DATA COMMUNICATION

Data communication is the transmission of data and information between two or more
computers. Data communication is essential for electronic, voice mail, facsimile (fax),
telecommuting, video conferencing, bulletin board. Many schools, businesses and other
organizations link computers together to form a network so that they can transmit data and
information to share files, resources such as disk drives, modems or printers and programs.
Communications systems may be set up to serve a small area; or they may be set up on a global
scale. Data in any communication system is moved from one location to another via data
communication channels or links. These channels are classified according to bandwidth.
Bandwidth determines the volume of data that can be transmitted in a given time. The wider
the bandwidth, the more data it can transmit. Bandwidth can be grouped into three classes of
channels:

1. A narrow-band channel, which is almost obsolete, for example a telegraph system, can
transmit data at slow speeds of between 10 and 30 characters per second (cps).
2. A voice-band channel can transmit data at the rate of 1000 to 8000 cps. A telephone
line is voice-band, and is one of the most widely used methods of transferring data.
3. A broadband channel can transmit large volumes of data at speeds of over 100000 cps.
Coaxial cables, fibre optic cables, microwave links and communication satellites are
commonly used to provide these channels.

Computers can be linked in different ways, or configurations, to transmit data. Two

configurations are:

⮚ Point to point: a direct link between two computers in a network.

⮚ Broadcast: using one computer to transmit data and information to serve the need of
several terminals or computers connected to it in a network.

Communication Channels
The communication channel is the method or medium used for transmitting data. Characteristics of
communications channels include transmission mode, direction of data flow, type of transmission
medium and transmission speed.

Communication Modes
Communication modes or rates determine the number of characters that can be transmitted in one
second. Examples of communication modes includes:

Simplex
Data in a simplex line can flow in only one direction, just like traffic in a one-way street. It is a send-only
or receive-only line. Examples are radio, TV, computer to printers, public address systems or any other
one directional transmission.

Half Duplex

Data in a half-duplex line can travel in both directions, but only one way at a time. In other words, data
can be either sent or received at any given time. A CB radio or Walkie-talkie is half duplex.

Full Duplex

Data in a full-duplex line can be both sent and received at the same time, like traffic in a two-way street.
Examples include telephone conversation, video conferencing etc. Most modem connections today
transmit full duplex. This increases efficiency, as data flows on the same pair of wire in both directions
simultaneously. To choose which channel to use, you should first decide how much information you
want to transfer at any given time, how important it is to have a fast or slow transmission rate, as well as
whether you want a full-duplex, half-duplex or simplex channel.

Transmission Media
Transmission media are the cables and signaling methods that carry data communications from one
place to another in a network. Data can be transmitted through various types of cabled (wired) or
wireless media. Cabled media uses wires to transmit data. Wireless media transmits data through the
air. Cabled media include twisted pair, coaxial, and fibre optic cables, and wireless media include
satellite, microwave, and infrared methods.

Cable/Wired transmission media

There are many types of cables and wires used for transmission.

1. Coaxial Cables – Carry electric current at radio frequencies. It is used for cable television and
broadband internet connections.
2. Fibre-optic Cables – Contain a bundle of glass fibres that each transmits light. This is a very fast
and reliable form of data transmission. These are similar to those used by large telephone and
telecommunications companies. This eliminates the problem of electrical interference. Fibre
optic cable can transmit signals over much longer distances than coaxial and twisted pair cables.
These are relatively expensive.
3. Although light travels in straight lines, a light beam bounces off the sides of the fibre along its
length so the cable can be quite flexible. Fibre-optic cables are now widely used in telephone
systems.
4. Twisted Pair Cables – This is common in telephone cables and is most popular and generally the
best option for school networks. They have been used for telephone networks for over a
century. These cables have pairs of insulated copper wires twisted round each other and are
capable of high speed transmission but are different to install since the cable is somewhat rigid.
 Although they are gradually being replaced by fribre-optic cables. All of these transmission
media can be used in LANs.

Wireless Transmission media

Computer data is more and more frequently transmitted using technologies that do not use cables or
wires. Generally, wireless connections are not as fast or as reliable as cables, but they can be very
convenient. All wireless connections use electromagnetic waves. The frequency of a signal is the
number of waves that can be completed in a second. So long wavelengths, like radio, have low
frequencies and short wavelengths like infrared have very high frequencies. Examples of wireless
Medias are:

1. Radio Signals – These are the most common form of wireless transmission. They are used as
the main means of communication for cell phones and also in many small LANs. Satellites
enables radio signals to be sent around the world. Data is transmitted by radio up to a satellite
in stationary orbit then directed back down to a receiving station in another country.
2. Microwave Transmission – uses a signal with a shorter wavelength than radio. It can be used
over distance of up to 50 km, but it cannot get round or through objects in its way.
3. Infrared Transmission – This is used in remote controls for televisions and other domestic
devices. The signal has a very much shorter wavelength than radio. It is occasionally used in
computer systems, for example when controlling robots. However the signal cannot travel very
far and also needs clear space for the signal to travel. The two main common types of infrared
communications used in schools are:
- Line-of-sight – line of sight communication means that there must be an unblocked
direct line between the workstation and the transceiver. If a person walks within
the line-of-sight while there is a transmission, the information would need to be
sent again. This kind of obstruction can slow down the wireless network.
- Scattered infrared communication – is a broadcast of infrared transmissions sent
out in multiple directions that bounces off walls and ceilings until it eventually hits
the receiver. Networking communications with laser are virtually the same as line
of sight infrared network.

Wireless LANS have several disadvantages. They provide poor security and are susceptible to
interference from lights and electronic devices. They are also slower than LANs using cabling.
Bluetooth and Wi-fi (Wireless Fidelity) both provide wireless connectivity using radio.

Networks
A network is a group of two or more computers linked together so that they can share facilities such as
printers and hard drives and can communicate with one another. Each computer network falls into one
of the following groups:

1. Local Area Networks (LANs)

2. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
 3. The Internet
4. Intranets
5. Extranets

Local Area network

A local area network consists of a collection of microcomputers, such as in an office building,
department or school that can share peripherals, files and programs and communicate with each other
on the network. Each micro computer that forms part of the network is connected either by a cable or
wireless link. Each computer can function both as an independent personal computer running its own
software and as a workstation on the network accessing information from the network server. The
server runs the networking software that allows resources to be shared with other computers (called
the client) on the network.

Advantages of LAN

1. Hardware such as printers can be shared

2. Storage facilities can be shared.
3. Software and data files can be shared by many users.
4. It is usually cheaper to buy one copy of a software application and pay the licence fee for several
machines, than to buy individual packages for each computer.
5. Users can work together on a single document.
6. Users can communicate using e-mail.

Disadvantages of LAN

1. The initial setup cost are high.

2. There is an increase risk of data corruption, since many users will be using the system, there is a
greater chance of data being corrupted or tampered with.
3. There is a greater risk from viruses, because they are easily spread between the computers that
are a part of the LAN.
4. If the file server fails, all the workstations are affected and work stored on shared hard disk
drives will not be accessible; nor will it be possible to use network printers.
5. Network can be complicated to maintain and may require a network manager. Additional costs
may therefore be incurred.

LANs can be divided into two categories based on how the computers communicate with one another:

1. Client/Server network – is one in which any computer on the network can be designated as the
server, although most such network will have a specially designed computer that operates as a
dedicated server and has a faster processor, more RAM and a LOT more storage space.
2. Peer-to-peer network –When a network does not have a file server, it is called a peer-to-peer
network. This allows every computer to communicate with every other computer in the
network. No computer is designated as a server. Instead, each computer can be considered as
 both a client and a server. This is because a user can access data from any computer on the
network and vice versa. Peer-to-peer networks are limited to about ten machines, after which
the performance drops and the system becomes cumbersome. They are used mainly in small
businesses and departments.

Metropolitan Area Network

Sometimes a network is needed that serves a limited area but is bigger than a LAN. The first
metropolitan area network (MAN) was built across a whole town or city, hence the name. A
MAN is run by a single organization and connects together the LANs within it.

Uploading and Downloading

Uploading – A file is uploaded when it is transferred from a computer in a network to a server.

Downloading – A file is down loaded when it is transferred from a server to a computer in a

network.

Wireless Networks
Wireless network use no cables. They are an increasingly popular technology for small
networks, because the computers, especially laptops, can be moved around but still remain
connected to the network. Wireless networks normally use radio transmissions. Wireless
network include:

1. Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi is a wireless radio technology that can be used to send data between
devices and computers. Small LANs can be built using only Wi-Fi, and the signal is good
enough to be used with a shared internet access. Some cell phones can use Wi-Fi
technology to access the internet.
2. Bluetooth – This is a wireless method of data transmission that uses radio signals to
send data between devices over short distances.

Hot Spot – This is a public area where you can access Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is known as hot spot.

LAN Topologies
How computers on a network are connected determines its topology (or configuration). The
most common topologies for a LAN are:
 1. Star
2. Line
3. Bus
4. Ring

Star Topology
All the computers on the network are connected to one another through a central hub. A hub
is a hardware device to which a number of computers can be connected. Data is transmitted
from one computer to the next by packets. A packet containing the addresses of the sender
and receiver is first sent to the central hub, which then sends the packet to the designated
computer.

Advantages of star topology

1. Adding new devices to the network is easy

2. If a computer stop working, the network is not affected
3. If one piece of cable is damaged, only one computer is affected

Disadvantages of Star topology

1. It requires more cabling

2. If the central computer or server malfunctions, the entire network will fail.
3. Only one computer on the network can send data at any particular time

Line or Bus Topology

This is a single line or cable (also called the backbone) with nodes at different points. Servers,
computers and other devices can be connected to any of the nodes on the line. Data is sent
down the line in any direction in packets. Each packet has the address of the sender and the
address of the intended receiver. If the packet is intended for this computer, it is retained for
processing; otherwise it is sent on its way.

Advantages of bus topology

1. Extending the network is very easy. New equipments can be connected to it simply by
tapping into the main cable.
2. It requires less hardware to set up
3. It is easy to configure

Disadvantages of bus topology

1. Any problem with the main cable may cause the whole network to malfunction
 2. Packets of data may collide, resulting in loss of information

Ring Topology
Here the cable is connected to all the computers on the network. The ends of the cable are
then connected together to form a loop or ring. Data is passed from one computer to the next
by means of token (electronic signal), which is passed around the ring, giving each computer an
opportunity to send data. A computer can send data only when it is in possession of the token.

Advantages of a ring topology

1. If a computer stops working, the other computers can continue to communicate

2. Communication is usually faster than with a line network.

Disadvantages of ring topology

1. If the main cable is damaged, the entire network goes down.

2. The entire network has to be shut down for any maintenance to be carried out.
3. The network becomes very difficult to maintain if it gets very large.

N.B. Get examples of each of the topologies

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

There are different ways of setting up a WLAN. One of the most common methods depends on
two main sets of components:

● Access Points

● NICs (Network interface cards)

With radio transmitters/receivers

Access Point – An access point is a device attached to a LAN network and contains a radio
transmitter/receiver, encryption facility and communicates software. It translate computer
signal into wireless signals, which it broadcasts to wireless network interface card on the
network.

Network interface cards equipped for wireless communications receive these signals, and can
transmit back. They have a fixed or detachable radio antenna in place of the usual coaxial
cable.
The access point and the NIC communicate with one another using a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio
band. The access point performs its role in reverse when transferring signals from a wireless
NIC to the conventional network: It translates wireless signals received from NICs into wired
signals.

A WLAN can be used where it may be difficult or impractical to use a cabled LAN –e.g. in homes,
large offices, warehouses and lecture halls. A device can be as far as 300 feet from an access
point and still be able to access the internet. Ina building with many rooms or large halls, a few
access points may be needed.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A WAN can connect mainframes, LANs and PCs across a large geographical area such as a city, a
state or a country. LANs are often connected to WANs using a special interface device called a
gateway.

A gateway is an interface that enables communication between two different networks.

Information can be transmitted using special high speed telephone lines, microwave links,
satellite links or a combination of all three. WANs are used mainly by universities and research
centres so that information can be shared, and by large organizations, companies and banks
with branches in different countries, to processing loads between the various branches. WANs
can also be used to publish documents and distribute software.