Basic Computer Networking

5.2 This topic consists of Four sections namely:-

Section 1: Basic Data communication Concepts

Section 2: Communication Channels
Section 3: Network Topologies
Section 4: Types of Networks

5.2.1 Basic Data communication concepts

Computer-based communication refers to the movement of data and information generated by
computers from one location to another via various types of communication lines.
Computerbased communication systems often are called communication networks. The networks
allow users to collect data and information from and transmit these to powerful central
computers or terminals.

Figure 5.1: Basic Element of Communication

The objectives of communication networks are:
To offer more timely interchange of information and data among users.
To reduce the effort and cost required to collect and transmit business data and
information.
To support better performance of tasks and improved management control over an
organization especially with several remote locations.

Why Study Communications?

Information society dominated by computers and communications is in front of us. In this
society, the strategic resource is knowledge and information, and the value of that resource will
be increased by the movement through the information pathway. A communication network is
the pathway that allows information, data, and knowledge to be spread. Thus, the mainstream of
the information age is communication.

Communications involve many technologies. In addition, many new communication

technologies are being incorporated into the fabric of the information society as fast as people
can learn how to maintain and use the technologies. This may be the most important reason for
users to study communications.

Computer users who work in this society need to know technology incorporated into the
communication networks. Although they use only applications involved in the communication
networks, they still need to know how the communication networks work to improve their
performance by using networks more efficiently and effectively.

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5.2.1.1 Generic Forms of Networks

A network can be defined simply as an interconnection of multiple teleprocessing devices. Three

basic approaches to network processing exist in modern communications systems.
i. Timesharing
The earliest approach is known as timesharing. Timesharing occurs in networks in which
multiple users gain access to a single host computer from their individual terminals. An example
of timesharing is the use of a central computer at a nationwide company's headquarters by a
variety of sales professionals dispersed around the nation.

ii. Distributed Processing

The next approach gaining popularity in computer networking systems was the distributed
processing method. This type of system involves the interconnection of minicomputers and
microcomputers throughout a business organization. Various types of resources are shared by the
interconnected terminals, while the individual computers retain control over their own
processing.

iii. Client/Server Computing

The third approach to computer network processing, client/server computing, is currently
attracting the most interest among management information systems professionals. The
popularity of this approach is due to its ability to allow companies to selectively centralize and
decentralize certain key operations. Thus, users can view client/server computing as a cross
between the timesharing method (which emphasizes centralized computing) and distributed
processing (which emphasizes decentralized computing). In client/server computing, the various
applications available in the network are shared by several clients and one or more host
computers (or servers). Clients obtain access to the network by means of desktop computers. The
server, which can be a microcomputer, minicomputer, or mainframe, provides control for the
entire network.

5.2.1.2 Importance of Networking

Networking of computers provides a communication link between the users, and provides access
to information. Networking of computers has several uses, described as follows:

i. Resource Sharing — in an organization, resources such as printers, fax machines and

scanners are generally not required by each person at all times. Moreover, for small
organizations it may not be feasible to provide such resources to each individual. Such
resources can be made available to different users of the organization on the network. It
results in availability of the resource to different users regardless of the physical location
of the resource or the user, enhances optimal use of the resource, leads to easy
maintenance, and saves cost too (Figure 5.1).

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 Figure 5.1: A network of computers, printer and scanner

ii. Sharing of Information— In addition to the sharing of physical resources, networking

facilitates sharing of information. Information stored on networked computers located at
same or different physical locations, becomes accessible to the computers connected to
the network.
iii. As a Communication Medium— Networking helps in sending and receiving of
electronic-mail (e-mail) messages from anywhere in the world. Data in the form of text,
audio, video and pictures can be sent via e-mail. This allows the users to communicate
online in a faster and cost effective manner. Video conferencing is another form of
communication made possible via networking. People in distant locations can hold a
meeting, and they can hear and see each other simultaneously.
iv. For Back-up and Support— Networked computers can be used to take back-up of
critical data. In situations where there is a requirement of always-on computer, another
computer on the network can take over in case of failure of one computer.

5.2.1.3 Components of Communication Network

There are many components for a communication network. The basic three components are a
host computer, a client, and a circuit. Besides these components, others include front-end
processors, teleprocessing software, input terminals, and specialists.

i. Host Computer (Server)

The host computer or server (a mainframe, minicomputer, or microcomputer) is the main unit in
the communication network. It stores data and programs that can be accessed by the clients. The
host computer is responsible for performing the data processing tasks of the network. After
processing has occurred, the data or information is routed back to a front-end processor. In
distributed processing or client-server computing, several host computers may be tied together
by the data communication network.
ii. Client
The client is a hardware device (a terminal or microcomputer) at the opposite end of a host
computer of a communication circuit. It usually provides end users with access to the data and
software on the server. The client is an input/output device.
The most widely used computer input/output devices for a communication network are the
terminals. There are several types of terminals in common use in business today. The most
familiar type of input/output terminal for most end users is the keyboard terminal.

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 iii. Circuit

The circuit is a communication channel that allows the data and information to move through the
pathway. It includes several types of lines, such as twisted wires, coaxial cables, and fiber optic
cables. It also contains wireless transmission circuits such as microwaves and satellites, and it is
becoming more popular.

iv. Front-End Processor

The front-end processor handles the incoming and outgoing communications exchanges between
the host computer and the peripheral terminals and other host computers both inside and outside
the network.

v. Teleprocessing Software
Besides the hardware mentioned previously in this chapter, the host and the front-end processor
must contain software in order for the network system to run effectively. Software may also be
located in the terminals and the cluster control units.

5.3 Communications Channels

Data communications can be carried from one location to another through a variety of
communications channels. These communications media include telephone lines (twisted pairs),
coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, microwave, and satellite. In general, there can be two ways of
connecting microcomputers with each other and with other equipment: guided and radiated
media.

Guided Media: Refer to channels that allow the transmission of data and information
through a physical media such as a twisted pair wire, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable.
Radiated media: Refer to those that transmit data and information through the air such as
microwave, or satellite.

The diameters and transmission capacities of the three kinds of cable are compared below:
i. Twisted Pair

The telephone lines used to carry most of the voice and data communications consist of a pair of

thin-diameter insulated copper wires (called

twisted pairs). The wires are twisted around
each other to minimize interference from
other twisted pairs in the cable. Twisted pairs have fewer bandwidths than coaxial cable or
optical fiber. They have been the standard communication channels for voice, data and
information, but are now diminishing because of more reliable media such as coaxial cable,
optical fibers, microwave, or satellite.

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 ii. Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable can be used for telephone lines for transmission at a high frequency. Coaxial cable

consists of a single core of solid copper. A

coaxial cable can handle 80 times as many
telephone transmissions as twisted pair media.
Many computers in local area networks are
linked by coaxial cables. Because of its
sturdiness, coaxial cable is often used for
telephone lines that must be carried under bodies
of water. Because coaxial cables have very little distortion and are less prone to interference,
they have low error rates
.

iii. Fiber-Optic Cable

A fiber-optic cable consists of tubes of

glass through which data are transmitted
as pulses of light. Although a fiber-
optic cable is diametrically smaller than
a human hair, it has 26,000 times the
transmission capacity of twisted pair
media. A major advantage of fiber-optic
media is its high level of security. These
communications channels are not susceptible to electronic interference. Therefore, they are a
more reliable form of data transmission. Fiber-optic cables are also significantly less expensive
than coaxial cable. A disadvantage of fiber-optic channels is that they cannot carry information
over great distances.

5.3.1 Wireless Networking

Wireless technology, as the name suggests, is used to establish a wire-free connection or

communication between two or more devices. In contrast to the wired technology where data is
encoded as electric current and signals travel through wires, in wireless technology data is
encoded on electromagnetic waves that travel through air.

The wireless technology is used for broadcasting in radio and television communication, for
communication using mobile phones and pagers, for connecting components of computers using

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Bluetooth technology, for Internet connection using Wi-Fi, Wireless LAN, PDA, and in remote
controls for television, doors etc.

Wireless network is a computer network connected wirelessly. The communication is done

through a wireless media like radio waves, infrared or Bluetooth.

The wireless networks have two main components—the wireless access points that include the
transmitter along with the area it can cover, and the wireless clients like mobile handsets, laptops
with Ethernet cards etc.

The access point receives data frames from the computers attached to it wirelessly, checks the
frames, and transmits them to their destination. The coverage area of a transmitter depends on
the output power of the transmitter, its location, and the frequency used to transmit the data.
Higher frequencies require a clear line of sight as compared to lower frequencies.

The speed of wireless connection is determined by the distance of the wireless client device from
the access point, the obstruction-free path (walls, trees etc.), interference, and the number of
users using the network at a given time.

5.3.1.1 Types of Wireless Networks

Wireless networks can be divided into three categories based on their use:
i. Bluetooth technology to connect the different components of the computer in a room, a
small office or home.
ii. Wireless LAN is used to connect computers and devices wirelessly in a LAN, for
example, different computers or devices in an office or campus.
iii. Wireless WAN is used to connect wide area systems, for example access to Internet via
mobile devices like cell phone, PDAs and laptops.

5.3.2 Data Transmission

Coding

In all digital communications channels, computers transmit data and information in forms of
binary codes. Both sender and receiver of the data and information should have a standard for
both to understand them.

A coding scheme for communications is a binary system, as in the computer systems. The
system consists of groups of bits (0 or 1) that represent characters. In computer systems, a byte is
a group of bits and represents a character. In data communications, a byte is the same, but some
codes use different number of bits such as 5, 7, 8 or 9.

There are two predominant coding schemes; ASCII and EBCDIC. ASCII refers America
Standard Code for Information Interchange. It is the most popular code for data communications
and is the standard code on most communications terminals. Among two types of ASCII, a 7-bit
code can make 128 character combinations, and an 8-bit can do 256 combinations. EBCDIC

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refers Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. It is IBM's standard information code,
and has 8 bits for a character.

5.4 Network Topology

Networks can be classified by their topology, which is the basic geometric arrangement of the
network. Different types of network configurations exist for network designers to choose from. It
may refer to the way in which the nodes of a network are linked together.

Communications channels can be connected in different arrangements using several different

topologies. This arrangement allows users to exchange information and share resources
(software and hardware).

Four basic types of network configurations are star, bus, ring, hierarchical and mesh. Ring, bus,
and star topologies are commonly used in LANs and BNs. Star and mesh topologies are
commonly used in MANs and WANS. The networks are usually built using a combination of
several different topologies.

i. Star
ii. Bus
iii. Ring iv. Hierarchical
v. Mesh
vi. Hybrid
i. Star Topology
A star topology is one in which a central unit provides a link through which a group of smaller
computers and devices is connected. In the star
network, all interactions between different
computers in the network travel through the
host computer. The central unit will poll each
to decide whether a unit has a message to send.
If so, the central computer will carry the
message to the receiving computer.

Star networks represent a very popular form of configuration for time-

sharing systems in which a central computer makes available resources and databases for several
"client" computers to share. As such, the star network is appropriate for systems that demand
centralized control. The disadvantage of the star network is that a processing problem in the
central computer can be paralyzing to the entire system. In a star network, the central unit may
be a host computer or a file server. The host computer is a large centralized computer, usually a
minicomputer or a mainframe. In contrast, the file server is a large-capacity hard-disk storage
device. It stores data and programs files shared by the users on the network.

ii. Bus Topology

In a bus configuration, each computer in the network is
responsible for carrying out its own communications without
the aid of a central unit. A common communications cable (the

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bus) connects all of the computers in the network. As data travels along the path of
the cable, each unit performs a query to determine if it is the intended recipient of the
message. The bus network is less expensive than the star configuration and is thus
widely in use for systems that connect only a few microcomputers and systems that
do not emphasize the sharing of common resources.

iii. Ring Network

A ring configuration features a network in which each computer is connected to the next two
other computers in a closed loop. Like
the bus network, no single central
computer exists in the ring
configuration. Messages are simply
transferred from one computer to the
next until they arrive at their intended
destinations. Each computer on the ring
topology has a particular address. As the messages pass around the
ring, the computers validate the address. If the message is not
addressed to it,
the node transmits the message to the next computer on the ring.

This type of network is commonly used in systems that connect widely dispersed mainframe
computers. A ring network allows organizations to engage in distributed data processing system
in which computers can share certain resources with other units while maintaining control over
their own processing functions. However, a failure in any of the linked computers can greatly
affect the entire network.

iv. Hierarchical Topology

A hierarchical network (or a tree network) resembles a star network in that several computers are
connected to a central host computer (usually a mainframe). However, these "client" computers
also serve as host computers to next level units. Thus, the hierarchical network can theoretically
be compared to a standard organizational chart or a large corporation. Typically, the host
computer at the top of the hierarchy is a mainframe computer. Lower levels in the hierarchy
could consist of minicomputers and microcomputers. It should be noted that a system can
sometimes have characteristics of more than one of the above topologies.

This topology is effective in a centralized corporation. For example, different divisions within a
corporation may have individual microcomputers connected to divisional minicomputers. The
minicomputers in turn may be connected to the corporation's mainframe, which contains data
and programs.

v. Mesh Topology

This is a net-like communications network in which there are at least two pathways to each node.
In a mesh topology, computers are connected to
each other by point-topoint circuits. In the

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 topology, one or more computers usually become switching centers,
interlinking computers with others.

Although a computer or cable is lost, if there are other possible routes through the network, the
damage of one or several cables or computers
may not have vital impact except the involved computers. However, if there are only few cables
in the network, the loss of even one cable or device may damage the network seriously.

5.3.1 Network Types

Communications networks differ in geographical size. Networks may be constructed within a

building or across several buildings. Networks may also be citywide and even international,
using both cable and air connections. There are three major network types: LAN (local area
networks), MAN (metropolitan area networks), and WAN (wide area networks).

i. Local Area Networks

ii. Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)/ iii.
Wide Area Networks (WANs).
i. Local Area Networks (LANs)

A computer communications network contained in a small area such as a commercial building is

known as a local area network (LAN). A local area network's linkages usually are accomplished
with either telephone, coaxial, or fiber-optic cables. Often, LANs use a bus configuration. The
major benefit of a local area network is that it can help to reduce costs by allowing people and
microcomputers to share expensive resources. Also, local area networks enable end users to
participate in office automation technology. In addition, LANs may be connected to other
networks by means of a network gateway.

Local Area Network (LAN) as compared to WAN

• Limited to a small geographical coverage
• Has much higher data transmission rate
• Experiences fewer data transmission errors
• Has lower data communication cost • Typically owned by a single organization Why Use an
LAN?
There are two basic reasons for developing an LAN: information sharing and resource sharing.

• Information sharing: This refers to having users who access the same data files, exchange
information via electronic mail, or search the Internet for information. The main benefit of
information sharing is improved decision making, which makes it generally more important
than resource sharing.
• Resource sharing: It refers to one computer sharing a hardware device (e.g., a printer) or a
software package with other computers on the network. The main benefit of resource sharing
is cost savings.

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 ii. MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs))

The next larger network than LAN may be the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). MAN
usually spans a geographical area that usually encompasses a city or county area. It interconnects
various buildings or other facilities within this citywide area. For example, linkages can be
established between two commercial buildings. A more recent use of MAN technology has been
the rapid development of cellular phone systems.

iii. WANs (Wide Area Networks (WANs))

A wide area network (WAN) is one that operates over a vast distance (e.g., nationwide). Its
nodes may span cities, states, or national boundaries. This network interconnects computers,
LANS, BNs, MANS, and other data transmission facilities. Typically, WAN will employ
communications circuits such as long- distance telephone wires, microwaves and satellites. FOR
example, nationwide automated teller machines used in banking represent a common application
of a wide area network.

5.5 Summary
In this lesson we have learned the following

Networking of computers facilitates resource sharing, sharing of

information,
and, can be used as a communication medium, and for backup and support. The transmission of
data can be via guided media like twisted pair, coaxial pair, optical fibers or as radio
transmission, microwave transmission, and satellite transmission. Throughput is the amount of
data that is actually transmitted between two computers. It is specified in bps. Modem is a device
that has both a modulator and a demodulator. Computer Network is interconnection of two or
more computers that can exchange data. Bus, Star, and Ring are the three common LAN
topologies. LAN, MAN, and WAN are the network types classified on the basis of the size of
network, the transmission technology, and the network topology.

5.6 Self-check Questions

1. Explain the importance of networking.
2. “Networking allows sharing of information and resources”. Explain.
3. What do you mean by guided and unguided transmission media?
4. Name two guided transmission media.
5. Name an unguided transmission media.
6. Optical wire is a guided media. True or False?
7. _____ and ______ are the two kinds of twisted pair.
8. Cat-5 cable is a _____ twisted pair.

5.7 Scorecard

20-17 Excellent

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16 - 14 Good
13-10 Satisfactory
<10 Read topic again

5.6 Further reading

1. Berkeley, Edmund (1949). Giant Brains, or Machines That Think. John Wiley &
Sons.
2. Cohen, Bernard (2000). Howard Aiken, Portrait of a computer pioneer. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-2625317-9-5.
3. Ligonnière, Robert (1987). Préhistoire et Histoire des ordinateurs. Paris: Robert Laffont.
ISBN 9-782221-052617.

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