Unit 2
data communication
Data communication is the process of transferring data from one place to another or between two
locations. It allows electronic and digital data to move between two networks, no matter where the
two are located geographically, what the data contains, or what format they are in.
It can be through cable connection or wireless
Components of Data Communication
A communication system is made up of the following components:
1. Message: A message is a piece of information that is to be transmitted from one person to
another. It could be a text file, an audio file, a video file, etc.
2. Sender: It is simply a device that sends data messages. It can be a computer, mobile,
telephone, laptop, video camera, or workstation, etc.
3. Receiver: It is a device that receives messages. It can be a computer, telephone mobile,
workstation, etc.
4. Transmission Medium / Communication Channels: Communication channels are the
medium that connect two or more workstations. Workstations can be connected by either
wired media or wireless media.
5. Set of rules (Protocol): When someone sends the data (The sender), it should be
understandable to the receiver also otherwise it is meaningless. For example, Sonali sends a
message to Chetan. If Sonali writes in Hindi and Chetan cannot understand Hindi, it is a
meaningless conversation.
Therefore, there are some set of rules (protocols) that is followed by every computer connected to
the internet and they are:
• TCP(Transmission Control Protocol): It is responsible for dividing messages into packets on
the source computer and reassembling the received packet at the destination or recipient
computer. It also makes sure that the packets have the information about the source of the
message data, the destination of the message data, the sequence in which the message data
should be re-assembled, and checks if the message has been sent correctly to the specific
destination.
• IP(Internet Protocol): IP is responsible for handling the address of the destination computer
so that each packet is sent to its proper destination.
Type of data communication
As we know that data communication is communication in which we can send or receive data from
one device to another. The data communication is divided into three types:
1. Simplex Communication: It is one-way communication or we can say that unidirectional
communication in which one device only receives and another device only sends data and
devices uses their entire capacity in transmission. For example, IoT, entering data using a
keyboard, listing music using a speaker, etc.
2. Half Duplex communication: It is a two-way communication, or we can say that it is a
bidirectional communication in which both the devices can send and receive data but not at
the same time. When one device is sending data then another device is only receiving and
vice-versa. For example, walkie-talkie.
3. Full-duplex communication: It is a two-way communication or we can say that it is a
bidirectional communication in which both the devices can send and receive data at the
same time. For example, mobile phones, landlines, etc.
