DATA COMMUNICATION & NETWORKS

Data Communication is the transmission of data to and from computer through communication channels. These
channels exist either in a wire form ( e.g. network cables or public telephone lines) or a wire-less form (e.g. radio
waves or light rays).

While Telecommunication is the transmission of data over a far distance without changing it. Telecommunication
is a subset of data communication.

Five main components of a data communication system are:

1. SENDER - A sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be a computer, telephone handset,
video camera and so on.

2. RECEIVER- A receiver is a device that receives the message. It can be a computer, telephone handset,
video camera and so on.

3. MESSAGE- The message is the information to be communicated. It can consist of text, numbers,
pictures, sound or video – or any combination of these.

4. PROTOCOL - A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication. 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.

5. TRANSMISSION MEDIUM-Transmission medium is the physical path by which a message travels from
sender to receiver.

A communication channel is a path that allows communication in a network. A communication channel is made
of one or more transmission medium or media.
A Communication channel can be placed into different groups based on the direction in which data flows through
it.
1. in one direction only
2. in both direction but not at the same time
3. in both direction and at the same time

Types of Communication Channel

1. A SIMPLEX is a communication channel that allows data to be transmitted in one direction only.
2. A HALF-DUPLEX is a communication channel that allows data to be transmitted in both direction but not
at the same time.
3. A FULL-DUPLEX OR DUPLEX is a communication channel that allows data to be transmitted in both
directions the same time.

Types of Transmission medium

Transmission medium can be divided into two broad categories:
1. GUIDED MEDIUM (or PHYSICAL TRANSMISSION MEDIUM) and
2. UNGUIDED MEDIUM (or WIRELESS TRANSMISSION MEDIUM).
Guided media are used for short distance transmission while unguided media are used for long distance

transmission. Wireless transmission are best used when it is inconvenient, impractical or impossible to install
cable.
The most popular types of guided medium The most popular types of unguided medium are:
are:
1. Twisted pair cable (metallic) 1. Cellular Radio- a form of radio wave that
2. Coaxial cable (metallic) provide a stable communication connections
3. Fibre Optical cable (glass or plastic between two moving devices or between one
mobile unit and one stationary unit.
2. Microwave – a form of radio wave that provide

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high speed signal transmission (up to 4500

times faster than a dial-up modem). Only
applicable where line-of-sight transmission is
available. Use a ground or an earth-based
station.
3. Communication Satellite – Use a space station
that receives microwave signals from a ground
or an earth-based station. Satellite microwave
can provide transmission capability to and from
any location on earth, no matter how far away.
4. Infrared –send signals using infrared light waves
(use for short distance and requires line-of-sight
transmission)

COMPARING GUIDED TRANSMISSION MEDIUMS

MEDIUM ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE
Twisted pair cable Cheap Susceptible to interference
Coaxial cable 1. Transmits data faster than twisted pair 1. Heavy and bulkily
2. Can accommodate digital and 2. Cost more than twisted pair
analogue signals
Fibre optical cable Smaller and lighter than both twisted pair 1. Expensive when compared to
and coaxial cable twisted pair and coaxial cable
2. Hard to install and modify
3. Fragile-easy to break

Bandwidth is the rate or speed at which data can be transmitted over a communication channel. Bandwidth are
quoted in bits per second (bps) or character per second (cps). The bandwidth determines the volume of data that
can be transmitted at any time. The wider the bandwidth, the more data it can transmit.

Three common bandwidths for communication channel are:

a) A NARROW-BAND – transmits data at slow speeds of between 10 to 30 characters per second (cps) or
40 –100 bits per second (bps). An example of a communication channel that uses this bandwidth is a
telegraph line.
b) A VOICE-BAND - transmits data at the rate of 1000 to 8000 cps or 100- 9600 bits per second (bps). An
example of a communication channel that uses this bandwidth is a telephone line-this is one of the most
widely use method of transferring data.
c) A BROADBAND – transmits large-amount/volume of data at speeds of over 10,000 cps or 1000,000 bps.
Coaxial cables, fibre optic cables, microwave links and communication satellites are commonly used to
provide these channels.

Data can be transmitted in two waveforms using either:

1. Analog signal OR
2. Digital signal
Data is transmitted in the computer system using digital signals because it is faster and more efficient. However
when data needs to be transmitted over telephone line system it is best to use analog signal than digital signal.

If digital signal needs to be transmitted over a telephone line they need to be converted to analog signal. This
process is called MODULATION. MODULATION is the process of changing digital signal to analog signal.

If analog signal needs to be transmitted to a computer from a telephone line it needs to be converted to digital
signal. This process is called DEMODULATION. DEMODULATION is the process of changing analog signal to
digital signal.

MODEM is a communication device that converts signals from analog to digital and digital to analog. (A device
that enable computers to communicate with each other through a telephone system by converting digital signals

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to analog signals (at the sending end) and analog signals to digital signals (at the receiving end). MODEM –
MOdulation DEModulation

PROTOCOLS are rules and regulations that govern how information is sent and received over
communication channels so that different types of computers can communicate with each other.
Analog Signal Digital Signal
An analog signal is a continuous wave form A digital signal is a discrete wave form that
that changes smoothly over time. does not change smoothly over time.
As the wave moves from value A to value B, it It can only have a limited number of defined
passes through and includes an infinite number values, often as simple as 1 and 0. The
of values along its path. transition of digital signal form value to value is
instantaneous, like a light being switched on
and off.
Value Value

Time Time

Analog Signal Digital Signal

The curve representing the analog signal is
The vertical lines of the signal demonstrate the
smooth and continuous, passing through
sudden jump the signal makes from value to
infinite number of points.
value; its flat highs and lows indicate that
values are fixed.
Analog signal can have any value in a range Digital signals can only have limited number of
values

TRANSMISSION MODE

There are two main modes of transmitting data.

(a) asynchronous (b) synchronous

ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSMISSION

Asynchronous transmission sends one character at a time. Start bits and stops bits are inserted to separate
each character.

SYNCHRONOUS TRANSMISSION

Synchronous transmission sends blocks of characters called frames, no start or stop bits. Data is sent at
intervals.

PROTOCOL

These are a set of rules and procedures that govern the transmission and receiving of data. Protocols are needed
so that devices (though they may be different in hardware and software technologies) can “talk to” or
communicate with each other. Some international protocols are:

1. HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol - It is a standard method of transferring data between a Web server
and a Web browser.

2. PPP – Point to Point Protocol - Allows a home, dial-up user to connect to the Internet using a regular
modem.

3. TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol, Internet Protocol - A set of protocols that make e-mail, and other
services possible among computers that aren't on the same network.

4. FTP - File Transfer Protocol - A means of transferring or sharing files across the Internet from one
computer system to another.

USES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

1. Internet History (Brief) – (previously a networking project by the Advanced Research Projects Agency –
an agency of the US pentagon. It was called the ARPAnet). The Internet is a worldwide collection of
networks that links together millions of businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and
individuals. The Internet is used for a number of reasons such as: sending messages, meeting and
conversing with people, shopping, accessing information such as news, maps and airline schedules.

2. World Wide Web – this is one of the many services available on the Internet. It consists of a world wide
collection of electronic documents. Each of these electronic documents on the Web is called a Web page.

3. Web page – a document containing text, graphics, sound or video as well as built in connections or links
to other Web documents.

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4. Web site – a collection of related Web pages on the same web server. You access and view Web pages
using a software program called a Web browser.

5. Web server – a COMPUTER - server that is dedicated for storing Web pages, and makes them available
on the internet

6. Web browser – an application software that provides a way for you to look at and interact with all the web
pages on the World Wide Web. Example: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox

7. Home Page This refers to the first page that a website displays.

8. Hyper Text Mark up Language (HTML) – a special language used to encode web pages. It allows Web
pages to provide links to several others. XHTML - Extensible HTML, enables the display of webpages on
microbrowser in PDA and cellular phones.

9. Uniform Resource Locator (URL) – the unique address for a web site/web page.

Example: http://www.example.com/something.htm
The format is made up of several parts: Protocol://DomainName/Filename
Protocol – This part [http://] tells the browser to download the file using the embedded rules in Hypertext
Transfer Protocol
Domain Name – This part [example.com] is used to identify the particular IP address of the web page/s.
Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which Top Level Domain (TLD) it belongs to. Eg.  gov -
Government agencies ;  edu - Educational institutions ;  jm - Jamaica
 org - Organizations (nonprofit) ;  mil - Military ;  com - Commercial business
 net - Network organizations ;  th - Thailand
File Name – This part [something.htm] specifies the actual file being accessed.

10. Internet Protocol Address (IP Address)

This is a unique number that identifies each computer or device connected to the internet. It usually
consists of four groups of three numbers separated by a period (.) e.g., 198.80.164.2. All numeric IP
addresses are difficult to remember and use thus the Internet support use of text names that represent
one or more IP addresses.

11. Intranet – an internal network that uses Internet technologies. Intranets generally make company
information accessible to employees and facilitate working in groups. An intranet is essentially a small
version of the Internet that exists within an organization.

12. Upload – the process of sending a file/s from your computer “up” to a mainframe or server.

13. Download – the process by which data or information is transferred onto your computer from a
mainframe or server.

14. Newsgroup – an Internet newsgroup consists of people who conduct written discussions on a particular
topic commonly interested in or have knowledgeable about. You can post messages on a newsgroup so
that people can respond to them.

15. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – a family of transmission technology for delivery of voice
communication (telephone calls) over IP network or other packet-switched networks.

16. Chat Rooms – these allow users to converse with each other via the computer while connected to the
Internet. Chats are usually about a specific topic example: computers, cooking, sports etc. Chat rooms
are different from news groups in that chats are live and newsgroups are not.

17. Instant Messaging – a real time Internet communication service that notifies you when one or more
people are online and then allows you to exchange messages or files with them.

18. Bulletin Board – this is a central computerized location to which remote computers can connect (usually
via a telephone line). Once connected, a user can upload messages and files or download those posted
by others.

19. Telecommuting – a method of working where an employee who is not in the company’s standard
workplace/office uses computer and a communication channel to communicate with the office computer.

20. Telemarketing – the employment of telephone lines and computers to market products and manage
accounts.

21. Teleconferencing – also called video conferencing. It allows persons who are geographically separated
to conduct meetings in which they are able to see and talk to each other.

22. Wireless or unguided transmission media – send communication signals through the air or space
using radio, microwave and infrared signals.

23. Infrared – wireless transmission media that sends signals using infrared light waves. The sending and
receiving device must be in line with each other so that nothing obstructs the path of the infrared light
waves.

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24. Physical or guided transmission media – uses wires, cables and other tangible (touchable) materials
to send communications signals,

25. Point to Point transmission – this is the process by which data is sent from one location to another

26. Broadcast transmission – this is the process by which data is transmitted in such a way that any person
with the correct equipment can receive it. This means that it is difficult to control who receives the data.

27. Node – each computer/device in a network

28. Extranet – an extension of the intranet in which authorized outsiders have limited access to a company’s
intranet.

29. Bluetooth – A low power wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances. Bluetooth can be
found in several devices including cell phones, mouse, keyboards and printers

30. WiFi – Wireless Fidelity. – A more powerful wireless technology than Bluetooth – it is faster and has a
longer range and bandwidth. It is difficult to setup. A wide range of devices support WiFi including
laptops, cell phones, wireless modems, and gaming consoles.

31. Hotspot – A public venue (containing on or more wireless access points) that provides WiFi access to the
internet.

32. Hypertext/ Hypermedia – a special type of text in a document that provides a link to another document
located on the same computer or another computer in another part of the world. Hypermedia however,
include texts, graphic, sound, video which provides links also.

33. Search Engine – this software allows the user to find websites and pages stored in its vast database.

34. Blog – a frequently uploaded personal website that is maintained by an individual with regular diary-type
entries or commentary

Electronic Mail (E-mail)

E-mails permit the transmission of messages and files from one terminal or computer to another. The computers
could be in the same building or thousands of miles away. You can create, send, receive forward, store, print and
delete messages using an email program. Persons using e-mail must have an e-mail address usually in the form
<name>@<someplace.com>, eg. [email protected].

A person is usually notified of new e-mail by the e-mail program.

Advantages
 Faster than normal mail. Whereas normal mail would take days to reach it’s destination, e-mails take only
a few seconds.
 It is cheaper and more convenient. Once you have a computer and internet connections, emails are free.
No need to worry about envelopes, stamps etc.
 The same message can be quickly and easily sent to other persons

Disadvantages
 parcels cannot be sent
 can only use e-mails to communicate with persons who have an e-mail account and access to a computer
 e-mails make it easy for computer viruses to spread

NETWORKS

A network is a group of computers and devices that are connected to each other by cables or wireless
communication channels. In some networks there are special computers called servers that are dedicated to the
managing of particular resources.

File server – this is a computer with a large storage capacity that is used to store and manage files that are used
by various computers on the network. It is also responsible for file security.

Print server – this computer may be connected to a printer in order to manage the print jobs coming from
computers all across the network.

ADVANTAGES OF A NETWORK
1. Facilitates communication – users can communicate efficiently and easily via e-mails, instant messaging,
videoconferencing etc.
2. Allows the sharing of hardware – example: several computers on a network can use the same printer.
3. Allows the sharing of data and information – in a network any authorized computer user can access data
and information that is stored on other computers in the network.
4. Allows the sharing of software – users on a network can access software on the network.

DISADVANTAGES OF A NETWORK
1. They are expensive to set up. Servers, routers, cables and network cards may be required in order to
setup a network. Network configuration is a very complex process and may require an additional
employee – a system administrator
2. Security problems – unauthorized persons (example a hacker) may be able to access information shared
on a network.

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TYPES OF NETWORKS

1. LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) – is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited
geographical area such as a home, school computer laboratory, office building or in buildings that are
close to each other. A LAN is usually connected using twisted pair or coaxial cables. Wireless LANs
(WLAN) are becoming popular. WLANs use radio and microwave signals to transmit and receive data. A
NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM (NOS), (Windows NT, Windows 2000, Sun Solaris, Linux, etc) is the
system software that coordinates the activities on a LAN.

2. WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN) – is a network that covers a large geographical area such as a country
or the world. WANs use a combination of fiber optic cables, telephone lines, satellite and microwave
technology to transmit data. A WAN can be one large network or a combination of LANs connected
together. The Internet the worlds largest WAN.

Internet peer –to-peer – P2P describes an Internet network that enables users with the same networking
software to connect and copy files from one user’s hard disk to their hard disk. Example: Napster,
Limewire.

3. METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN) – is a network that connects LANs in a metropolitan area
such as a city or a town. It handles the bulk of communication activity across that region. A MAN is larger
than a LAN, but smaller than a WAN.

NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
A network topology is the configuration, or physical arrangement of the devices in a communication network.
Commonly used topologies are: ring, star and bus. Networks usually use a combination of these topologies.

1. BUS TOPOLOGY – consists of a central cable, to which all computers and other devices connect. The bus is
the physical cable that connects the computers and other devices. The bus can transmit data, instructions and
information in both directions.

ADVANTAGES
a. they are inexpensive and easy to install.
b. You can attach and detach computers and other devices at any point on the bus without
disturbing the rest of the network.
c. Failure of one device usually does not affect the rest of the bus network. The transmission will
simply bypass the failed device.

DISADVANTAGE
a. if the bus become inoperable, the entire network becomes inoperable.

2. RING NETWORK – a cable forms a closed ring or loop, with all computers and devices arranged along the
ring. Data transmitted on a ring network travels from device to device around the ring in one direction, until the
data reaches it’s destination.

ADVANTAGES
a. can span a larger distance than a bus network

DISADVANTAGES
a. difficult to install
b. if a device fails, all devices that come after it will fail. Those before it would not be affected.

3. STAR NETWORK – in this network all the devices connect to a central computer, thus forming a star. The
central computer that provides a common connection point for devices in the network is called the hub. All data
that transfers from one computer to another passes through the hub.

ADVANTAGES
a. easy to install and maintain
b. devices can be added and removed with little or no disruption to the network.

DISADVANTAGES
a. if the hub becomes inoperable, the entire network becomes inoperable. Most large STAR networks have a
backup hub, in case the primary hub fails.
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