Communication Using a

Network
Chapter 7

Chapter Objectives

State and explain the different components of a

network
Explain and install Network Interface Card
Describe the basic principles of data communication
Explain the use of MAC address
Explain the concepts of a direct cable connection
Identify and troubleshoot problems of NIC

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Recall

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) provides

high-performance and connects multiple stations at
the data transfer rate of 100 Mbps.
The two types of logical topologies are:

Token ring logical topology

Token bus logical topology

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a network

protocol which converts data traffic into a stream of
fixed size cell before transmission.
The basic network components of AppleTalk are:
Sockets, Nodes, Network and Zones.

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Data Communication

Transmission of information between two

computers or nodes
Basic
Components

Sender

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Receiver

Medium

Message

Protocol

Signaling Techniques I

Two types of Signaling techniques:

Baseband
Broadband

Baseband Signals:

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Uses single frequency to transmit data

Transmit information in digital form

Signaling Techniques II

Broadband Signals:

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Data is transmitted using more than one frequency

Uses analog signals
Adds additional information to carrier signals by
process of modulation

Network Interface Card (NIC)

Hardware device used to connect different

computers on Network
Serves as a link for sending and receiving data on
a network
MAC address is address assigned by IEEE to
identify network card
NIC Types

Ethernet Card

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Token Ring Card

Ethernet Card

Used in devices which are connected using Ethernet

technology
Two types of Ethernet network card Wired and
wireless
The choice depends on type of network used

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Types of Ethernet Card - I

10Base-5 (Thicknet) NIC

10Base-2

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Types of Ethernet card - II

10BaseT

Fiber optic

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10

Token Ring Card

Used to connect to a token ring network

Assigned a MAC address by IEEE
Maximum of two token ring
cards can be installed at any
node
Consists of 9 pin DIN
type connector which connects
card to network cable

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11

Physical Connections

Physical Connections

NIC either connected on a PCI or PCI-X slot

NIC cards can be connected to an USB port or can
have a PC card connection

Depends on one of the cable connectors:

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BNC connector
ST-fiber optic connector
RJ-45 connector

12

Lights on NIC and hub

Different LEDs on NIC:

Link LED
ACT LED
Speed LED
Collision LED

LEDs on Hub:

Chapter 7

Power LED
Port LED

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MAC Address

Also known as hardware or physical address

Used to identify nodes at lower levels of the OSI
model
ID assigned by IEEE
Hardware address hard-coded into NIC
Nodes on network identified by MAC address
Is a 12 digit hexadecimal number (48 bit address)

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14

MAC vs IP address
MAC address

IP address

Functions at data link

layer
It is a physical address

Functions at network layer

It is fixed

It changes with the

relocation of device from
one network to another
It is a 32 bit address

It is a 48 bit address
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It is a logical address

15

Installing the NIC

Different factors while choosing NIC:

Bus type (Expansion slot)

Speed
Connection type (cabling)

Hardware Requirements:

Chapter 7

Pentium I/233MHz
32 MB RAM
2 GB of available hard disk

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Direct Cable Connection

One device acts as a host and other acts as a guest

Can also use infrared connection, if both nodes
have required hardware
All the latest versions of windows provide a software
which allows a user to have a direct serial-to-serial,
parallel-to-parallel, or infrared-to-infrared connection
with the other PC.
To establish a connection using serial ports, a cable
known as null modem is use

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Diagnostic and Repair of Physical

Cabling using tools

Tools can be used to identify the problems and also

troubleshoot these problems
Various tools available for checking network are:
Volt-ohm meters (VOMs) Cable-testing tool used
to measure parameters

Chapter 7

Analog
Digital

18

Tone generators and probe I

Tone generator is a network troubleshooting tool

Consists of single or multi-tone signal, two test leads
and a 4-conductor modular cable
Acts like a radio transmitter
Probe:

Chapter 7

Works like a radio receiver

Catches a tone when placed near
wire

19

Optical tester

Fiber optic NICs mostly do not have any lights so

making the diagnosis of the problem becomes little
difficult
Optical tester is used to inspect the quality of the
connections

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20

Case Study
The Bangalore branch of MoneyMaker bank is
organizing a seminar on the various developments
that have occurred in the past one year. David has
created a presentation for this purpose which is stored
on the network server. This file can be accessed only
through David's system. But on the day of seminar, he
is unable to access the system.

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Problem

Unable to access the file which is available on

network server

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Solution

Verify cable connection

Verify LED status of NIC
Verify LED status of hub
The LED on NIC should be ON, once you boot the
operating system

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Summary I

The main components of data communication are

sender, receiver, medium and message
The data to be sent is converted into signals and
then transmitted over the network
Signaling techniques are of two types broadband
and baseband
Baseband signals transmit data at a single
frequency
Broadband technique can transmit data using more
than one frequency

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Summary II

Network Interface Cards are devices that are used

to get connected to different computers on a
network
Some examples of NIC are Ethernet Card and
Token Ring Card
Ethernet cards support transfer rate of 10 or 100 or
1000 Mbps
MAC address is a hardware address that is
embedded onto the NIC
Lower layers of OSI model identify nodes on the
network by their MAC address

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Summary III

A connection established between two nodes by

directly connecting a cable is known as direct cable
connection.
Signals lying on the cable are absorbed by the
terminators at the end of the cable to avoid collision.
Cross over cables can be used for temporary
connection between two devices when switch or
hub is not present.
Volt-ohm meters is a cable-testing tool which is used
to troubleshoot the network cabling.

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26

Summary IV

Volt-ohm meter is used to measures voltage and

resistance and to check the continuity of a cable.
Tone generator and probe is another
troubleshooting tool which has the ability to identify
wires, finding open circuits and short circuits,
diagnosing crosstalk and other telecom tasks

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