The Physical Layer
Chapter 2
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Guided Transmission Media
• Magnetic media
• Twisted pairs
• Coaxial cable
• Power lines
• Fiber optics
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Magnetic Media
• Write data onto magnetic media
• Disks
• Tapes
• Data transmission speed
• Never underestimate the bandwidth of
a station wagon full of tapes hurtling
down the highway.
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Twisted Pairs
Category 5 UTP cable with four twisted pairs
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Coaxial Cable
A coaxial cable
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Fiber Optics (1)
Three examples of a light ray from inside a
silica fiber impinging on the air/silica boundary
at different angles.
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Fiber Optics (2)
Light trapped by total internal reflection.
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Fiber Cables (1)
Views of a fiber cable
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Wireless Transmission
• The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Radio Transmission
• Microwave Transmission
• Infrared Transmission
• Light Transmission
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Communication Satellites
• Geostationary Satellites
• Medium-Earth Orbit Satellites
• Low-Earth Orbit Satellites
• Satellites Versus Fiber
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
Communication Satellites
Communication satellites, some properties,
including: altitude above earth, round-trip delay
time, number of satellites for global coverage.
Computer Networks, Fifth Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, © Pearson Education-Prentice Hall, 2011
