Introduction to Data

communications contd..
Datacom Basics
Telecommunications =
Datacom Basics
Transmission of voice, video, and/or data
- Implies longer distances
- Broad term

Data Communications =
Movement of computer information by means of
electrical or optical transmission systems

convergence

Broadband Communications
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Components of a Local Area
Network
To other networks
(e.g., Internet)
Router
Servers
File
HUB
Server

Web Client
Server Computers
Circuits
Print Printer
Server

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 Network Types (based on
Scale)
 Local Area Networks (LAN) - room, building
a group of PCs that share a circuit.


 Backbone Networks (BN) - less than few kms

 a high speed backbone linking together organizational LANs at various
locations.
 Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) - (more than a few
kms)
 connects LANs and BNs across different locations
 Often uses leased lines or other services used to transmit data.
 Wide Area Networks (WANs) - (far greater than 10 kms)
 Same as MAN except wider scale

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LANs and Backbones, Wide Area and
Metropolitan Area Networks
Intranet vs. Extranet

 Intranet
 A LAN that uses the Internet technologies within an organization
 Open only those inside the organization
 Example: insurance related information provided to employees over
an intranet
 Extranet
 A LAN that uses the Internet technologies across an organization
including some external constituents
 Open only those invited users outside the organization
 Accessible through the Internet
 Example: Suppliers and customers accessing inventory information
in a company over an extranet

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Layered Implementation of Communications
Functions
Single layer

Communication

Communication
Applications Applications implementation
-Networking with large
components is complex to
OS OS
understand and implement

Applications Applications Multi layer

implementation
OS -Breaking down into smaller
OS
components
-Easier to implement

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Multi-layer Network Models

 The two most important such network models: OSI and

Internet
 Open Systems Interconnection Model
 Created by International Standards Organization (ISO) as a
framework for computer network standards in 1984
 Based on 7 layers
 Internet Model
 Created by DARPA originally in early 70’s
 Developed to solve to the problem of internetworking
 Based on 5 layers
 Based on Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
suite
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7-Layer Model of OSI
Physical DataLink Network Transport Session Presentation Application

“Please Do Not Touch Steve’s Pet Alligators”

 Application Layer
 set of utilities used by application programs
 Presentation Layer
 formats data for presentation to the user
 provides data interfaces, data compression and translation between
different data formats
 Session Layer
 initiates, maintains and terminates each logical session between
sender and receiver

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7-Layer Model of OSI

 Transport Layer
 deals with end-to-end issues such as segmenting the message for
network transport, and maintaining the logical connections between
sender and receiver
 Network Layer
 responsible for making routing decisions
 Data Link Layer
 deals with message delineation, error control and network medium
access control
 Physical Layer
 defines how individual bits are formatted to be transmitted through
the network

Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 - 10

Internet’s 5-Layer Model
Physical DataLink Network Transport Application

“Please Do Not Touch Alligators”

 Application Layer
 used by application program
 Transport Layer
 responsible for establishing end-to-end connections, translates
domain names into numeric addresses and segments messages
 Network Layer - same as in OSI model
 Data Link Layer - same as in OSI model
 Physical Layer - same as in OSI model

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Comparison of Network
Models

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Message Transmission Using
Layers
sender receiver

Applications Applications

A receiving layer wraps

incoming message with
an envelope
• Adds layer related A receiving layer
addressing information removes the layer related
envelope and forwards
the message up

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 Protocols

 Used by Network model layers

 Sets of standardized rules to define how to
communicate at each layer and how to interface
with adjacent layers
Layer N+1 Layer N+1

Layer N Layer N

Layer N-1 Layer N-1

sender receiver
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Message Transmission Example

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 Points about Network Layer
View
 Layers allow simplicity of networking in some ways
 Easy to develop new software that fits each layer
 Relatively simple to change the software at any level
 Matching layers communicate between different computers
and computer platforms
 Accomplished by standards that we all agree on
 e.g., Physical layer at the sending computer must match up with the
same layer in the receiving computer
 Somewhat inefficient
 Involves many software packages and packets
 Packet overhead (slower transmission, processing time)
 Interoperability achieved at the expense of perfectly streamlined
communication

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Standards
 Importance
 Provide a “fixed” way for hardware and/or software systems (different
companies) to communicate
 Help promote competition and decrease the price
 Types of Standards
 Formal standards
 Developed by an industry or government standards-making body

 De-facto standards
 Emerge in the marketplace and widely used

 Lack official backing by a standards-making body

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Standardization Processes

 Specification
 Developing the nomenclature and identifying the
problems to be addressed
 Identification of choices
 Identifying solutions to the problems and choose the
“optimum” solution
 Acceptance
 Defining the solution, getting it recognized by
industry so that a uniform solution is accepted
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 Major Standards Bodies
 ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
 Technical recommendations for data communication interfaces
 Composed of each country’s national standards orgs.
 Based in Geneva, Switzerland (www.iso.ch)
 ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union –Telecom
Group
 Technical recommendations about telephone, telegraph and data
communications interfaces
 Composed of representatives from each country in UN
 Based in Geneva, Switzerland (www.itu.int)

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Major Standards Bodies
(Cont.)
 ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
 Coordinating organization for US (not a standards- making body)
 www.ansi.org
 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers)
 Professional society; also develops mostly LAN standards
 standards.ieee.org
 IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
 Develops Internet standards
 No official membership (anyone welcome)
 www.ietf.org

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Some Data Comm. Standards
Layer Common Standards
HTTP, HTML (Web)
5. Application layer MPEG, H.323 (audio/video)
IMAP, POP (e-mail)
TCP (Internet)
4. Transport layer
SPX (Novell LANs)
3. Network layer IP (Internet)
IPX (Novell LANs)
Ethernet (LAN)
2. Data link layer Frame Relay (WAN)
PPP (dial-up via modem for MAN)
RS-232c cable (LAN)
1. Physical layer Category 5 twisted pair (LAN)
V.92 (56 kbps modem)

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 Emerging Trends in
Networking
 Pervasive Networking
 Integration of Voice, Video and Data
 New Information Services

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Pervasive Networking
 Means “Networks will be everywhere”
 Exponential growth of Network use
 Many new types of devices will have network
capability
 Exponential growth of data rates for all kinds of
networking
 Broadband communications
 Use circuits with 1 Mbps or higher (e.g., DSL)
Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 - 23
Relative Capacities of Telephone, LAN, BN,
WAN, and Internet Circuits.

Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 - 24

Integration of Voice, Video &
Data
 Also called “Convergence”
 Networks that were previously transmitted using
separate networks will merge into a single, high
speed, multimedia network in the near future
 First step largely complete
 Integration of voice and data
 Next step
 Video merging with voice and data
 Will take longer partly due to the high data rates
required for video
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New Information Services
 World Wide Web based
 Many new types of information services becoming available
 Services that help ensure quality of information received over

www
 Application Service Providers (ASPs)
 Develop specific systems for companies such as providing and
operating a payroll system for a company that does not have one of
its own
 Information Utilities (Future of ASPs)
 Providing a wide range of info services (email, web, payroll, etc.)
(similar to electric or water utilities)

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Implications for Management

 Embrace change and actively seek to use new aspects of

networks toward improving your organization
 Information moved quickly and easily anywhere and anytime
 Information accessed by customers and competitors globally
 Use a set of industry standard technologies
 Can easily mix and match equipment from different vendors
 Easier to migrate from older technologies to newer technologies
 Smaller cost by using a few well known standards

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Assignment1
 A) There are three main types of network topologies
namely; star, ring and bus. As a network administrator, you
have been asked to produce a briefing document that
discusses each topology in terms of cabling cost, fault
tolerance, and data redundancy and performance as the
number of nodes increases (15 Marks)
 B) There is a global trend towards adopting digital
communication as opposed to analogue systems. Analogue
data has therefore to be converted to digital data in a
process known as digitisation. Why is it advantageous to
digitise data?(15 Marks)
Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 - 28