Chapter 1
Introduction
• Data Communication
• Networks
• Protocols and Standards
• Standard Organizations
Data Communication
• The term telecommunication,
– includes telephony, telegraphy, and television, means
communication at a distance (tele is Greek for "far").
• The word data refers to information presented in
whatever form is agreed upon by the parties
creating and using the data.
• Data comes in different forms such as
– text, numbers, images, audio, and video.
• Data communications are the exchange of data
between two devices
Effective communications
• The effectiveness of a data communications
system depends on four fundamental
characteristics:
– delivery,
– accuracy,
– timeliness, and
– jitter.
Figure 1-1
Data Communication System Components
Figure 1-2
Network Criteria
Performance is often evaluated by two
networking metrics: throughput and
delay.
network reliability is measured by the
frequency of Failure
Network security issues include
protecting data from unauthorized
access, protecting data from damage
Protocol
A protocol is a set of rules that govern
data communications.
The key elements of a protocol are
syntax, semantics, and timing.
Syntax.
The term syntax refers to the structure or
format of the data, meaning the order in which
they are presented.
For example, a simple protocol might expect
the first 8 bits of data to be the address of
the sender,
the second 8 bits to be the address of the
receiver, and
the rest of the stream to be the message
itself.
Semantics
The word semantics refers to the
meaning of each section of bits.
For example, does an address
identify
the route to be taken or
the final destination of the
message?
Timing.
The term timing refers to two
characteristics: when data should be sent
and how fast they can be sent.
For example, if a sender produces data
at 100 Mbps but the receiver can process
data at only 1 Mbps,
the transmission will overload the
receiver and some data will be lost.
Figure 1-3
Standard
De facto. that have not been approved by
an organized body but have been adopted
as standards through widespread use are
de facto standards.
De facto standards are often established
originally by manufacturers who seek to
define the functionality of a new product
or technology.
Standard
De jure. Those standards that have been
legislated by an officially recognized
body are de jure standards.