Data Communication

 Data communication is the transfer of data from one

device to another via some form of transmission
medium.

 Is the process of sending and receiving data from two

computers connected in a network.
Communication System
Communication systems are electronic systems that
transmit data from one location to another whether
wired or wireless.
Four basic elements:
 Sending and receiving devices
 Communication channel
 Connection devices
 Data transmission specification
Communication System
The following are the basic elements for working of a
communication system:

 The sender

 A medium
Communication Channels
Communication channels are essential element of every
communication system. These channels actually carry the
data from one computer to another.

Physical connections use a solid medium to connect

sending and receiving devices. These connections include
telephone lines (twisted pair), coaxial cable and fiber-
optic cable.
Twisted Pair Cable
Coaxial Cable
Fibre Optic Cable
Data Transmission Modes
Protocol
 A uniform set of rules that enable two devices to connect
and transmit data to one another.
 Determine how data are transmitted between computing
devices and over the networks.
 Define issues such as error control and data compression
methods.
Protocol
The data transmission software or protocols perform the
following functions for the efficient and error free
transmission of data.
 Data Sequencing
 Data Routing
 Flow Control
 Error Control
Packet
A packet is the unit of data that is routed between an origin
and a destination on the Internet
Most network packets are split into three parts:
 Header
 Payload
 Trailer
Packet
Computer Network
 In computer network two or more computers linked
together with a medium and data communication devices
for the purpose of communication data and sharing
resources.
 The computer that provides resources to other computer
on a network is known as server.
 In the network the individual computers , which access
shared network resources are known as node.
Network Design
The two types of high-level network design are called client-
server and peer-to-peer.
 Client-server networks feature centralized server computers
that store email, Web pages, files and or applications.
 On a peer-to-peer network, conversely, all computers tend
to support the same functions. Peer to peer is an approach
to computer networking where all computers share
equivalent responsibility for processing data. Client-server
networks are much more common in business and peer-to-
peer networks much more common in homes.
Types of Network
LAN- Local Area Network
A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short
distance.
Types of Network
WAN- Wide Area Network
A WAN is a computer network that spans a relatively large
geographical area.
Networking Devices
Router
A router is a communication device that is used to
connect two logically and physically different networks.
The main function of the router is to sorting and the
distribution of the data packets to their destinations
based on their IP addresses. Router operates at the
network layer of the OSI model. Router does not
broadcast the data packets.
Networking Devices
Switch
Like the router, a switch is an intelligent device that maps
the IP address with the MAC address of the LAN card.
Unlike the hubs, a switch does not broadcast the data to
all the computers, it sends the data packets only to the
destined computer. Switches are used in the LAN, MAN
and WAN. In an Ethernet network, computers are directly
connected with the switch via twisted pair cables. Switch
operates at the data link layer of the OSI model.
Networking Devices
Hubs
The central connecting device in a computer network is
known as a hub. When data packets arrives at hub, it
broadcast them to all the LAN cards in a network and the
destined recipient picks them and all other computers
discard the data packets. Hubs operates at the physical
layer of the OSI model.
Networking Devices
NIC
Network Interface Card (NIC) is a device that allows
computers to be joined together in a network, typically a
Local Area Network (LAN). NIC throughout the world
carries a unique code, called the Media Access Control
(MAC) address. NIC operates at the data link layer of the
OSI model.
Networking Devices
Repeater
Repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and
retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power so
that the signal can cover longer distances. The purpose of
a repeater is regenerate and retimes network signals at
the bit level to allow them to travel a longer distance on
the media. Repeater operates at the physical layer of the
OSI model.
OSI Model
Protocol Layer
 Application Layer contains all protocols for specific data
communications services on a process to process level.
The application layer contains the higher-level protocols
used by most applications for network communication.
 Transport Layer -end to end message transmission or
connecting applications at the transport layer can be
categorized as either connection-oriented, implemented
in TCP, implemented in UDP.
Protocol Layer
 Network Layer has the responsibility of sending packets
across potentially multiple networks.
Basic Functions:
Host addressing and identification: This is accomplished
with a hierarchical addressing system (IP address).
Packet routing: This is the basic task of sending packets
of data (datagrams) from source to destination by
sending them to the next network node (router) closer to
the final destination.
Protocol Layer
 Link Layer is the networking scope of the local network
connection to which a host is attached. The link layer is
used to move packets between the network layer
interfaces of two different hosts on the same link. The
processes of transmitting and receiving packets on a
given link can be controlled both in the software device
driver for the network card.
Protocol Layer