Computer Networks

Introduction
Preston Walela
2023
 What is it?
•A set of nodes connected by a media link.
• A node can be any device such as a modem,
printer or computer which should have the
ability to send or receive data generated by the
other nodes over the network.
 Introduction to Computer Networking

1. Basic Communication Model

2. Need for Computer Networking
3. Uses of Computer Networks
4. Types of Network Topologies
A. BUS Topology:
B. RING Topology:
C. STAR Topology:
D. MESH Topology:
E. TREE Topology:
 Introduction to Computer Networking
. Transmission Modes in Computer Networks
A. Simplex Mode:
B. Half-Duplex Mode:
C. Full-Duplex Mode:
6. Transmission Mediums in Computer Networks
D. Coaxial Cable:
E. Twisted Pair Cable:
F. Fiber Optic Cable:
7. Wireless Communication Media
G. Radio waves:
H. Microwaves:
I. Infrared waves:
8. Conclusion
 Introduction To Computer Networking

•Computer Network: A digital

telecommunications network which permits the
nodes to allocate resources. 
•Should be a set of two or more than two
computers, printers & nodes that will transmit or
receive data through wired media like copper
cable or optic cable or wireless media like WiFi.
 The best Example of a computer
network is the Internet
•A computer network doesn’t mean a system
which has a single control unit connected with the
other systems which behave as its slaves.
•it should be able to meet certain criteria as
mentioned below:
1. Performance
2. Reliability
3. Security
•Let’s discuss these three in detail.
 Performance

•The network performance can be computed by

measuring the transit time and response time which
is defined as follows:
•Transit time: It is the time taken by data to travel
from one source point to another destination point.
•Response time: It is the time which has been
elapsed between the query & response.
 Reliability
• Reliability is checked by measuring network
failures.
• The higher the number of failures, the lesser
will be the reliability.
 Security

• Security is defined as methods of protecting our

data from unwanted users.
• Data can be leaked by unwanted users if traced,
thus, data security is the most crucial part of
Computer Networks.
• A good network is highly secured, efficient and
easy to access so that one can easily share data
on the same network without any loopholes.
 Basic Communication Model

Components of Data Communication:

 Message: It is the information to be delivered.
 Sender: Sender is the person who is sending the message.
 Receiver: Receiver is the person to whom the message is
being sent.
 Medium: It is the medium through which the message is sent. 
 Protocol: These are a set of rules which govern the data
communication.
 Other Aspects of Computer Networks

• Should support Multimedia, i.e. voice, video

or text.
• Should be fast; taking only a fraction of second
for communication of data.
• Others; secured medium of communication,
very reluctant in cost & superbly efficient and
thereby is easy to access as well.
 Need for Computer Networking

Enlisted below are the various needs:

1. Communication between one PC to another PC.
2. Exchange of data between various users of the
same platform.
3. Exchange of expensive software and database.
4. Sharing of information over the WAN.(wide area
network)
5. Used for sharing of hardware devices as well as
software such as Printers, modems, hubs etc.
 Uses of Computer Networks

1. Resource Sharing: Software, printers and

switches
2. Server-client Model
3. Communication Medium: e-mail (electronic
mail)
4. E-commerce:  Shopping Airlines, bookstores,
online shopping, hotel booking, online
trading, and music vendors.
 Types of Network Topologies

• The various types of Network Topologies are explained below with pictorial
representation for your easy understanding.
BUS Topology:
• In this topology, every network device is connected to a single cable and it
transmits data only in one direction.
 Bus topology….
Advantages:
• Cost-effective
• Can be used in small networks.
• It is easy to understand.
• Very less cable is required when compared to the other
topologies.
Disadvantages:
• If the cable gets faulty then the whole network will fail.
• Slow in operation.
• Cable has a limited length.
 RING Topology
• In this topology, each computer is
connected to another computer in the form
of a ring with the last computer connected
to the first one.
• Each device will have two neighbors.
• The data flow in this topology is
unidirectional but can be made
bidirectional by using the dual connection
between each node which is called a dual
ring topology.
• In a dual ring topology, two rings work in
the main and protection link so that if one
link fails then the data will flow through the
other link and keep the network alive,
thereby providing self-healing architecture.
 RING Topology…
Advantages:
– Easy to install and expand.
– Can be easily used for transmitting huge traffic
data.
Disadvantages:
– Failure of one node will affect the whole network.
– Troubleshooting is difficult in a ring topology.
 STAR Topology
• In this type of topology, all the nodes
are connected to a single network
device through a cable.
• The network device can be a hub,
switch or router, which will be a
central node and all the other nodes
will be connected with this central
node.
• Every node has its own dedicated
connectivity with the central node.
• The central node can behave as a
repeater and can be used with OFC,
twisted wire cable etc.
 STAR Topology…
Advantages:
– Up-gradation of a Central node can be done easily.
– If one node fails, then it will not affect the whole network and the
network will run smoothly.
– Troubleshooting of fault is easy.
– Simple to operate.
Disadvantages:
– High cost.
– If the central node gets faulty then the whole network will get
interrupted as all nodes are dependent on the central one.
– Performance of the network is based on the performance and
capacity of the central
 MESH Topology
• Every node is connected to another one with a point to point topology and every
node is connected to each other.
• There are two techniques to transmit data over the Mesh Topology. One is routing
and the other is flooding.
• In the routing technique, the nodes follow a routing logic as per the network
required to direct the data from the source to destination using the shortest path.
• In the flooding technique, the same data is transmitted to all the nodes of the
network, hence no routing logic is required.
• The network is robust in case of flooding and it is hard to lose any data, however,
it leads to unwanted load over the network.
 MESH Topology…
Advantages:
– It is robust.
– Fault can easily be detected.
– Very secure
Disadvantages:
– Very costly.
– Installation and configuration are hard.
 TREE Topology
• It has a root node and all
the sub-nodes are
connected to the root
node in the form of the
tree, thereby making a
hierarchy.
• Normally, it has three
levels of hierarchy and it
can be expanded
according to the need of
the network.
 TREE Topology…
Advantages:
– Fault detection is easy.
– Can expand the network whenever needed as per
the requirement.
– Easy maintenance.
Disadvantages:
– High cost.
– When used for WAN, it is difficult to maintain.
 Transmission Modes in Computer Networks

There are three types of Transmission modes, which are explained

below:
Simplex Mode: Data can be sent in one direction only, unidirectional.
Send data without expecting to receive any response to it.
Example: Speakers, CPU, monitor, television broadcasting, etc.
Half-Duplex Mode: Data is transmitted in both the directions on a
single carrier frequency, but not at the same time.
Example: Walkie-talkie – In this, the message can be sent in both the
directions but only one at a time.
Full-Duplex Mode: Data is sent in both the directions simultaneously.
Example: Telephone – in which both the people using it can talk and
listen at the same time.
Transmission Mediums in Computer Networks

• Transmission media is the medium through which we will

exchange data in the form of voice/message/video between the
source and destination point.
• The first layer of the OSI layer i.e. the physical layer plays an
important role of providing the transmission media to send
data from the sender to receiver or exchange data from one
point to another.
• Depending upon the factors like the type of network, cost &
ease of installation, environmental conditions, the need of the
business and the distances between sender & receiver, suitable
transmission medium can be decided for an exchange of data.
Types of Transmission Media:
 Coaxial Cable
• Coaxial cable is basically two conductors which are
parallel to each other.
• Copper is mainly used in the coaxial cable as a central
conductor and it can be in the form of solid line wire,
surrounded by a PVC insulation in which a shield is
having an outer metallic wrapping.
• The outer part is used as a shield against the noise
and also as a conductor which completes the whole
circuit.
• The outermost part is a plastic cover which is used to
protect the overall cable.
• It was used in the analog communication systems
where a single cable network can carry 10K voice
signals.
• Cable TV network providers also widely use the
Coaxial cable in the entire TV network.
 Twisted Pair Cable
• It is the most popular wired transmission
medium and is used very widely.
• It is cheap and is easier to install than coaxial
cables.
• It consists of two conductors (commonly copper
is used), each having their own plastic
insulation and twisted with each other. One is
grounded and the other is used to carry signals
from the sender to the receiver. Separate pairs
are used for sending and receiving.
• There are two types of twisted pair cables, i.e.
Unshielded twisted pair and Shielded twisted
pair cable. In the telecommunication systems,
RJ 45 connector cable which is a combination
of 4 pairs of cables are widely used.
• It is used in LAN communication and telephone
landline connections as it has a high-bandwidth
capacity and provides high data and voice rate
connections.
 Fiber Optic Cable
• A fiber optic cable is made up of a core surrounded by a transparent cladding material with a
lesser index of reflection. It uses the properties of light for signals to travel between them.
Thus Light is kept in the core by using the method of total internal reflection which causes the
fiber to act as a waveguide.
• In multi-mode fiber, there are multiple propagation paths and the fibers used to have wider
core diameters. This type of fiber is mostly used in intra-building solutions.
• Whereas in single mode fibers there is a single propagation path and the core diameter used
is comparatively smaller. This type of fiber is used in Wide area networks.
• An optic fiber is a flexible and transparent fiber which consists of silica glass or plastic. Optic
fibers transmit signals in the form of light between the two ends of the fiber hence they
permit transmission over longer distances and at a higher bandwidth than the coaxial and
twisted pair cables or electrical cables.
• Fibers are used instead of metal wires in this, therefore, the signal will travel with very less
loss of signals from the sender to receiver and also immune to electromagnetic interference.
Thus its efficiency and reliability are very high and also it is very light in weight.
• Due to the above properties of Fiber optic cables, these are mostly preferable over electric
wires for long distance communications. The only disadvantage of OFC is its high-installation
cost and its maintenance is also very difficult.
Fiber Optic Cable…
 Wireless Communication Media

• The media which transports the electromagnetic signals

without using any physical medium is called a wireless
communication media or unguided transmission media.
• The signals are broadcast through the air and are
available to anyone who is having the capability to
receive it.
• The frequency used for wireless communication is from
3KHz to 900THz.
• We can categorize wireless communication into 3 ways
as mentioned below:
 Radio waves
• The signals which have transmitting frequency ranging from 3KHz
to 1 GHz are called radio waves.
• These are omnidirectional as when an antenna transmits the
signals, it will send it in all the directions, which means that sending
& receiving antenna’s need not be aligned with each other.
• If one sends the radio wave signals, then any antenna having the
receiving properties can receive it.
• Its disadvantage is that, as the signals are transmitted through
radio waves, it can be intercepted by anyone, hence it is not
suitable for sending classified important data, but can be used for
the purpose where there are only one sender and many receivers.
• Example: It is used in AM, FM radio, television & paging.
 Microwaves

• Ranges from 1GHz to 300GHz are called microwaves.

• These are unidirectional waves, which means that when the signal is transmitted
between the sender and receiver antenna then both need to be aligned.
• Microwaves have fewer interference issues than the Radio wave communication as
both the sender and receiver antenna are aligned at each other at both the ends.
• Microwave propagation is the line-of-sight mode of communication and the towers
with mounted antennas need to be in the direct line of sight, therefore, the tower
height needs to be very high for proper communication.
• Two types of antennas are used for microwave communication i.e Parabolic dish and
Horn.
• Microwaves are useful in one to one communication systems due to its unidirectional
properties.
• It is very widely used in satellite and wireless LAN communication.
• It can also be used for long-distance telecommunication as microwaves can carry
1000’s of voice data at the same interval of time.
• There are two types of microwave communication:
– Terrestrial microwave
– Satellite microwave
• The only disadvantage of the microwave is that it is very costly.
 Infrared waves
• The signals which have transmitting frequency
ranging from 300GHz to 400THz are called
Infrared waves.
• It can be used for short distance
communication as infrared with high
frequencies can’t penetrate the rooms and thus
prevents the interference between one device
to another.
• Example: Use of infrared remote controls.
 Conclusion

• We have studied the basic building blocks of

computer networking and its significance in today’s
digital world.
• The different types of media, topology, and
transmission modes used for connecting the various
types of nodes in the network have also been
explained here. We have also seen how computer
networks are used for intra-building networking,
inter-city networking, and world wide web i.e.
internet.