Data Communications & Network

Principles (MELE0025)
Lecture 1
Data Communications & Networking Overview
OSI Model
6th October 2005

Contact details
Nandini Alinier
Office: B428
Email: N.D.Alinier@herts.ac.uk

Aims & Learning Outcomes

Basic concepts to computer networks:
Basic components
Simplex, half-duplex, duplex
LAN, WAN, MAN
Network topology
Protocols and standards
OSI model

5 components of data communication

1. Sender

4. Medium

2. Message

5. Protocol

3. Receiver

5 components of data communication (ctd)

1. Message
Information (data) to be communicated
Can consist of text, numbers, pictures, sound,
video
2. Sender
Device that sends the data message
e.g. computer, workstation, telephone handset
5

5 components of data communication (ctd)

3. Receiver
Device that receives the message
e.g. computer, workstation, telephone handset

4. Medium
Physical path by which a message travels from
sender to receiver
e.g. twisted pair wire, coaxial cable, fibre optic
cable
6

5 components of data communication (ctd)

5. Protocol
A set of rules that govern data
communications
Agreement between communication devices

Direction of data flow

Communication between two devices can
be
1. Simplex
2. Half-duplex
3. Full-duplex

Direction of data flow: simplex mode

Communication is unidirectional
Only one of the two devices on a link can
transmit; the only can only receive
e.g. keyboard, traditional monitor, pager

Direction of data flow: half-duplex mode

Each station can both transmit and

receive, but not at the same time
When one device is sending, the other can
only receive, and vice versa
e.g. walkie-talkies

10

Direction of data flow: full-duplex mode

Full-duplex (also called duplex)

Both stations can transmit and receive
simultaneously
e.g. telephone network
11

Networks
A network is a set of devices (often
referred to as nodes) connected by
communication links
Examples of nodes: computer, printer

12

Categories of networks

13

Local Area Network (LAN)

Typically covers a small geographical area
e.g. within a single building or a cluster of
buildings (up to a few kilometres)
Usually, a LAN is owned by the same
organisation that owns the attached
devices
Internal data rates are quite high (typically
4-16 Mbps but up to Gbps systems
possible)
14

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Generally covers a large geographical
area
Provide long-distance transmission of
data, voice, image, etc Can comprise a
country, a continent, or even the whole
world
Typically a WAN consists of a number of
interconnected switching nodes
15

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Occupies a middle ground between LANs
and WANs
Intended to provide the required capacity
at lower cost and greater efficiency

16

Key elements of a LAN

1.
2.
3.
4.

Topology
Transmission medium
Layout
Medium Access Control

These factors determine the cost, capacity,

data type, speed and efficiency of a LAN
17

Topology
It is the way in which the end points or stations
attached to the network are interconnected

18

Mesh

Every device has a dedicated

point-to-point link to every
other device
Advantages
1. Dedicated links traffic
problems eliminated
2. Robust topology
3. Privacy or security
Disadvantages
1. Installation & reconnection:
difficult
2. Uneconomic

19

Star

Each device is attaches to a central node via

two point-to-point links, one for transmission and
one for reception
Devices are not directly linked to one another
No direct traffic between devices
Controller acts as an exchange
20

Star ctd

Two alternatives for the operation of the central node:

1. Broadcast
Transmission of a frame from one station to the node is
retransmitted on all of the outgoing links
Central element referred to as a hub
2. Central node: frame-switching device
Incoming frame is buffered in the node and then
retransmitted on an outgoing link to the destination node21

Star ctd

Advantages
Less expensive than mesh topology
Easier to install and reconfigure
Robustness
Disadvantage
Still fair amount of cabling compared to other
topologies

22

Bus

Multipoint medium
All stations attach, through appropriate hardware
interfacing (tap), directly to a linear transmission
medium, or bus
Full-duplex operation between the station and
the tap allows data to be transmitted onto the
bus and received from the bus
Transmission from any station propagates the
length of the medium in both directions and can
23
be received by all other stations

Bus ctd

Advantages
Ease of implementation
Disadvantages
Difficult reconnection and fault isolation
Degradation in quality possible due to
reflection at the taps
Fault or break in cable stops all transmission

24

Ring

Consists of a set of repeaters joined by

point-to-point links in a closed loop
Unidirectional links i.e. data is transmitted
in one direction only
25

Ring ctd

Advantage
Easy to install and reconfigure
Fault isolation is simplified
Disadvantage
Break in the ring can disable entire network26

Protocol
A set of rules that govern the operation of functional
units to achieve communication
A protocol defines
What is communicated
How it is communicated
When it is communicated
Its key elements:
Syntax: Structure or format of the data
Semantics: Meaning of each section of bits
Timing: when the data should be sent and how
fast they can be sent
27

Standards
Essential for
Creating and maintaining an open and
competitive equipment manufacturers
Guaranteeing national and international
interoperability of data and telecommunications
technology and processes

Provide guidelines to manufacturers,

vendors, governments agencies and other
service providers
28

Network Models
Network uses a combination of hardware
and software to send data from one
location to another
Layered approach

29

Layered tasks e.g. communication

through postal mail
Sender,
receiver &
carrier
Hierarchy
of tasks

30

Internet Model or TCP/IP

Protocol Suite

Intermediate
nodes
involved

31

Peer-to-peer processes

32

Organisation of the layers

Layers 1 (Physical), 2 (Data Link), 3
(Network):
Network support layers
Deal with physical aspects of moving data
from one device to another (electrical
specifications, physical connections,
physical addressing, )
Layer 5 (Application): User support layer
Allows interoperability among unrelated
software systems
Layer 4 (Transport): links the two subgroups33

Exchange using the Internet model

34

Exchange using the Internet model ctd

At each layer, a header can be added to
the data unit
At layer 2, a trailer is added as well
Formatted data unit passes through the
physical layer (layer 1) in the form of an
electromagnetic signal and transported
along a physical link

35

Physical Layer

Coordinates the functions required to

transmit a bit stream over a physical
medium
Deals with the mechanical and electrical
specifications of the interface and
transmission media

36

Physical Layer ctd

Responsible for transmitting individual bits
from one node to the next
Major duties are:
Physical characteristics of interfaces and
media
Representation of bits
Data rate
Synchronisation of bits
37

Data Link Layer

Makes physical layer appear error-free to

the upper layer (network layer)
Responsible for transmitting frames from
one node to the next

38

Data Link Layer ctd

Major duties:
Framing: divides bit streams into manageable
data units called frames
Physical addressing
Flow control
Error control: adds reliability to the physical
layer by adding mechanisms to detect and
retransmit damaged or lost frames achieved
through a trailer added to the end of the frame
Access control
39

Network Layer

Responsible for the source-to-destination

delivery of a packet possibly across
multiple networks
Major duties:
Routing

40

Transport Layer

Responsible for delivery of a message

from one process to another
Major duties:
Port addressing
Segmentation and reassembly
41

Application Layer

Responsible for providing services to the

user

42

OSI model
Open Systems
Interconnection or
OSI model
designed by the
International
Organisation for
Standardisation
(ISO)
43

OSI model ctd

Session layer
Network dialog controller
Designed to establish, maintain and
synchronise the interaction between
communicating systems

Presentation layer
Designed for data translation, encryption,
decryption and compression
44

OSI & TCP/IP models

Application
Transport
Internet
Network access
Physical

TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

45

Reading List
Stallings, W., (2004), Data and Computer
Communications, Pearson Prentice Hall,
7th Edition: Chapters 1 & 2, sections 15.115.2
Forouzan, B., (2004), Data
Communications & Networking, McGraw
Hill, 3rd Edition: Chapters 1, 2

46