CSC101

Introduction to ICT

Muhammad Sharjeel
muhammadsharjeel@cuilahore.edu.pk

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 Lecture - 12

Data Communication and

Computer Networks

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Data Communication
Communication is the exchange of information from one entity to the other using a transmission medium

Data Communication is the exchange of data (in the form of 0’s and 1’s) between two devices (computers)
via some form of the transmission medium using a protocol
in simplest form, it is the transfer of data or information between a source and a receiver

A data communication system is made up of 5 components:

Sender
Receiver
Message
Medium
Protocol

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Data Communication
Sender:- It is the device which sends the data/messages
it can be a computer, workstation, telephone handset
Receiver:- It is the device which receives the data/messages
it can be a computer, workstation, telephone handset
Message:- It is the data/information to be communicated
popular forms of information include text, pictures, audio, video
Medium:- It is the physical path by which a message travels from sender to receiver
some examples include twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, radio waves
Protocol:- It is the set of rules that governs the communications
it represents an agreement between the communicating devices
without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not communicating

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 Data Communication
Different modes for data communication;
Simplex mode, data can flow in one direction only
A sender can only send data and cannot receive it
Example: Data sent from computer to printer
Half-duplex mode, data can flow in both directions but only one at a time
Data is sent and received alternatively
Example: Internet browsing
Full duplex-mode, data can flow in both directions at the same time
It is the fastest mode of data communication
Example: Telephone communication system

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 Data Communication
Different types of data communication;
Parallel Communication
when multiple bits (usually 8 bits or a byte/character) are sent/received simultaneously
more speed but with a cost since multiple wires cost more than a single wire
Example: connection between a computer and a printer
Serial Communication
when bits are sent/received sequentially
it reduces costs for wire but also slows the speed of communication
Example: connection over a WAN link

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 Data Communication
Different signals of data communication;
Analog signal (continuous): Transmitted power varies over a continuous range
Example: sound, light, and radio waves
Digital signal (discrete): Sequence of voltage pulses represented in binary form
Example: Computer generated data signal is digital

Computers generate digital data signal, but the telephone lines that carries it are analog
Digital transmission of data is preferred over analog transmission of data due to lower cost, higher
transmission speeds, and lower error rate
When digital data signal is to be sent over an analog facility, it must be converted to analog form
conversion of digital signal to analog form is known as modulation
conversion of analog signal to digital form is known as demodulation

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Data Communication
MODEM is short for MOdulator/DEModulator

It is a special device used for conversion of digital data signal to analog form (modulation) and vice-versa
(demodulation)

It is an essential piece of hardware required when two digital devices (e.g. two computers) want to
communicate over an analog transmission channel (e.g. telephone line)

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Computer Network
A Computer Network is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers that are capable of
exchanging information
It allows communication and collaboration between users
The most elementary computer network consists of two computers communicating over a cable

We need computer networks for;

sharing of resources (software/hardware)
sharing of data
sharing of ideas

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Computer Network
Uses of computer networks;
Email
World Wide Web
Video conferencing
File Transfer
Remote control of robots and machines
Webcasting
Distributed programs and applications
Hacking
Banking
Internet telephone

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Computer Network
Computer networks are broadly classified into two types;
Local Area Network (LAN)
computers are close to each other
normally contained in one office or building
organizations often have several LANs
Wide Area Networks (WAN)
two or more LANs connected with each other
spans over a large geographic area
typically use public or leased lines

Other types are MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) and PANs (Personal Area Networks)

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Computer Network
Computer networks are designed in two ways;
Client/Server network
nodes and server(s) share data roles
server(s) control what the node accesses
nodes (also called clients) can be any network device
nodes gain access to server resources by logging in
Peer to peer networks
all nodes have equal access rights and control their resources
nodes access resources on other nodes
normally used for small networks

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Computer Network
Computer networks are structured in four ways;
Bus, Star, Ring, and Mesh

These are also called network topologies (the way computers are linked together in a network)

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Computer Network
Bus Topology
also called linear bus
one wire connects all nodes
terminator ends the wires

Advantages
easy to setup and extend
small amount of wire
Disadvantages
slow
easy to crash
troubleshooting is difficult

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Computer Network
Star Topology
all nodes connect to a centralize device called hub/switch
data is first sent to hub/switch which sends packet to destination
most common topology

Advantages
easy to setup, very flexible, and reliable
one cable can not crash the network
centralize management
Disadvantages
one hub crashing downs entire network
uses lots of cable
requires a centralize device
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Computer Network
Ring Topology
each node is connected to the next, with the last one connecting to the first one
a token/basket is used to transmit data
nodes must wait for token to send/transmit data

Advantages
time to send data is known
every computer is given equal access
no data collisions
Disadvantages
slow and difficult to troubleshoot
requires lots of cable

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Computer Network
Mesh Topology
all computers connected together
each node is connected to every other node

Advantage
data will always be delivered
Disadvantages
requires more cable than any other topology
hard to setup and extend

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Computer Network
The physical path through which computers send and receive signals is called transmission media or network
media
It carries the signal from one computer to another

It is of two types, Wired and Wireless

Three types of cables (or wires)

Twisted-pair cable
Coaxial cable
Fiber-optic cable

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Computer Network
Twisted-pair cable
also called Cat5 cable
four pairs of copper cable twisted around each other
may be shielded from interference
speeds range from 1 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps
most common type of cable used in LANs

Coaxial cable
similar to cable TV wire
one wire runs through cable
shielded from interference
speeds up to 10 Mbps
nearly obsolete now
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Computer Network
Fiber-optic cable
data is transmitted with light pulses
glass strand instead of cable
immune to interference
very secure but hard to install
speeds up to 100 Gbps

Wireless
data transmitted through the air
LANs use radio waves
WANs use microwave signals
easy to setup
difficult to secure
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Computer Network
Ethernet
wired local-area network architecture developed by Xerox Corporation in collaboration with DEC and
Intel in 1976
ethernet uses bus or star topology
supports data transfer rates of 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps
also known as IEEE 802.3

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity) is the wireless local area network technology
it uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections
it uses 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency band to provide data rates of 54 and 100 Mbps
also know as IEEE 802.11

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Computer Network
Bluetooth
a wireless personal area networking technology standard for exchanging data over short distances
it provides 720 kbps data rate up to 10m distance
also known as IEEE 802.15.1

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THANK YOU

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