ES – 241 - MN: Data Communications

(2024 Pattern)
Unit I
• Introduction to Data Communications
• Data communications,
• Characteristics of Data Communication
• Data Representation – Text, Numbers, Images, Audio, Video
• Types of Data flow – Simplex, Half Duplex, Full Duplex
• Computer Networks applications –Business Application, Home
Application, Mobile User Broadcast and point-to-point networks
• Network Topologies - Bus, Star, Ring, Mesh
• Network Types- LAN, MAN, WAN, Wireless Networks, Home
Networks, internetworks
• Protocols and standards – Definition of a Protocol, Protocol
standards: De facto and De jure, RFC
 Unit II
• Network Models
• OSI Model – layered architecture, peer-to-
peer processes, encapsulation
• TCP/IP Model – layers and Protocol Suite
Addressing-Physical, Logical, Port addresses,
Specific addresses
 Unit III
• Signals, Transmission & Performance
• Analog and Digital data,
• Analog and Digital signals,
• Digital Signals-Bit rate,
• Bit length Baseband Transmission,
• Broadband Transmission
• Transmission Impairments– Attenuation,
• Distortion and Noise Data Rate
• Limits– Noiseless channel: Nyquist’s bit rate,
• noisy channel : Shannon's law
• Performance of the Network Bandwidth,
• Throughput, Latency (Delay),
• Bandwidth – Delay Product, Jitters Line Coding Characteristics, Line Coding
Schemes–Unipolar -NRZ, Polar-NRZ-I, NRZ-L, RZ, Manchester and
Differential Manchester, Problems Transmission Modes, Parallel
Transmission and Serial Transmission– Asynchronous and Synchronous
Multiplexing, FDM and TDM Switching-Circuit Switching, Message
Switching and Packet Switching.
 Unit IV
• Framing, Error Detection, Channelization Framing –
Concept, Methods – Character Count, Flag bytes with
Byte Stuffing, Starting & ending Flags with Bit Stuffing
Error detection codes – Hamming Distance, CRC
Elementary data link protocols - Simplex stop & wait
protocol, Simplex protocol for noisy channel, PPP, HDLC
Sliding Window Protocols – 1-bit sliding window
protocols, Pipelining – Go-Back N and Selective Repeat
Random Access Protocols - ALOHA– pure and slotted,
CSMA-1- persistent, p-persistent and non-persistent
CSMA/CD,CSMA/CA Controlled Access - Reservation,
Polling and Token Passing Channelization – Definitions
– FDMA, TDMA and CDMA
 Data Representation in Data Communication
• Data is a collection of raw facts which is processed to produce
information.
• Data are simply facts or figures — bits of information, but
not information itself. When data are processed, interpreted,
organized, structured or presented so as to make them meaningful
or useful, they are called information. Information provides
context for data. There may be different forms in which data may
be represented such as text, numbers images, audio and video.

Numbers

Texts Images
Data
Representation

Video Audio
• Text: Texts include combinations of alphabets in small case (a, b, c,
d…) as well as upper case (A, B, C, D……). It is stored as a pattern of
bits (0 or1). Different set of bit pattern is code. Process of
representing symbols is coding.
• Frequent coding system is Unicode, uses 32 bit to represent a
symbol or character. Prevalent encoding systems is ASCII uses
127character.
• Numbers: Numbers include combination of digits from 0 to 9. It is
stored as a pattern of bits. However, a code such as ASCII is not
used to represent number.
• Image: in computer images are digitally stored. Picture or image is
a matrix of pixel elements i.e. pixels. A pixel which is the smallest
element of an image.
What is a Data Communication?
Transmitting and receiving data between two or more
devices—computers, cell phones, or any other kind of
system—is known as data communication. This
transfer of data happens using signals, wires, or
wireless connections like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Simply
put, data communication allows devices to talk to
each other and share important information, whether
it’s text, images, or videos. It’s an essential part of
how the internet, phones, and other digital systems
work today, helping people and machines stay
connected across the world.
 Examples of Data Communication
• Sending an email from one person to another.
• Making a phone call to talk to someone in
real-time.
• Streaming a video from the internet to your
device.
• Sending a text message through your
smartphone.
• Sharing files between computers over a
network.
 Components of Data Communication
Data communication consists of several key
components, such as
• Message
• Sender
• Receiver
• Medium
• Protocol
 Message
A message is the information that needs to be shared
between devices. It can be anything like a text, an
image, a video, or even a voice recording. The message
is what the sender wants to communicate to the
receiver. Whether you’re sending an email, chatting
online, or streaming a video, the message is the main
content being transmitted. Without a message, there
would be nothing to communicate!
OR
The message is the information (data) to be
communicated. Information may include text, numbers,
pictures, audio, and video.
 Sender
• A sender is the person or device that starts the
communication by sending out the message. It could
be your computer when you send an email, your phone
when you send a text, or even a microphone when
you’re recording your voice. The sender is responsible
for creating and transmitting the message to the
receiver. Without the sender, there would be no
starting point for the communication process.
OR
• The sender is the device that sends the data message.
It can be a computer, workstation, telephone handset,
video camera, and so on.
 Receiver

• A receiver is the person or device that gets the

message from the sender. For example, if you
send a text, the person who receives it on their
phone is the receiver. The receiver’s job is to take
in the information and understand it. It could be a
computer, phone, or any device that receives and
processes the data.
OR
• The receiver is the device that receives the
message. It can be a computer, workstation,
telephone handset, television, and so on.
 Medium
• A message travels through a medium when it is sent
from the sender to the recipient. It might be wireless,
like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or radio waves, or physical, like
wires or cables. The medium helps carry the message,
whether it’s an email, a phone call, or a video stream.
Without the medium, the message wouldn’t be able to
move between devices and reach its destination.
OR
• The transmission medium is the physical path by which
a message travels from sender to receiver.
• Some examples of transmission media include twisted-
pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and radio
waves.
 Protocol
• Similar to a set of guidelines, a protocol ensures that data is
transferred and received between devices correctly. It helps
both the sender and receiver understand each other, even
if they are using different systems. For example, when you
send a message over the internet, the protocol ensures it
reaches the right place and in the correct format. Without
protocols, communication would be confusing and
unreliable. A protocol is a set of rules that govern data
communications.
• It represents an agreement between the communicating
devices.
• Without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not
communicating, just as a person speaking French cannot be
understood by a person who speaks only Japanese
 Type of Data Communication

Sending and receiving information between

devices, such as computers or phones, is
known as data communication. There are
seven different types of data communication
such as
 Simplex Communication
When there is only one route that data can flow in and no way
for the recipient to respond, this is known as simplex
communication. It’s like watching TV or listening to the
radio—information is sent from the broadcaster, but you can’t
respond. The sender is always in control, and the receiver can
only accept the message. This type of communication is
simple but useful in situations where feedback isn’t needed.
OR
In the simplex mode the communication is unidirectional, as
on a one way street. Only one of the two devices on a link can
transmit; the other can only receive. Ex. a CPU sends data
while a monitor only receives data.
 Half Duplex Mode
• Transmission is allowed in both directions but in only
one direction at a time. Data communication systems
that use the telephone network usually transmit in
HDX
OR
• in half-duplex mode each station can both transmit
and receive, but not at the same time. When one
device is sending, the other can only receive, and
vice versa. Ex. walkie-talkies and CB (Citizens band)
radios
 Full Duplex Mode(FDX)
Sender/receiver can transmit and receive from each other at the
same time. In order to transmit in FDX, the user usually has
private direct lines
OR
full-duplex system can transmit data simultaneously in both
directions on transmission path. Both the connecting devices
can transmit and receive at the same time. It is bidirectional
system.
Ex. when two persons talk on telephone line, both can listen and
speak simultaneously.
Characteristics of Data communication
 The effectiveness of data communication system depends on the
following four fundamental characteristics.
 Delivery. The data should be delivered to the correct destination and
correct user.
 Accuracy: The data should be delivered accurately and without any error.
• Timeless: in the case of audio and video, data must deliver in a timely
manner. Timely delivery means delivering data as they are produced, in
the same order that they are produced and without significant delay such
a data delivery is called real-time transmission.
• Jitter: jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It is the
uneven delay in the delivery of audio or video packets.Data is sent as
packets, that is, a chunk of the whole data is sent in each turn. These
packets get re-joined back in the target device to represent the complete
data as it is. Each packet is sent with a predefined delay or acceptable
amount of delay. If packets are sent without maintaining the predefined
delay then an uneven quality in the data might result.
 Delivery
• The primary task of a data communication
system is to deliver or transfer data from
sender to receiver, which are the 2
components of the 5 components of data
communication system. The system must
deliver data to the exact destination. No other
receiver should receive the data. This
characteristics includes the security of the
system, that is, the protection of data.
 Accuracy:
The data communication system must deliver
data to the receiver without being altered or
damaged. The receiver should receive the exact
same data which was sent by the sender. The
protocol might require to alter the sent data to
protect and optimize the process. However, the
protocol should also reverse and restore the
data back to its original form before
representing it to the receiver. The accuracy
must be maintained.
 Timeliness:
The system must maintain timeliness. It must
deliver data in a timely manner. Delayed delivery
can make the data useless to the receiver. Data
must be delivered as they are produced, in the
order they are produced and without any
significant delay.
 Jitter:

Jitter refers to the variation of packet arrival

time. Data is sent as packets, that is, a chunk of
the whole data is sent in each turn. These
packets get re-joined back in the target device to
represent the complete data as it is. Each packet
is sent with a predefined delay or acceptable
amount of delay. If packets are sent without
maintaining the predefined delay then an
uneven quality in the data might result.
 Computer Network
• A Computer Network is a collection of interconnected devices that can
communicate with each other and share resources such as data,
applications, and hardware like printers, storage devices, etc.
• The devices connected by network are called as nodes.
• A node can be a device which is capable of sending or receiving data
generated by other nodes on the network like a computer, printer etc. The
links connecting the devices are called Communication channels.
• Computer network is a telecommunication channel using which we can
share data with other computers or devices, connected to the same
network. It is also called Data Network. The best example of computer
network is Internet.
• A network must be able to meet certain criteria's, these are mentioned
below:
• Performance
• Reliability
• Scalability
 Computer Networks: Business Applications
Resource Sharing:
The goal is to make all programs, equipment's(like printers etc.), and
especially data, available to anyone on the network without regard to the
physical location of the resource and the user.

Server-Client model:
One can imagine a company's information system as consisting of one or
more databases and some employees who need to access it remotely. In this
model, the data is stored on powerful computers called Servers. Often these
are centrally housed and maintained by a system administrator. In contrast,
the employees have simple machines, called Clients, on their desks, using
which they access remote data.

Communication Medium:
A computer network can provide a powerful communication medium among
employees. Virtually every company that has two or more computers now has
e-mail (electronic mail), which employees generally use for a great deal of
daily communication
Security:
Every company have employees accessing internet everyday. If the entire
network is secured then the chances of any cyber attack or issues can be
reduced.

APIs or Web Services:

A goal that is starting to become more important in businesses is doing
business with consumers over the Internet. Airlines, bookstores and music
vendors have discovered that many customers like the convenience of
shopping from home. This sector is expected to grow quickly in the future.
• Computer Networks: Home Applications
• Some of the most important uses of the Internet for home users
are as follows:
• Access to remote information
• Person-to-person communication
• Interactive entertainment
• Electronic commerce
• The main usage of networks in home is internet. Some popular uses
of the Internet for home users are: • Access to remote information
by surfing the World Wide Web for information or just for fun. •
Person-to-person communication sharing the audio, video, text and
pictures among groups of people. • Interactive entertainment
where any movie or television program made in any country can be
displayed on the screen instantly. • Electronic commerce where
people do home shopping, pay their bills, manage their bank
accounts, and handle their investments electronically. • Instant
Message Ex: Twitter • Social Networking Ex: Face Book, Watsup •
Wiki • Ecommerce • IPTV
 Mobile Users
Mobile computers, such as notebook computers
and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are connected
to the office or home even when away from home.
People on the road use their portable electronic
equipment to send and receive telephone calls,
faxes, and electronic mail, surf the Web, access
remote files, and log on to remote machines.
People do this from anywhere on land, sea, or air.
SMS
M-Commerce
GPS
 Broadcast link
Broadcast networks have a single communication channel that is
shared by all the machines on the network.
Short messages, called packets sent by any machine are received by all
the others.
An address field within the packet specifies the intended recipient.
On receiving a packet, a machine checks the address field.
If the packet is intended for the receiving machine, that machine
processes the packet; if the packet is intended for some other
machine, it is just ignored.
Broadcast systems also allows the possibility of addressing a packet to
all destinations by using a special code in the address field.
Some broadcast systems support transmission to a subset of the
machines, called as multicasting.
 Point-to-point link
Point-to-point networks consist of many
connections between individual pairs of
machines.
Point-to-point transmission with one sender and
one receiver is sometimes called unicasting