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Computer Communication & Networks

Lecture 1
Introduction
http://web.uettaxila.edu.pk/CMS/coeCCNbsSp09/index.asp

Waleed Ejaz
waleed.ejaz@uettaxila.edu.pk

Overview

Administrative
Networking: An Overview of Ideas and
Issues

Whos Who

Instructor

Engr. Waleed Ejaz

2006 -2008 MS (Computer Engineering) from NUST


Area of Specialization: Communication & Computer
Networks
2003-2006 BE (Computer Engineering) from UET Taxila

Lab Engineer

Engr. Noshina Ishaq

Web Resources
Course web
http://web.uettaxila.edu.pk/CMS/coeCCNbsS
p09/index.asp
This website and email will serve as a
communication medium between you and me
besides the lecture timing.

Do visit the course website regularly and see


Recent Announcements for updates.
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Grading Policy

Final Exam:
Grand Quiz
Assignments
Quizzes:
Labs

100
10
5
10
25

Answers to FAQs

All home works are due at the beginning of the class


indicated on the course calendar

After that 10% penalty: only if submitted before solutions


are posted.

Exams are closed-book and extremely time limited.


Exams consist of design questions, numerical,
maybe true-false and short answer questions.
More about Exams you can see Past Exams from
WEB.
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Reading

Text book:

Data Communications and Networking, 4/e

B.A. Forouzan,
McGraw-Hill, 2003,
ISBN 0-07-292354-7.

Reference books:

Computer Networking, a top-down approach


featuring the Internet (3rd edition),

J.K.Kurose, K.W.Ross,
Addison-Wesley, 2005,
ISBN 0-321-26976-4.

Computer Networks, A Systems Approach


L. Peterson & Davie

Required Skills

The course does not assume prior knowledge


of networking.

My Requirement from YOU

I require YOU to take active part during lectures

Which means Lot of Questioning in the class


(Interactive session)

Aim of the Course

Aim of the course is to introduce you to the


world of computer networks, so that you
could

know the science being used in running this


network
Use this knowledge in your professional field

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Network design

Before looking inside a computer


network, first agree on what a
computer network is

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Computer network ?
Specialized to
handle:

Set of serial lines to attach


terminals to mainframe ?
Telephone network carrying
voice traffic ?
Cable network to disseminate
video signals ?

Keystrokes
Voice
Video

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What distinguishes a
Computer network ?

Generality
Built from general purpose
programmable hardware
Supports wide range of applications

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Information, Computers, Networks

Information: anything that is represented in bits

Form (can be represented as bits) vs


Substance (cannot be represented as bits)

Properties:

Infinitely replicable
Computers can manipulate information
Networks create access to information

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Networks

Potential of networking:

move bits everywhere, cheaply, and with desired

performance characteristics
Network provides connectivity

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What is Connectivity ?

Direct or indirect access to every other node in the


network

Connectivity is the magic needed to communicate if


you do not have a direct pt-pt physical link.

Tradeoff: Performance characteristics worse than true physical


link!

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Building Blocks

Nodes: PC, special-purpose hardware

hosts
switches

Links: coax cable, optical fiber

point-to-point

multiple access
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Why not connect each node


with every other node ?

Number of computers that can be


connected becomes very limited
Number of wires coming out of each
node becomes unmanageable
Amount of physical hardware/devices
required becomes very expensive
Solution: indirect connectivity using
intermediate data forwarding nodes

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Switched Networks

A network can be defined recursively as...

two or more nodes


connected by a link
white nodes
(switches)
implement the
network
colored nodes
(hosts) use the
network
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Switched Networks

A network can be defined recursively as...

two or more networks


connected by one or more
nodes: internetworks
white nodes (router or
gateway) interconnects
the networks
a cloud denotes any
type of independent
network

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A Network
A network can be defined recursively as
two or more nodes connected by a
physical link
Or
two or more networks connected by one or
more nodes

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Switching Strategies

Circuit switching:
carry bit streams
a.

b.

c.

d.

establishes a dedicated
circuit
links reserved for use
by communication
channel
send/receive bit stream
at constant rate
example: original
telephone network

Packet switching: storeand-forward messages


a. operates on discrete
blocks of data
b. utilizes resources
according to traffic
demand
c. send/receive messages
at variable rate
d. example: Internet

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What next ?

Hosts are directly or indirectly connected to


each other

Can we now provide host-host connectivity ?

Nodes must be able to say which host it


wants to communicate with

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Addressing and Routing

Address: byte-string that identifies a node

Routing: forwarding decisions

usually unique
process of determining how to forward messages
to the destination node based on its address

Types of addresses

unicast: node-specific
broadcast: all nodes on the network
multicast: some subset of nodes on the network
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Wrap-up

A network can be constructed from


nesting of networks

An address is required for each node


that is reachable on the network

Address is used to route messages


toward appropriate destination
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What next ?

Hosts know how to reach other hosts on


the network
How should a node use the network for
its communication ?
All pairs of hosts should have the ability
to exchange messages: cost-effective
resource sharing for efficiency
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Multiplexing

Physical links and nodes are shared among users

(synchronous) Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM)


Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM)
L1
R1
L2
L3

Switch 1

Multiple flows
on a single link

Switch 2

R2
R3

Do you see any problem with TDM / FDM ?

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What Goes Wrong in the Network?


Reliability at stake

Bit-level errors (electrical interference)


Packet-level errors (congestion)

distinction between lost and late packet

Link and node failures

distinction between broken and flaky link


distinction between failed and slow node

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What Goes Undesirable in the


Network?
Required performance at stake

Messages are delayed


Messages are delivered out-of-order
Third parties eavesdrop

The challenge is to fill the gap between


application expectations and hardware
capabilities
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Research areas in Networking

Routing
Security
Ad-hoc networks
Wireless networks
Protocols
Quality of Service

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Readings

Chapter 1: 1.1, 1.2

Computer Networks, A Systems Approach


L. Peterson & Davie

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