CH 14 – COMMUNICATION AND NETWORK CONCEPTS

Network
It is a collection of computers and other hardware components interconnected by communication
channels that allow sharing of resources and information.
Need for networking
● To share computer files and computer peripherals
● To enable different computers to communicate with each other.
● To improve communication speed and accuracy.
● To reduce cost of data transfer.
Evolution of Networking
1. ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency NETwork) - It was the network that
became the basis for the Internet, developed by the US department of Defense in 1969. The main
objective of ARPANET was to develop a network that could continue to function efficiently even
in the event of a nuclear attack.
2. INTERNET(INTERconnection NETwork): The Internet is a worldwide network of computer
networks. It is not owned by anybody.
3. The National Science Foundation Network(NSFNET) was a program of coordinated,
evolving projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation(NSF) from 1985 to 1995 to
promote advanced research and education networking in the United States.
4. Elementary terminologies of Networks :
a) Nodes – it is any device connected to a computer network and share resources of the
network.
b) Server – it is a computer designed to process requests and deliver data to other
computers over network. Two types are
a) Non – dedicated : not completely dedicated to the cause of serving.
b) Dedicated: completely dedicated to the cause of serving.
c) NIU (Network Interface Unit)/ NIC( Network Interface Card)
It is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a network. It is an
interpreter that helps establish communication between the server and workstation. The
NIC manufacturer assigned a unique physical address to each NIC card known as MAC
address.
Data communication Terminologies
Components of Data Communication
 Sender
 Receiver
 Message
 Transmission Medium
 Protocol
Measuring capacity of Communication media
 Baud – the number of changes in a signal per second is known as baud.
 Bandwidth – the amount of data that can be passed along a communication channel in a given
period of time is bandwidth.
 Data transfer rate – it is the amount of data transferred in one direction over a link divided by the
time taken to transfer it in bps. The other units are Bps, kbps, mbps, gbps.

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SWITCHING TECHNIQUES
Switching techniques are used for transmitting data across networks. Different types are:
● Circuit Switching
● Message Switching
● Packet Switching

Circuit Switching
● First the complete physical connection between two computers is established and then the data are
transmitted from the source computer to the destination.
● It is must to setup an end-to-end connection between computers before any data can be sent.
● The circuit is terminated when the connection is closed.
Packet Switching
• Packet switching introduces the idea of cutting data i.e. at the source entire message is broken in
smaller pieces of fixed size called packets which are transmitted over a network without any
resource being allocated.
• Then each packet is transmitted and each packet may follow any route available and at destination
packets may reach in random order.
• At the destination when all packets are received they are merged to form the original message.

Difference between Circuit Switching and Packet Switching

 Circuit switching reserves the required bandwidth in advance, whereas packet switching uses
bandwidth as and when required by the packets to be transmitted.
 Circuit switching is a fast technology as compared to packet switching which is a slow
mechanism of transferring packets from sender to receiver.
 Circuit switching requires a dedicated path. Once the connection is established, the
communication path is entirely dedicated to it until the data is completely transferred from
sender to receiver,whereas in packet switching, packets can use any dynamic path.
 In circuit switching, if the path is overloaded, the call is blocked and communication is delayed.
But in packet switching,packets are allocated to different paths.
 Circuit-switched networks are used for phone calls and packet-switched networks handle
data.
 Packet switching is more efficient because the cost of the link is sharedby many users.
 In circuit switching, the telephone message is sent unbroken. The message is received in the
same order as it is originally sent in packet switching, the message is broken into small
packets which are randomly sent from source and received in random order at destination,
which is then sequentially arranged.

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TWISTED PAIR CABLE
● These cables consist of two insulated copper wires twisted around each other in a
double helix.
● Twisting of wires reduces crosstalk which is bleeding of a signal from one wire to
another.
USE 1. In local telephone communication
2. For digital data transmission over short distances upto 1 km
Advantages:
● Easy to install and maintain
● Simple
● Inexpensive
● Low weight
● Suitable for small (Local) Networks
Disadvantages:
● Not suitable for long distance due to high attenuation.
● Low bandwidth support.
● Low Speed
COAXIAL CABLE
● Coaxial cable consists of a solid copper wire core surrounded by a plastic cladding
shielded in a wire mesh.
● Shield prevents the noise by redirecting it to ground.
USE:
In TV channel communication
Advantages:
● Better than twisted wire cable.
● Popular for TV networks.
● Offers higher bandwidth & Speed
Disadvantages:
● Expensive than twisted wires.

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OPTICAL FIBRES
● Thin strands of glass or glass like material designed to carry light from one source to
another.
● Source converts (Modulates) the data signal into light using LED (Light Emitting
Diodes) or LASER diodes and send it over the Optical fiber.
It consists of three parts:
1. The core: glass or plastic through which the light travels.
2. The cladding : covers the core and reflects light back to the core
3. Protective coating : protects the fiber

Advantages
● Not affected by any kind of noise.
● High transmission capacity
● Suitable for broadband communication
● Lighter weight makes fiber easier to install
Disadvantages
● Installation requires care.
● Connecting two Optical fibers is difficult.
● Most expensive
Microwaves
Microwaves are transmitted from the transmitters placed at very high towers to the receivers at
a long distance.
Microwaves are transmitted in line of sight fashion(uni directional), and also propagated
through the surfaces.
Advantages
• Maintenance easy than cables.
• Suitable when cable cannot be used.
Disadvantages
• Repeaters are required for long distance communication.
• Less Bandwidth available
Radio wave
● Like visible light, UV, IR, X-rays and gamma rays, radio waves are electromagnetic waves that
travel through a vacuum.
● Used for wireless transmission of sound messages, for communication in cell phones, cordless
phones, baby monitor, as well as for maritime and aircraft navigation.
Advantage
 This offers mobility and ease of communication over difficult terrain.
 They are Omnidirectional and can travel in any direction
Disadvantage – Radio wave propagation is susceptible to weather effects like rains, thunder storms,
etc., and also it is an insecure communication.
Satellite
Geostationary satellites are placed around 36000 KM away from the earth’s surface. In satellite
communication transmitting station transmits the signals to the satellite. (It is called up-linking). After

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 receiving the signals (microwaves) it amplifies them and transmit back to earth in whole visibility area.
Receiving stations at different places can receive these signals. (It is called down-linking).
Advantage – Area coverage is too large

Disadvantage – High investment

Infrared communication
● This is considered to be secured one and it is used in TV remotes, automotive garage doors,
wireless speakers, etc.,
● This light transmits data through the air and can propagate throughout a room but will not
penetrate walls.
Types of Networks:

1. LAN (Local Area Network) – It is a network that is confined to a relatively small area. It is
generally limited to a geographic area such as writing lab, school or building. It is generally
privately owned networks over a distance not more than 5 km.
2. MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) – It is the network that covers a group of nearby offices
or a city and might be either private or public.
3. WAN (Wide Area Network) – These are the networks spread over large distances, say across
countries or even continents through cabling or satellite uplinks.
4. PAN (Personal Area Network) – it is a network organized around an individual person which
covers a range of less than 10 meters. It can be constructed with cables or wirelessly.
Difference between LAN and WAN

LAN WAN
● Distance between the node is limited ● No limit of distance between the nodes.
(upper limit of 10 km and lower limit
of 1 m.
● Speed is between 1 and 10 mbps. ● Speed less than 1 mbps
● Because of short distance involved ● Error rate is high
error rate is much lower than WAN
● Complete ownership by a single ● Owned by multiple organization
organization
Network Topologies
The pattern of interconnection of nodes in a network is called the Topology.
1. The Bus topology
● It is a series of nodes which are all connected to a backbone. It works well for smaller networks
and use Ethernet cables for networking.
● Data pass directly from one station to another without first going through a hub or around the
ring.
● Ethernet is a common example of bus topology
Advantages

● Works well for small network

● Requires less cable length than star topology
● Easy to extend
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 Disadvantages
● Fault diagnosis and isolation is difficult
● Nodes must be intelligent to select the data sent.
● The signal becomes weaker if the number of modes is more
2. The Ring topology
It is circular in shape and every node will have one node on either side of it. Data flows from one node
to the next in an ordered sequence. In this, the nodes / stations are attached to repeaters connected in a
closed loop. It is rare to come across because of its limitations.

Advantages
● Short cable length
● No wiring closet space required
● Suitable for optical fibers
Disadvantages
● Node failure causes network failure
● Difficult to diagnose faults
● Network reconfiguration is difficult
3. Star or Radial topology
It is based on a central node which acts as a hub.It is common in home networks where all the computers
are connected to the single central computer using it as hub.
Advantages
● Ease of service
● One device per connection
● Centralized control / problem diagnosis
● Simple access protocols
Disadvantages
● Long cable length
● Difficult to expand
● Central node dependency
4. Tree topology
● In this stations are attached to a shared transmission medium, which is a branching cable
connecting from a head end with no closed circuits.
● Transmissions propagate through all branches of the tree and are received by all stations. The best
example is IBMs personal computer.
Advantages
● Easy to extend
● Fault isolation is easy
Disadvantages
● Dependent on the root computer
● Complex access protocols

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 Networking devices

1. Modem
 The device that converts data from digital to analog form and vice versa is called MODEM. It is a
computer peripheral that allows you to connect and communicate with other computers via
telephone lines.
 Modem at the sender’s end – Modulator (Converts digital data into analog signals)
 Modem at the receiver’s end – DeModulator
2. RJ – 45 connector (Registered Jack ) - It is commonly used for network cabling and for telephony
applications. It can be used between our computer and any networked device, such as a modem or a hub.
3. Ethernet card
It is a king of network adapter which supports the Ethernet which supports the Ethernet standard for high
speed network connections. Also called Network Interface Cards (NIC)
Functions
 Used to create LAN. Once Ethernet cable is connected to the Ethernet cards of two or more
computers over the LAN, one can transfer files and data.
 Is hundred times faster than a MODEM
4. Hub
 It is a hardware device used to connect several computers together.
 It is commonly used to connect segments of a LAN.
5. Switch (create a network)
 It is a device that is used to segment networks into different sub networks or LAN segments.
Segmenting the network into smaller subnets, prevents traffic overloading in a network.
 It is smarter than hub.
6. Repeater - It is a network device that amplifies and restores signals for long distance transmission.
7. Router (connect networks of different protocol)
 It is a network device that is used to separate different segments in a network to improve
performance and reliability.
 It is a device that works like a bridge but can handle different protocols.
8. Gateway - It is network device that connects dissimilar networks. It establishes an intelligent connection
between a local network and external networks with completely different structures.
9. Wifi card - A device that adds wireless connectivity to a laptop or desktop computer.
Network protocols
A protocol is a set of rules that governs data communications between two devices. OR
A protocol is a formal description of message formats and the rules that two or more machines must
follow to exchange those messages.
1. HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) – set of rules or protocol that governs the transfer of
hypertext between two or more computers. This is used to search information from internet using
a browser.
2. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – is the protocol or set of rules, which enables files to be
transferred between computers.
3. TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) – It is a group of protocols that
specify how computers communicate over the internet. It controls the movement of messages
across the internet.
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4. PPP (Point – to – Point Protocol) – it is used by users connected to a network with a serial
connection or modem to establish a temporary network connection. It handles error detection,
support multiple protocols, allows IP addresses to be negotiated at connection time, permits
authentication and has many other improvements over SLIP.
5. Electronic Mail Protocol

1. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – this is the most popular protocol used for sending and
receiving e-mails.
2. POP (Post Office Protocol) – it is used to retrieve E-mail from a mail server. There are two
versions of POP,
a. POP2 requires SMTP to send messages.
b. POP3 can be used with or without SMTP.
6. VoIP Protocols (Voice over IP)
It refers to the transferring of voice communication over IP networks, such as internet.
7. HTTPs – HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the
protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to.
The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'. It means all communications between your
browser and the website are encrypted.
8. Remote Login (Telnet) – it means to connect the network at a remote station without any
network. It is a network application that is used to login to one computer on the internet from
another. Using telnet a student in Delhi can access a server at America.

Introduction to Web services

1. WWW (World Wide Web) is a collection of linked documents or pages, stored on millions of
computers and distributed across the Internet.
2. Web Browser & Web Server: A software application that enables to browse, search and
collect information from the Web is known as Web browser. The web pages on the Internet are
stored on the computers that are connected to the Internet. These computers are known as web
servers.
3. Domain Names: A domain name is a unique name that identifies a particular website and
represents the name of the server where the web pages reside.
4. URL: - The Uniform Resource Locator is a means to locate resources such as web pages on the
Internet.URL is also a method to address the web pages on the Internet. There are two types of
URL, namely, absolute URL and relative URL.
5. IP Address - An IP address is a unique identifier for a node or host connection on an IP network.
An IP address is a 32 bit binary number usually represented as 4 decimal values, each representing 8
bits, in the range 0 to 255 (known as octets) separated by decimal points. This is known as "dotted
decimal"notation.Example:140.179.220.200
6. Web Hosting: - Web Hosting or website hosting is the service to host, store and maintain the
websites on the World Wide Web.
Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page
onto the server, which can be viewed by everyone on the Internet.
7. HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language):- HTML is a computer language that describes the
structure and behavior of a web page. This language is used to create web pages.
8. XML (eXtensible Markup Language):- Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a meta
language that helps to describe the markup language.
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