to talk to a friend, are we using a circuit-switched network or a packet-switched
network?
When we use local telephones to talk to a friend, we are using a circuit-switched network.

Q1-15. When a resident uses a dial-up or DLS service to connect to the Internet, what is the role of the telephone
company?

The telephone company's role includes providing the physical infrastructure and maintaining the connection between the
resident's premises and the ISP's network.

1.7.3 Problems
P1-1. What is the maximum number of characters or symbols that can be represented by Unicode?

Unicode uses 32 bits to represent a symbol or a character. We can define 232 different symbols or characters.

P1-2. A color image uses 16 bits to represent a pixel. What is the maximum number of different colors that can be
represented?

With 16 bits, we can represent up to 216 different colors.

P1-3. Assume six devices are arranged in a mesh topology. How many cables are needed? How many ports are needed for
each device?

Cable links: n (n – 1) / 2 = (6 × 5) / 2 = 15
Number of ports: (n – 1) = 5 ports needed per device

P1-4. For each of the following four networks, discuss the consequences if a connection fails. a. Five devices arranged in a
mesh topology b. Five devices arranged in a star topology (not counting the hub) c. Five devices arranged
in a bus topology d. Five devices arranged in a ring topology

a. Mesh topology: If one connection fails, the other connections will still be working.
b. Star topology: The other devices will still be able to send data through the hub;
there will be no access to the device which has the failed connection to the hub.
c. Bus Topology: All transmission stops if the failure is in the bus. If the drop-line
fails, only the corresponding device cannot operate.
d. Ring Topology: The failed connection may disable the whole network unless it
is a dual ring or there is a by-pass mechanism.

P1-5. We have two computers connected by an Ethernet hub at home. Is this a LAN or a WAN? Explain the reason.
LAN

P1-6. In the ring topology in Figure 1.7, what happens if one of the stations is unplugged?

In a ring topology, unplugging one station, interrupts the ring.

P1-7. In the bus topology in Figure 1.6, what happens if one of the stations is unplugged?

In a bus topology, unplugging one station, interrupts the bus.

P1-8. Performance is inversely related to delay. When we use the Internet, which of the following applications are more
sensitive to delay? a. Sending an e-mail b. Copying a file c. Surfing the Internet

a. E-mail is not an interactive application. Even if it is delivered immediately, it

may stay in the mail-box of the receiver for a while. It is not sensitive to delay.
b. We normally do not expect a file to be copied immediately. It is not very sensitive to delay.
c. Surfing the Internet is the an application very sensitive to delay. We except to
get access to the site we are searching.

P1-9. When a party makes a local telephone call to another party, is this a point-to-point or multipoint connection? Explain
the answer.

The communication is only between a caller and the callee. A dedicated line is established between them. The connection
is point-to-point.

Chapter 1 Questions and Problems 2

 P1-10.Compare the telephone network and the Internet. What are the similarities? What are the differences?

The telephone network was originally designed for voice communication;

the Internet was originally designed for data communication.

The two networks are similar in the fact that both are made of interconnections of small networks.

The telephone network is mostly a circuit-switched network;

the Internet is mostly a packet-switched network.

Chapter 1 Questions and Problems 3