Computer Communication Networks

CS-418

Course Teacher : Sumayya Zafar

Class : BE EE

Lecture 1 – 1
Introduction

Spring Semester 2021 1

 Course Outline
TOPICS
Introduction to Data Communication & Network Topologies , Subnets , Circuit and Packet switching, Layers of
Communication Protocol ,Connection oriented and Connection less Services
Data Link Layer : Framing , Error Detection Techniques
Data Link Layer: Flow and Error Control , Sliding window protocols
Data Link Layer :High Level Data Link Control Protocol , Point to Point Protocol
Medium Access Layer : Queuing theory
Local Area Networks
Network Layer : IP , Flooding & Routing Algorithms
Network Layer : Dijkstra Algorithm
Network Layer :Distance Vector Routing (RIP)
Network Layer : Routing Loops and Count to Infinity Problem , RIP Timers
Transport Layer: Quality of Service, Transport Protocol Mechanisms, Flow Control and Congestion Control in TCP,
Examples of Transport Protocols (UDP, TCP)

Spring Semester 2021 2

 Learning Resources

❖Text Books:
• Data Communications & Networking (4th Edition), Behrouz A. Forouzan -
McGraw-Hill
• Data & Computer Communications (8th Edition) , William Stallings -
Prentice Hall

❖Reference Book:
• Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th Edition) James Kurose
, Keith Ross – Pearson

Spring Semester 2021 3

 Evaluation Criteria

Assessment Type Marks Schedule (Week

No.)
Midterm 20 7*
Assignment 10 2,6
Quiz 05 5,9
Class Performance 05 1-16
Total Sessional Marks 40
Spring Semester 2021 4
 Course Objectives
❖To develop understanding of the fundamental concepts of
computer networking.

❖To develop an understanding of different components of

computer networks, various protocols, modern technologies and
their applications.

Spring Semester 2021 5

 Course Learning Outcomes
❖On successful completion of this course , the student must be able to :
• Understand basic computer network technology.
• Understand and explain Data Communications System and its
components.
• Identify the different types of network topologies and protocols.
• Explain the function(s) of each layer of OSI and TCP/IP reference model.
• Identify the different types of network devices and their functions within
a network.
• Understand sub-netting and routing mechanisms.
• Familiarity with the basic protocols of computer networks, and how they
can be used to assist in network design and implementation.

Spring Semester 2021 6

 A Communication Model

• Exchange of data between two parties.

• Key Elements:
• Source – generates data to be transferred
• Transmitter – converts data into transmittable signals
• Transmission system – carries the data
• Receiver – converts received signal into data
• Destination – takes incoming data

Spring Semester 2021 8

 Simplified Communication Model

Spring Semester 2021 9

 What is a Network?

• Set of devices (often referred to as nodes) connected by

communication links, capable of sending and/or receiving data
generated by other nodes on the network.

• Fundamental aim of networks:

• Resource sharing (computing, printers, peripherals, information)
• Services (Email, video conferencing, DB access, Client/server
applications)

Spring Semester 2021 10

 Important Tasks in Networking

• Routing – identify suitable routes subject to constraints on

capacity and allowable delays.

• Congestion control – avoid traffic overload situations in specific

network areas or at least to react properly to them.

• Flow Control – avoid overflowing receiver with data from

sender.

• Error Control – dealing with errors occurred during transmission

Spring Semester 2021 11
 Common Communication Patterns

• Unicast
• Only two nodes in the network are involved. Receiver node

• One of the node is the sender and the other is receiver.

• Nodes can have both roles.

• E.g. Phone connections, viewing

a webpage.
Sender node

Communication link

Spring Semester 2021 12

 Common Communication Patterns

• Broadcast
• One node as sender , all other nodes as receivers.

• E.g. Radio , TV

Sender node

*all other nodes receivers

Communication link

Spring Semester 2021 13

 Common Communication Patterns

• Multicast
• Group communication receiver

• One of the node is the sender, several ,but not all others as receivers.
• In multicast group, all nodes can act
as sender

• E.g. Internet chat

phone conferences Sender node

Communication link

Spring Semester 2021 14

 Network Topologies

• Network Topology – arrangement of elements in a

communication network.
• A simple model of network is a simple communication graph
• Nodes represent stations/switching elements
• Edges represent direct communication links
• Four basic topologies are:
• Mesh
• Star
• Bus
• Ring

Spring Semester 2021 15

 Mesh Topology

• Mesh Topology – every device has a dedicated link to every other

device.
• Dedicated link carries traffic only between the two Station
devices it connects.
𝑛 𝑛−1
• Total no. of links =
2
• Advantages: Station Station
• Robust
• Privacy or security
• Disadvantages:
• Increased cost of installation
Station Station
• Poor scalability

Spring Semester 2021 16

 Star Topology

• Star Topology – every device has a dedicated link to central

controller(hub).
Hub
• No direct traffic between devices, the hub acts
as an exchange.
• Total no. of links = 𝑛
• Advantages:
• Robust
• Less expensive
• Disadvantages: Station Station Station Station
• Hub is the single point of failure

Spring Semester 2021 17

 Bus Topology

• Bus Topology – every device is connected to a common bus.

• Bus is a broadcast medium.
• Advantages: Station Station
• Ease of installation
• Disadvantages:
• Difficult to scale
Station Station
• Bus is a common point of failure

Spring Semester 2021 18

 Ring Topology

• Ring Topology – every device has a dedicated connection to the

two devices on either side of it.
• Signal is passed along the ring in one
Station Station
direction only, from one device to
other, until it reaches the destination.
• Advantages:
• Ease of installation Station Station

• Disadvantages:
• Difficult to scale
• A single break in the link can bring entire network down.

Spring Semester 2021 19

 Network Coverage Areas

• Local Area Network(LANs)

• Have limited geographical extension, usually ≤ 1 Km(spans office or
building )
• Controlled by only one owner/ administrative entity
• Offer a shared transmission medium to multiple stations
• Most common LANs are switched (Ethernet) LAN and
wireless LAN.
• E.g.
• Connect desktop computers to share files , emails
• Allow several computers to share printers , file servers.

Spring Semester 2021 20

 Network Coverage Areas

• Wide Area Network(WANs)

• Spans large area (countries, continents , world)
• Controlled by several administrative entities
• Internet is an example of WAN
• In internet, LANs are an elementary unit.
• Internet = Network of Networks
• LANs are attached to Routers, Routers are interconnected via other
LANs
• WANs can be implemented using one of the two technologies:
• Circuit Switching
• Packet Switching

Spring Semester 2021 21

 Circuit Switching

• Circuit Switching Networks– dedicated connection or circuit is established

between nodes for the duration of the connection.
• The lifetime of connection has three phases:
• Connection setup : identify the routes , set aside resources so that they are
guaranteed.
• Connection usage : use the established connection to transmit the data. The pre-
reserved resources guarantee that this connection is not influenced by other
connections
• Connection teardown: free the reserved resources
• Data generated by the source station are transmitted along the dedicated
path as rapidly as possible.
• At each node, incoming data are routed or switched to the appropriate
outgoing channel without delay.
• Switching elements are called switches.
• Example: The telephone network
Spring Semester 2021 22
 Circuit Switching

• A routing decision is made only once (at connection setup) and

never/rarely modified.
• A connection has its resources guaranteed.
• Any bandwidth not used by a connection cannot be reused by other
connections, this can result in poor utilization.
• Connection setup takes time, if messages are much shorter than the
connection setup time then circuit switching is not economical.
• Connection setup may fail when no route or not enough resources
are available in the network.
• Admission Control: Switching elements check whether enough
resources are available for the new connection without
compromising the resources already granted to existing connections.

Spring Semester 2021 23

 Event Timing of Circuit Switching
Source Switch Switch Destination
connection setup request

connection accept response

Data transfer

connection teardown request

connection teardown response

Spring Semester 2021 24

 Packet Switching

• Packet Switching Networks - Data flows are segmented into small chunks called packets.
• Packets are basic unit of transmission.
• A packet consists of:
• A packet header containing meta-information about the packet, e.g. address fields
• The packet payload
• a packet trailer for error detection / correction
• Packets are transmitted individually and independently from one node to the other.
• At each node, the entire packet is received, stored briefly, and then transmitted to the
next node.
• There is no concept of a connection, packets can be sent immediately without having to
set up resource reservation in the network.
• Switching elements are called routers.
• Analogy: letter transfer in postal network, envelopes correspond to packet headers.
• Example: The Internet.

Spring Semester 2021 25

 Packet Switching

• Sequence of packets between the same source destination pair is

called a flow.
• Each packet is routed individually, different packets in the same flow
can take different routes.
• Each router makes a routing decision for each packet.
• Each packet must include information facilitating routing, e.g. header
fields for source and destination addresses.
• Packets do not necessarily arrive in the same order as they have
been sent. Packets are reordered at the destination.
• Many flows can share a link, bandwidth not utilized by one flow can
be used by others.

Spring Semester 2021 26

 Packet Switching

• No guarantee for packet delivery – lack of resource reservation.

• Internet/IP “best effort” service: packet is delivered – maybe
• Since flow data rates and routes often cannot be predicted in
advance, routers buffer some packets to prevent packet
dropping in temporary overload situations.
• Routers only have a finite amount of memory, and when
overload situation sustains, packet dropping is inevitable, this is
called congestion.
• Which packets to drop?
• Congestion control schemes either try to avoid congestion or to deal
with it.

Spring Semester 2021 27

 Event Timing of Packet Switching
source router router destination

Pk 11
Pk
Pk 2
Pk 1
Pk
Pk33
Pk 22
Pk
Pk 1
Pk 3
Pk 2

Pk 3

Spring Semester 2021 28

 Circuit Switching Vs Packet Switching

• Circuit-switching:
• Can give guaranteed bandwidths
• No reuse of resources
• Data forwarding is low-complexity operation for switches
• Routing is done only once
• Packet-switching:
• Cannot give any guarantees
• Allows reuse of resources
• Data forwarding is higher-complexity operation for routers
• Routing is done for every packet

Spring Semester 2021 29

 Summary

• Communication Model
• Key Elements:
• Source – generates data to be transferred
• Transmitter – converts data into transmittable signals
• Transmission system – carries the data
• Receiver – converts received signal into data
• Destination – takes incoming data
• What is a Network?
• Set of nodes connected by communication links, capable of sending
and/or receiving data generated by other nodes on the network.
• Fundamental aim of networks: Resource sharing , Services

Spring Semester 2021 30

 Summary

• Important tasks in Networking

• Routing
• Congestion control
• Flow Control
• Error Control
• Common Communication Patterns
• Unicast
• Broadcast
• Multicast

Spring Semester 2021 31

 Summary

• Network Topologies
• Mesh
• Star
• Bus
• Ring
• Network Coverage Areas
• Local Area Networks(LANs)
• Wide Area Networks(WANs)
• Switching Techniques
• Circuit Switching
• Packet Switching

Spring Semester 2021 32

 Reading Assignment

• History of Networking & The Internet

Spring Semester 2021 33

 Questions?

Spring Semester 2021 34