UNIT-V:

DATA COMMUNICATION:
 Data-Communication,
 Basic Networking Devices,
 Communication Process,
 Data Transmission speed,
 Communication Types(modes),
 Data Transmission Medias,
 Modem and its working, characteristics,
 Types of Networks,
 LAN Topologies,
 Computer Protocols,
 Concepts relating to networking.

List of important questions:

1. What are different types of communication/communication process  2021
2. What is data communication? various types of media used for data transmission 2019,22
3. What is networking? Explain various types of networks 2022
4. Different types of network topologies 2019,2021

What is Data-Communication:
 The term “Data Communication” comprises two words:
1. Data
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 2. Communication.
 Data can be any text, image, audio, video, and multimedia files.
 Communication is an act of sending or receiving data.
 Thus, data communication refers to the exchange of data between two or more
networked or connected devices.
 These devices must be capable of sending and receiving data over a communication
medium.
 Examples of such devices include personal computers, mobile phones, laptops, etc.
 four different types of devices — computer, printer, server and switch are connected
to form the network.
 These devices are connected through a media to the network, which carry
information from one end to another end.

Basic networking devices:

Here is the common network device list:
1. Hub
2. Switch
3. Router
4. Bridge
5. Gateway
6. Modem
7. Repeater
8. Access Point
1. Hub
 A hub is a physical layer networking device which
is used to connect multiple devices in a network.
 They are generally used to connect computers in a
LAN.
 A hub has many ports in it. A computer which
intends to be connected to the network is plugged
in to one of these ports.
 When a data frame arrives at a port, it is broadcast
to every other port, without considering whether
it is destined for a particular destination or not.
2. Switches
 A switch is a data link layer networking device which
connects devices in a network and uses packet switching
to send and receive data over the network.
 Like a hub, a switch also has many ports, to which
computers are plugged in.

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  However, when a data frame arrives at any port of a network switch, it examines the
destination address and sends the frame to the corresponding device(s).
 Thus, it supports both unicast and multicast communications.
3. Router
 Routers are networking devices operating at layer 3 or
a network layer of the OSI model.
 They are responsible for receiving, analysing, and
forwarding data packets among the connected
computer networks.
 When a data packet arrives, the router inspects the
destination address, consults its routing tables to
decide the optimal route and then transfers the
packet along this route.

4. Bridges:

 Bridges are used to connect two subnetworks that use

interchangeable protocols.
 It combines two LANs to form an extended LAN.

5. Gateway:
 gateway is a network node that forms a
passage between two networks
operating with different transmission
protocols.
 It acts as the entry – exit point for a
network since all traffic that flows across
the networks should pass through the
gateway.

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6.Modem
 Modem stands for Modulator and
Demodulator. It is a device that modulates
signals to encode digital information for
transmission and demodulates signals to
decode the transmitted information.
 A modem transmits data in bits per second
(bps).
 It converts the digital signal to Analog and
vice versa to communicate between devices.

7.Repeater:
 Repeaters are network devices operating at
physical layer that amplify or regenerate an
incoming signal before retransmitting it.
 They are incorporated in networks to expand its
coverage area.
 They are also known as signal boosters .

8. Access Point
 A wireless access point (WAP) is a networking
device that allows wireless-capable devices
to connect to a wired network.
 It is simpler and easier to install WAPs to
connect all the computers or
devices in your network than to use wires
and cables.

Communication process:
 Whenever we talk about communication between two computing devices using a
network, five most important aspects come to our mind.
 These are sender, receiver, communication medium, the message to be
communicated, and certain rules called protocols to be followed during
communication.
 The communication media is also called transmission media.

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 1. Sender: A sender is a computer or any such device which is capable of sending data
over a network. It can be a computer, mobile phone, smartwatch, walkie-talkie, video
recording device, etc.

2. Receiver: A receiver is a computer or any such device which is capable of receiving

data from the network. It can be any computer, printer, laptop, mobile phone,
television, etc. In computer communication, the sender and receiver are known as
nodes in a network.

3. Message: It is the data or information that needs to be exchanged between the

sender and the receiver. Messages can be in the form of text, number, image, audio,
video, multimedia, etc.

4. Communication media: It is the path through which the message travels between
source and destination. It is also called medium or link which is either wired or
wireless. For example, a television cable, telephone cable, ethernet cable, satellite
link, microwaves, etc.
5. Protocols: It is a set of rules that need to be followed by the communicating parties
in order to have successful and reliable data communication.

Explain various types of media used for data transmission?

 In data communication terminology, a transmission medium is a physical path
between the transmitter and the receiver i.e. it is the channel through which data is
sent from one place to another.
Transmission Media is broadly classified into the following types:

Guided Media:

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 It is also referred to as Wired or Bounded transmission media.
 Signals being transmitted are directed and confined in a narrow pathway by using
physical links.
Features:
o High Speed
o Secure
o Used for comparatively shorter distances
There are 3 major types of Guided Media:
1. Twisted Pair Cable –
 It consists of 2 separately insulated conductor wires wound about each other.
 Generally, several such pairs are bundled together in a protective sheath.
 They are the most widely used Transmission Media.

Advantages:

o Least expensive
o Easy to install
o High speed capacity

Disadvantages:

o Susceptible to external interference

o Lower capacity and performance in comparison to STP
o Short distance transmission due to attenuation
2. Coaxial Cable –
 It has an outer plastic covering containing 2 parallel conductors each having a
separate insulated protection cover.
 Coaxial cable transmits information in two modes:
Baseband mode (dedicated cable bandwidth)
Broadband mode (cable bandwidth is split into separate ranges).
 Cable TVs and analog television networks widely use Coaxial cables.

Advantages:
o High Bandwidth
o Better noise Immunity
o Easy to install and expand
o Inexpensive

Disadvantages:

o Single cable failure can disrupt

the entire network
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 3. Optical Fibre Cable –
 It uses the concept of reflection of light
through a core made up of glass or plastic.
 The core is surrounded by a less dense glass
or plastic covering called the cladding.
 It is used for transmission of large volumes
of data.

Advantages:

o Increased capacity and bandwidth

o Light weight
o Less signal attenuation
o Immunity to electromagnetic interference
o Resistance to corrosive materials

Disadvantages:
o Difficult to install and maintain
o High cost
o Fragile
o unidirectional, ie, will need another fibre, if we need bidirectional
communication
2. Unguided Media:
 It is also referred to as Wireless or Unbounded transmission media.
 No physical medium is required for the transmission of electromagnetic signals.
Features:
o Signal is broadcasted through air
o Less Secure
o Used for larger distances
There are 3 major types of Unguided Media:
1. Radio waves –
 These are easy to generate and can penetrate through
buildings.

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  The sending and receiving antennas need not be aligned.
 Frequency Range:3KHz – 1GHz.
 AM and FM radios and cordless phones use Radio waves for transmission.
2. Microwaves –
 It is a line-of-sight transmission i.e. the sending and receiving antennas need to
be properly aligned with each other.
 The distance covered by the signal is directly proportional to the height of the
antenna.
 Frequency Range:1GHz – 300GHz.
 These are majorly used for mobile phone communication and television
distribution.
3. Infrared –
 Infrared waves are used for very short distance communication.
 They cannot penetrate through obstacles.
 This prevents interference between systems.
 Frequency Range:300GHz – 400THz.
 It is used in TV remotes, wireless mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.

Communication Modes:
 The Data Transmission mode specifies the direction of information flow between two
communication devices via a communication channel that includes an optical
fibre, wireless channels, copper wires, and other storage media.
 It is also known as Data Communication Mode.
Types Of Transmission Mode

 There are three primary types of transmission modes based on the direction of the
exchange of information. The first is simplex, followed by half duplex, and finally full
duplex.
1. Simplex Mode:

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 In Simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional,
as on a one-way street.
 Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit, the
other can only receive.
 The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the
channel to send data in one direction.
Example: Keyboard and traditional monitors. The
keyboard can only introduce input, the monitor can only
give the output.

2. Half-Duplex Mode –
In half-duplex mode, each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the
same time. When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and vice versa.
 The half-duplex mode is used in cases where there is no need for communication in
both directions at the same time .
 The entire capacity of the channel can be utilized for each direction.
Example: Walkie-talkie in which message is sent one at a time and messages are
sent in both directions.

Full-Duplex Mode –
 In full-duplex mode, both stations can transmit and receive
simultaneously.
 In fullduplex mode, signals going in one direction share the capacity of the
link with signals going in another direction, this sharing can occur in two
ways:

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  Either the link must contain two physically separate transmission paths, one for
sending and the other for receiving.
Example: Telephone Network in which there is communication between two persons by
a telephone line, through which both can talk and listen at the same time.

Types of Networks
 A computer network is an interconnected system of devices, represented as network
nodes, that share information, data and resources among each other.
 Depending on the network type, devices can be as simple as computers or
smartphones that connect into a network. Larger networks use devices like routers
and switches to create the underlying network infrastructure.
 Not all networks are the same. There are several types of networks.
1. Personal area network
 A personal area network (PAN) is the smallest
and simplest type of network.
 PANs connect devices within the range of an
individual and are no larger than about 10
meters (m).
 Because PANs operate in such limited areas of
space, most are wireless and provide short-
range connectivity with infrared technology.
 An example of a wireless PAN is when users
connect Bluetooth devices, like wireless
headsets, to a smartphone or laptop.
 Although most PANs are wireless, wired PAN
options exist, including USB.

2. Local area network

 A local area network (LAN) is a collection of devices
connected together in one physical location, such as a
building, office, or home.
 A LAN can be small or large, ranging from a home
network with one user to an enterprise network with
thousands of users and devices in an office or school.

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3. Metropolitan area network
 A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a
computer network that connects computers
within a metropolitan area, which could be a
single large city, multiple cities and towns, or any
given large area with multiple buildings.
 A MAN is larger than a local area network
(LAN) but smaller than a wide area network
(WAN).
 MAN is specially designed to provide high-
speed connectivity to the users in which the
speed ranges in terms of Mbps [megabytes
per second]
 The architecture of MAN is quite complicated hence, it is hard to design and
maintain.

4. Wide area Network (WAN) :

 A wide area network (WAN) is a computer
network that covers a large geographical area
comprising a region, a country, a continent or
even the whole world.
 WAN includes the technologies to transmit
data, image, audio and video information
over long distances and among different
LANs and MANs.
Example of WAN
 The Internet
 4G Mobile Broadband Systems
 A network of bank cash dispensers.

Network Topologies
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 The arrangement of a network which comprises of nodes and connecting lines via
sender and receiver is referred as network topology.
 The various network topologies are:
1. Mesh Topology:
 In mesh topology, every device is connected to another device via particular
channel.
 Every device is connected with another
via dedicated channels.
 These channels are known as links.

Advantages:

 It is robust(strong)
 Fault is diagnosed easily.
 Data is reliable because data is
transferred among the devices
through dedicated channels or links.
 Provides security and privacy.
Dis-advantages:
 Installation and configuration is difficult.
 Cost of cables are high as bulk wiring is required, hence suitable for a smaller
number of devices.
 Cost of maintenance is high.
2. Star Topology:
 In star topology, all the devices are
connected to a single hub through a cable.
 This hub is the central node and all others
nodes are connected to the central node.
Advantages:
 If N devices are connected to each other in
star topology, then the number of cables
required to connect them is N. So, it is
easy to set up.
 Each device requires only 1 port i.e. to
connect to the hub.
Dis-advantages:

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  If the concentrator (hub) on which the whole topology relies fails, the whole system
will crash down.
 Cost of installation is high.
 Performance is based on the single concentrator i.e. hub.
3. Bus Topology:
 Bus topology is a network type in which every
computer and network device is connected
to single cable.
 It transmits the data from one end to another
in single direction.
 No bi-directional feature is in bus topology.
 A bus topology with shared backbone cable.
 The nodes are connected to the channel via
drop lines.
Advantages
 If N devices are connected to each other in bus topology, then the number of cables
required to connect them is 1 . which is known as backbone cable and N drop lines
are required.
 Cost of the cable is less as compared to other topology, but it is used to build small
networks.
Dis-advantages:
 If the common cable fails, then the whole system will crash down.
 If the network traffic is heavy, it increases collisions in the network.

4. Ring Topology:

 In this topology, it forms a ring connecting

devices with its exactly two neighbouring
devices.
 A number of repeaters are used for Ring
topology with a large number of nodes, because
if someone wants to send some data to the last
node in the ring topology with 100 nodes, then
the data will have to pass through 99 nodes to
reach the 100th node.
 Hence to prevent data loss repeaters are used in
the network

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Advantages:
 The possibility of collision is minimum in this type of topology.
 Cheap to install and expand.
Dis-advantages:
 Troubleshooting is difficult in this topology.
 Addition of stations in between or removal of stations can disturb the whole
topology.
5. Tree Topology:
 This topology is the variation of Star topology.
 This topology has hierarchical flow of data.
Advantages:
 It allows more devices to be attached to a single
central hub thus it increases the distance that is
travel by the signal to come to the devices.
 It allows the network to get isolate and also
prioritize from different computers.
Dis-advantages:
 If the central hub gets fails the entire system fails.
 The cost is high because of cabling has hierarchical flow of data

Computer Protocols:
Computer protocols are a set of rules that two or more computers must follow in order to
communicate with each other. These rules define how data is formatted, transmitted, and
received. Without protocols, computers would not be able to understand each other and
communicate effectively.

There are many different types of computer protocols, each designed for a specific
purpose. Some common examples include:

 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): TCP/IP is the suite of

protocols that powers the internet. It includes protocols for routing traffic, delivering
data packets, and resolving domain names.

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  Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): HTTP is used to transfer web pages and other
resources over the internet.
 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP): SMTP is used to send and receive email.
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP): FTP is used to transfer files between computers.
 Secure Shell (SSH): SSH is used to securely connect to and manage remote
computers.

Computer protocols are essential for the operation of the internet and other computer
networks. They allow computers to communicate with each other regardless of their
hardware or software platform.

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