Data Communications & Networks

Objectives
 Need for data transmission  Data communication  Communication channels  Computer networks  Network Topologies  Internet  Internet Services

Data Communication
 Sending data economically over long

distances and to ensure that the data is received properly

Need for data transmission

 Data becomes available online. E.g. railway

reservations through internet  Productivity and effectiveness of the people and organization is increased  User gets better services such as email, ecommerce, internet shopping  Data has to be communicated at faster rate

Data Communication Model

(Destination) Agent Data Data Agent Communication Communication Signal Transmission (Source) Data Signal Data medium device device

Has five components 1. Source Agent who has some data to be sent. 2. Data Communication device-converts data into electromagnetic signals that can be transmitted 3. Transmission medium transports the signals from one point to another 4. Data communication device -converts electromagnetic signals to original data form 5. Destination Agent - who receives the data
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Communication Channels
 Refers to a path, a line or a link that

interconnects a source from which data is sent to its destination  Also known as data highway

Modes of data transmission

 Simplex data is sent always in one direction

e.g. key board attached to a computer  Half Duplex - allows transmission in either direction but not simultaneously e.g. data transmission to and from a hard disk  Full Duplex - allows transmission in both direction simultaneously e.g. special purpose telephone lines

Communication Channels
 Twisted pair wires  Coaxial cables  Fibre optic cables  Microwave transmission

Twisted Pair wires

 Consists of two insulated copper wires twisted in a spiral pattern  Inexpensive  One pair act as a communication link  Hundreds of such pairs is packed into a cable that carries signals over a long distance

Coaxial cables

 Made up of a central copper wire surrounded by

a conductive sleeve separated by a insulation

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Optical Fiber
 Thin strand of light conducting glass or

plastic fiber  Has 3 parts core, cladding, jacket

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Microwave Transmission
 Used to transmit data and voice over long

distances through air without any wire  Transmitted through antennas placed on buildings top, towers or hills

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Radio Transmission
 Uses radio frequencies for direct data or voice

communication  Useful for customer services such as

 Courier, home deliveries, on site repair and

maintenance

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Computer Networks
 Group of interconnected computers for the

purpose of sharing computing resources

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Types of network
 Local Area Network  Metropolitan Area Network  Wide Area Network

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LAN
 Interconnection of computer systems

through one type of transmission medium  A small network within a building or two  Maximum limit is 10 Km in size

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Metropolitan Area Network

 Larger in size covering area of 100 Kms or so  Links computers through same or different

transmission media

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WAN
 Larger than a MAN  Covers the whole universe of computer

communication

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Network Topologies
 Structure consisting of paths and devices that

provide the necessary communication interconnection among the components of the network  Linear bus topology  Ring topology  Star topology

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Internet
 Network of networks consisting of thousands

of networks spanning the entire globe

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WWW
 The World Wide Web is made up of "Web

servers" that store and disseminate "Web pages," which are "rich" documents that contain text, graphics, animations and videos to anyone with an Internet connection.

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Web Browser
 The program that serves as your front end to

the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you

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Home Page
 A Web Page that is the first page that appears

when you access a Web Site.  The home page is an index to other pages on that site that you can jump to by clicking an underlined hyperlink or an icon. Links on that site may take you to other related sites.

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Search Engine
 A software program that searches a database

and gathers and reports information that contains or is related to specified terms.  A website whose primary function is providing a search engine for gathering and reporting information available on the Internet or a portion of the Internet.

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List of search engines

         

Alexa Internet Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves) Baidu Exalead Gigablast Google MozDex Windows Live Search (formerly MSN Search) WiseNut Yahoo! Search
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