6.
6 PHYSICAL LAYER
Our discussion of the TCP/IP protocol suite would be incomplete without the discussion of the physical
layer. The role of the physical layer is to transfer the bits received from the data-link layer and convert
them to electromagnetic signals for transmission. After the bits are converted to signals, the signals are
delivered to the transmission media, which are the subject of our discussion in the next section.
6.6.1 Data and signals
At the physical layer, communication occurs between nodes using electromagnetic signals. The primary
function of this layer is to route bits between nodes by converting them into signals suitable for
transmission through media like wires or air. This involves understanding both the nature of the data and
the types of signals to perform the conversion efficiently.
• Analog and Digital
Data can be analog or digital. Analog data, like human voice sounds, are continuous and can be captured
as analog signals or sampled into digital signals. Digital data, such as computer memory values (0s and
1s), can be transmitted as digital signals or modulated into analog signals. Similarly, signals can be
analog, with infinite levels of intensity over time, or digital, with a limited number of defined values,
often just 1 and 0. Signals are typically represented on graphs with the vertical axis showing signal
strength and the horizontal axis showing time.
6.6.2 Digital transmission
A computer network transmits information by converting it into either digital or analog signals. For
digital data, digital-to-digital conversion techniques are used to create digital signals. For analog data,
analog-to-digital conversion techniques convert analog signals into digital signals for transmission.
• Digital–to–digital conversion
If our data is digital and we need to transmit a digital signal, we can use digital-to-digital conversion to
transform the digital data into a digital signal. In its simplest form, this involves representing a bit or
group of bits with a specific signal level.
• Analog-to-digital conversion
When dealing with an analog signal, such as one from a microphone or camera, there's a tendency to
convert it to digital data because digital signals are less susceptible to noise. One common technique for
this is sampling the analog signal to create digital data, which can then be converted into a digital signal
using digital-to-digital conversion methods discussed previously.
6.6.3 Analog transmission
Digital transmission is indeed preferable due to its resilience to noise and ability to carry more
information efficiently. However, it requires a dedicated channel. In scenarios where a dedicated channel
is not available, such as broadcasting over the airwaves, analog transmission becomes necessary.
Depending on the type of data available, we can employ either digital-to-analog or analog-to-analog
conversion techniques to facilitate transmission over the available channel.
• Digital-to-analog conversion
Digital-to-analog conversion is the process of changing one of the characteristics of an analog signal
based on the information in digital data. Figure 6.45 shows the relationship between the digital
information, the digital-to-analog conversion process, and the resultant analog signal.
• Analog-to-analog conversion
Analog-to-analog conversion is the process of changing one of the characteristics of an analog signal
based on the information in digital data. Figure 6.46 shows the relationship between the digital
information, the digital-to-analog conversion process, and the resultant analog signal.
