DataCommunicationand

Networking

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 Introduction

Todaycomputerisavailableinmanyofficesandhomesandthereforethereisa
needtosharedataandprogramsamongvariouscomputers.Withtheadvancement
of data communication facilities the communication between computers has
increasedandthusithasextendedthepowerofcomputerbeyondthecomputer
room.Nowausersittingatoneplacecancommunicatewithcomputersofany
remotesitethroughcommunicationchannel.Theaimofthislessonistointroduce
youthevariousaspectsofcomputernetwork.

Objectives
Aftergoingthroughthislesson,youwillbeinapositionto

l learnthebasicelementsofdatacommunicationsystem

l describecommunicationprotocolsanddatatransmissionmodes

l explaintheuseofcomputernetwork

l describedifferentcomponentsofcomputernetwork

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

l identifydifferenttypesofnetwork

l understand what is internet and email and its uses in modern

communication

l appreciatetheuseofsatellitecommunication

DataCommunication

Weallareacquaintedwithsomesortsofcommunicationinourdaytodaylife.
Forcommunicationofinformationandmessagesweusetelephoneandpostal
communicationsystems.Similarlydataandinformationfromonecomputer
systemcanbetransmittedtoothersystemsacrossgeographicalareas.Thus
data transmission is the movement of information using some standard
methods.Thesemethodsincludeelectricalsignalscarriedalongaconductor,
opticalsignalsalonganopticalfibersandelectromagneticareas.

Supposeamanagerhastowriteseveralletterstovariousclients.Firsthehas
tousehisPCandWordProcessingpackagetopreparetheletter,ifthePCis
connectedtoalltheclient'sPCthroughnetworking,hecansendthelettersto
alltheclientswithinminutes.Thusirrespectiveofgeographicalareas,ifPCs
are connected through communication channel, the data and information,
computerfilesandanyotherprogramscanbetransmittedtoothercomputer
systemswithinseconds.Themodernformofcommunicationlikeemailand
Internetispossibleonlybecauseofcomputernetworking.

BasicElementsofaCommunicationSystem

The following are the basic requirements for working of a communication

system.
1. Thesender(source)whocreatesthemessagetobetransmitted
2. Amediumthatcarriesthemessage
3. Thereceiver(sink)whoreceivesthemessage

Indatacommunicationfourbasictermsarefrequentlyused.Theyare:

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Data:Acollectionoffactsinrawformsthatbecomeinformationafterprocessing.CertificateinComputer
Science

Signals:Electricorelectromagneticencodingofdata.

Signaling:Propagationofsignalsacrossacommunicationmedium.

Transmission:Communicationofdataachievedbytheprocessingofsignals.

CommunicationProtocols

You may be wondering how computers send and receive data across
communicationlinks.Theanswerisdatacommunicationsoftware.Itisthis
software that enables us to communicate with other systems. The data
communicationsoftwareinstructscomputersystemsanddevicesastohow
exactlydataistobetransferredfromoneplacetoanother.Theprocedureof
datatransformationintheformofsoftwareiscommonlyknownasprotocol.

Thedatatransmissionsoftwareorprotocolsperformthefollowingfunctions
fortheefficientanderrorfreetransmissionofdata.

1. Datasequencing :Alongmessagetobetransmittedisbrokeninto
smallerpacketsoffixedsizeforerrorfreedatatransmission.

2. DataRouting :Itistheprocessoffindingthemostefficientroute
betweensourceanddestinationbeforesendingthedata.

3. Flowcontrol:Allmachinesarenotequallyefficientintermsofspeed.
Hencetheflowcontrolregulatestheprocessofsendingdatabetween
fastsenderandslowreceiver.

4. ErrorControl:Errordetectingandrecoveringistheoneofthemain
functions of communication software. It ensures that data are
transmittedwithoutanyerror.

DataTransmissionModes

Therearethreewaysfortransmittingdatafromonepointtoanotherasshown
inFig.5.1

1. Simplex :Insimplexmodethecommunicationcantakeplaceinone
direction.Thereceiverreceivesthesignalfromthetransmittingdevice.
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In this mode the flowofinformationis Unidirectional.Hence itis
rarelyusedfordatacommunication.

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

2. Halfduplex:Inhalfduplexmodethecommunicationchannelisused
inbothdirections,butonlyinonedirectionata time.Thus ahalf
duplexlinecanalternatelysendandreceivedata.

3. Fullduplex:Infullduplexthecommunicationchannelisusedinboth
directions at the same time. Use of fullduplex line improves the
efficiency as the line turnaround time required in halfduplex
arrangementiseliminated.Exampleofthismodeoftransmissionisthe
telephoneline.

AB

SimplexAtoBonly

A B

HalfDuplexAtoBorBtoA

A B

FullDuplexAtoBandBtoA

Fig5.1Simplex,HalfDuplexandFullDuplex.

DigitalandAnalogTransmission

Dataistransmittedfromonepointtoanotherpointbymeansofelectricalsignalsthat
maybeindigitalandanalogform.Sooneshouldknowthefundamentaldifference
betweenanaloganddigitalsignals.Inanalogsignalthetransmissionpowervaries
overacontinuousrangewithrespecttosound,lightandradiowaves.Ontheother
hand,adigitalsignalmayassumeonlydiscretesetofvalueswithinagivenrange.
(see fig. 5.2 and 5.3) Examples are computer and computer related equipment.
AnalogsignalismeasuredinVoltsanditsfrequencyisinHertz(Hz).Adigitalsignal
isasequenceofvoltagerepresentedinbinaryform.Whendigitaldataaretobesent
over ananalogformthedigitalsignalmustbeconvertedtoanalogform. Sothe
technique by which a digital signal is converted to analog form is known as

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modulation.Andthereverseprocess,thatistheconversion

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CertificateinComputerScience

ofanalogsignaltoitsdigitalform,isknownasdemodulation.Thedevice,
whichconvertsdigitalsignalintoanalog,andthereverse,isknownasmodem.

DigitalSignals

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

AnalogSignal

AnalogSignals

DigitalSignal

AsynchronousandSynchronousTransmission

Data transmission through a medium can be either asynchronous or

synchronous.Inasynchronoustransmissiondataistransmittedcharacterby
characterasyougoontypingonakeyboard.Hencethereisirregulargaps
betweencharacters.However,itischeapertoimplement,asyoudonothave
tosavethedatabeforesending.Ontheotherhand,inthesynchronousmode,
thesaveddataistransmittedblockbyblock.Eachblockcancontainmany
characters.Synchronoustransmissioniswellsuitedforremotecommunication
betweenacomputerandrelateddeviceslikecardreaderandprinters.
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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

TypesofCommunicationServices

Atermusedtodescribethedatahandlingcapacityofacommunicationserviceis
bandwidth. Bandwidth is the range of frequencies that is available for the
transmissionofdata.Anarrowrangeoffrequenciesinacommunicationsystemis
analogoustoagardenhosewithasmalldiameter.Theflowofinformationin
suchasystemitsdatarateisrestricted,justasistheflowofwaterinthenarrow
hose.Widerbandwithspermitmorerapidinformationflow.Thecommunication
datatransferrateismeasuredinaunitcalledbaud.Baudisidenticaltobitsper
second.Therefore,arateof300baudis300bitspersecond.

Communication companies such as American Telephone and Telegraph

(AT&T)andWesternUnion arecalledcommoncarriers,andthey provide
threegeneralclassesofserviceforbothvoiceanddatacommunication:

1. Narrowband handles low data volumes. Data transmission rates are

from45to300baud.Thelowspeeddevicesmightusenarrowband
communications.

2. Voicebandhandlesmoderatedatatransmissionvolumesbetween300
and9600baud.Theyareusedforapplicationsrangingfromoperatinga
CRTtorunningalineprinter.Theirmajorapplicationisfortelephone
voicecommunicationhence,thetermvoiceband.

3. Broadbandhandlesverylargevolumesofdata.Thesesystemsprovide
data transmission rates of 1 million baud or more. Highspeed data
analysis and satellite communications are examples of broadband
communicationsystems.

CommunicationMedia
Followingarethemajorcommunicationdeviceswhicharefrequentlyused:

1. Wire Pairs : Wire pairs are commonly used in local telephone

communication and for short distance digital data communication.
Theyareusuallymadeupofcopperandthepairofwiresistwisted
together.Datatransmissionspeedisnormally9600bitspersecondina

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distanceof100meter.

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CertificateinComputerScience

2. Coaxial Cables :Coaxial cableis groups of specially wrapped and

insulatedwiresthatareabletotransferdataathigherrate.Theyconsist
ofacentralcopperwiresurroundedbyaninsulationoverwhichcopper
meshisplaced.Theyareusedforlongdistancetelephonelinesand
localareanetworkfortheirnoiseimmunityandfasterdatatransfer.

3. Microwave:Microwavesystemusesveryhighfrequencyradiosignals
to transmit data through space. The transmitter and receiver of a
microwavesystemshouldbeinlineofsightbecausetheradiosignal
cannotbend.Withmicrowaveverylongdistancetransmissionisnot
possible.Inordertoovercometheproblemsoflineofsightandpower
amplificationofweaksignal,repeatersareusedatintervalsof25to30
kilometersbetweenthetransmittingandreceivingend.

4. CommunicationSatellite:Theproblemoflinesightandrepeatersare
overcome by using satellites which are the most widely used data
transmission media in modern days. A communication satellite is a
microwaverelaystationplacedinouterspace.INSAT1Bissucha
satellite that can be accessible from anywhere in India. In satellite
communication,microwavesignalistransmittedfromatransmitteron
earthtothesatelliteatspace.Thesatelliteamplifiestheweaksignal
andtransmitsitbacktothereceiver.Themainadvantageofsatellite
communication is that it is a single microwave relay station visible
fromanypointofaverylargearea.Inmicrowavethedatatransmission
rate is 16 giga bits per second. They are mostly used to link big
metropolitancities.

IntextQuestions

1. Whatiscommunicationprotocol?

2. What is the difference between asynchronous and synchronous

transmission?

3. WriteTrueorFalseforthefollowingstatement
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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

(a) Thebasicrequirementsforworkingofacommunicationsystem
aresender,mediumandreceiver.

(b) Electric or Electromagnetic encoding of data is called

Transmission.

(c) In full duplex the communication channel issued in both

directionsatthesametime.

(d) AnalogsignalismeasuredinVoltsanditsfrequencyisinHertz

(e) Thetechniquebywhichadigitalsignalisconvertedtoanalog
formisknownasmodulation.

ComputerNetwork

Acomputernetworkisinterconnectionofvariouscomputersystemslocatedat
different places. In computer network two or more computers are linked
togetherwithamediumanddatacommunicationdevicesforthepurposeof
communication data and sharing resources. The computer that provides
resourcestoothercomputersonanetworkisknownasserver.Inthenetwork
theindividualcomputers,whichaccesssharednetworkresources,areknown
asnodes.

TypesofNetworks

Therearemanydifferenttypesofnetworks.However,fromanenduser'spoint
ofviewtherearetwobasictypes:

l LocalAreaNetworks(LANs)

Thecomputersaregeographicallyclosetogether(thatis,inthesame
building).

l WideAreaNetworks(WANs)

Thecomputersarefartherapartandareconnectedbytelephonelinesor
radiowaves.

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CertificateinComputerScience

Inadditiontothesetypes,thefollowingcharacteristicsarealsousedto
categorizedifferenttypesofnetworks.

l Topology

Thegeometricarrangementofacomputersystem.Commontopologies
includebus,star,andring.

l Protocol

Theprotocoldefinesacommonsetofrulesandsignalsthatcomputers
onthenetworkusetocommunicate.Oneofthemostpopularprotocols
forLANsiscalledEthernet.AnotherpopularLANprotocolforPCsis
theIBMtokenringnetwork.

l Architecture

Networks can be broadly classified as using either peertopeer or

client/serverarchitecture.

Computersonanetworkaresometimescallednodes.Computersand
devicesthatallocateresourcesforanetworkarecalledservers.

l LocalAreaNetwork(LAN)

LANisacomputernetworkthatspansarelativelysmallarea.Most
LANsareconfinedtoasinglebuildingorgroupofbuildings.However,
one LAN can be connected to other LANS over any distance via
telephonelinesandradiowaves.AsystemofLANsconnectedinthis
wayiscalledawideareanetwork(WAN).

Most LANs as shown in Fig. 5.4 connect workstations and personal

computers.Eachnode(individualcomputer)inaLANhasitsownCPUwith
which it executes programs, but it is also able to access data and devices
anywhere on the LAN. This means that many users can share expensive
devices,suchaslaserprinters,aswellasdata.UserscanalsousetheLANto
communicatewitheachother,bysendingemailorengaginginchartsessions.

TherearemanydifferenttypesofLANstokenringnetworks,Ethernents,and
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ARCnetsbeingthemostcommonforPCs.

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

LocalAreaNetwork

LANsarecapableoftransmittingdataatveryfastrates,muchfasterthandatacan
betransmittedoveratelephoneline;butthedistancearelimited,andthereisalso
alimitonthenumberofcomputersthatcanbeattachedtoasingleLAN.

WideAreaNetwork(WAN)

AWANisacomputernetworkthatspansarelativelylargegeographicalarea.
Typically,AWANconsistsoftwoormorelocalareanetworks(LANs).

Computers connected to a widearea network are often connected through

publicnetworks,suchasthetelephonesystem.Theycanalsobeconnected
throughleasedlinesorsatellites.ThelargestWANinexistenceistheInternet.

AtypicalWANsetupisshown

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CertificateinComputerScience

WideAreaNetwork

NetworkTopologies

As we have seen earlier, topology is the geometric arrangement of the

computersinanetwork.Commontopologiesincludestar,ringandbus.

StarNetwork

ThestarnetworkasshowninFig5.6isfrequentlyusedtoconnectoneormore
smallcomputersorperipheraldevicestoalargehostcomputerorCPU.Many
organizationsusethestarnetworkoravariationofitinatimesharingsystem,
inwhichseveralusersareabletoshareacentralprocessor.

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

StarTopology

Inatimesharingsetup,eachterminalreceivesafixedamountoftheCPU's
time,calledatimeslice.Ifyouaresittingataterminalandcannotcomplete
yourtaskduringthetimeslice,thecomputerwillcomebacktoyoutoallow
you to do so. Actually, because the CPU operates so much faster than
terminals,youwillprobablynotevennoticethattheCPUisaway.

Byestablishingtimesharing,manypeopleinalargeorganizationcanusea
centralizedcomputingfacility.Timesharingcanalsobepurchasedfroman
outsideservice,whichisaneconomicalwaytooperateforasmallcompany
thatcannotafforditsownlargecomputer.

StarnetworkisfrequentlyusedinaLANtoconnectseveralmicrocomputers
toacentralunitthatworksasacommunicationscontroller.Iftheuserofone
microcomputer wants to send a document or message to a user at another
computer, the message is routed through the central communications
controller. Another common use of the star network is the feasibility of
connecting several microcomputers to a mainframe computer that allows
accesstoanorganization'sdatabase.

Accessandcontrolofstarnetworktypicallyismaintainedbyapollingsystem.
Pollingmeansthatthecentralcomputer,orcommunicationscontroller"polls"
oraskseachdeviceinthenetworkifithasamessagetosendandthenallows
eachinturntotransmitdata.

RingNetwork

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Theringnetwork(seeFig.5.7)isaLocalAreaNetwork(LAN)whosetopology

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CertificateinComputerScience

is a ring can be as simple as a circle or pointtopoint connections of

computers at dispersed locations, with no central host computer or
communicationscontroller.Thatis,allofthenodesareconnectedinaclosed
loop.Messagestravelaroundthering,witheachnodereadingthosemessages
addressedtoit.Oneoftheadvantagesofringnetworksisthattheycanspan
largerdistancethanothertypesofnetworks,suchasbusnetworks,because
eachnoderegeneratesmessagesastheypassthroughit.

RingTopology

Access andcontrolofringnetworksaretypicallymaintainedbya"token
passing"system.IBM'sTokenRingnetworkisthoughtbysomeobserversto
beawatershedeventcomparabletothedevelopmentoftheIBMPCVitself,
becausetheTokenRingnetworkisdesignedtolinkalltypesofcomputers
together, including not only personal computers but also possible mini
computesandmainframes.

ATokenRingnetworkasshowninFig.5.7resemblesamerrygoround.To
deliveramessage,youwouldhandoveryouraddressednotetoarider(the
token)onthemerrygoround,whowoulddropitoffattheappropriateplace.

BusNetwork

Busnetworks(seeFig.5.8)aresimilartoringnetworkthattheendsarenot
connected.Allcommunicationsarecarriedonacommoncableorbusandare

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availabletoeachdeviceonthenetwork.

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

Access and control of bus networks are typically maintained by a method

called contention, whereby if a line is unused, a terminal or device can
transmititsmessageatwill,butiftwoormoreterminalsinitiatemessages
simultaneously,theymuststopandtransmitagainatdifferentintervals.

BusNetwork

NetworkProtocols
Aprotocolisanagreeduponformatfortransmittingdatabetweentwodevices.
Theprotocoldeterminesthefollowing:

l Thetypeoferrorcheckingtobeused.

l Datacompressionmethod,ifany

l How the sending device will indicate that it has finished sending a
message

l Howthereceivingdevicewillindicatethatithasreceivedamessage

Thereareavarietyofstandardprotocolsfromwhichprogrammerscanchoose.
Eachhasitownparticularadvantagesanddisadvantages;forexample,some
aresimplerthantheothers,somearemorereliable,andsomearefaster.
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CertificateinComputerScience

Fromauser'spointofview,theonlyinterestingaspectaboutprotocolsisthat
your computer or device must support the right ones if you want to
communicatewithothercomputers.Theprotocolcanbeimplementedeitherin
hardwareorinsoftware.SomeofthepopularprotocolsareTCP/IP,HTTP,
FTP,SMTP,POP,TokenRing,Ethernet,Xmodem,Kermit,MNP,etc.

NetworkArchitecture

The term architecture can refer to either hardware or software, or a

combinationofhardwareandsoftware.Thearchitectureofasystemalways
definesitsbroadoutlines,andmaydefineprecisemechanismsaswell.

Anopenarchitectureallowsthesystemtobeconnectedeasilytodevicesand
programsmadebyothermanufacturers.Openarchitecturesuseofftheshelf
components and conform to approved standards. A system with a closed
architecture,ontheotherhand,isonewhosedesignisproprietary,makingit
difficult to connect the system to other systems. As we have seen before,
networkarchitecturescanbebroadlyclassifiedasusingeitherpeertopeeror
client/serverarchitecture.

PeertopeerArchitecture

Thisisatypeofnetworkinwhicheachworkstationhasequivalentcapabilities
andresponsibilities.Thisdiffersfromclient/serverarchitecture,inwhichsome
workstations arededicated to serving the others. Peertopeer networks are
generallysimplerandlessexpensive,buttheyusuallydonotofferthesame
performanceunderheavyloads.

Client/ServerArchitecture

This is a network architecture in which each computer or process on the

network is either a client or a server. Servers are powerful computers or
processors dedicated to managing disk drives (file servers), printers (print
servers),ornetworktraffic(networkservers).ClientsarelesspowerfulPCs
workstations on which users run applications. Clients rely on servers for
resources,suchasfiles,devices,andevenprocessingpower.
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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

IntextQuestions

1. DistinguishbetweenLANandWAN.

2. Whatarethedifferenttypesofnetworktopology?

3. WriteTrue(T)orFalse(F)forthefollowingstatements:

(a) Networks used to interconnect computers in a single room,

withinabuildingorbuildingsononesitearecalledWideArea
network(WAN).

(b) The term Wide Area Network (WAN) is used to describe a

computernetworkspanningaregional,nationalorglobalarea.

(c) ThespeedofdatatransmissionismuchhigherinWANthanin
LAN.

ImportanttermsusedinNetworking

(a) Internet

Thenewesttypeofnetworktobeusedwithinanorganisationisaninternetor
internetweb.Suchnetworksenablecomputers(ornetwork)ofanytypeto
communicateeasily.Thehardwareandsoftwareneedsarethesameasforthe
internet,specificallyTCP/IP,serverandbrowsersoftwareusedfortheWorld
WideWeb.Becausemostorganisationshaveaneedformoredynamicwaysto
link people and information, the internet market is expanding day by day.
Moreover,thereisnoneedtoadjustthenetworkwhenanewuserjoinsin.
WiththehelpofInternet,allcomputersofanorganisationcanworkasstand
alonesystems,connectedtoamainframe,orpartofaLANorWAN.

(b) EMail

Emailstandsforelectronicmail.Thisisoneofthemostwidelyusedfeatures
ofInternet.Mailsareregularlyusedtodaywherewithoutthehelpofpostage
stampwecantransfermailsanywhereintheworld.Withelectronicmailthe
serviceissimilar.ButheredataistransmittedthroughInternetandtherefore
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withinminutesthemessagereachesthedestinationmayitbeanywhereinthe

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CertificateinComputerScience

world.Thereforethemailingsystemthroughemailisexcessivelyfastandis
beingusedwidelyformailtransfer.

(c) VoiceMessaging

Itisanewcommunicationapproachwhichissimilartoelectronicmailexcept
thatitisaudiomessageratherthantextmessagesthatareprocessed.Asender
speaksintoatelephoneratherthantyping,givingthenameoftherecipientand
themessage.Thatsender'svoicesignalisthendigitisedandstored.Thesystem
can theneither deliver themessage ata specified time infuture oritcan be
retrievedfromadatabasebytherecipient.Themessageisreconvertedbackinto
itsanalogformatwhenitisdeliveredorretrievedsothattherecipienthearsitas
theoriginalsender'svoiceonatelephone.Voicemessagingrequiresacomputer
withanabilitytostoretheaudiomessagesindigitalformandthenconvertthem
back in an audio form upon verification. Each user has a voice mailbox in
secondarystorageandspecialequipmentconvertstheaudiomessagetoandfrom
thedigitalform.Themainadvantageofvoicemailoverelectronicmailisthatthe
senderdoesnothavetotype.Voicemailalsomakesiteasytoincludepeoplein
thefirm'senvironmentinancommunicationnetwork.

(d) ECommerce

Electroniccommerceorecommerceasitispopularlyknownreferstothe
paperlessexchangeofbusinessinformationusingElectronicDataInterchange,
Electronic mail, Electronic Bulletin Boards, Electronic Fund Transfer and
other network based technologies. Electronic Commerce (EC) not only
automates manual process and paper transactions, but it also helps
organisationstomoveintoafullyelectronicenvironmentandchangetheway
theyusuallyoperate.FeworganisationshaverecentlystartedconductingEC
overInternet,thenetworkofnetworks.InternethasalsohelpedECtoboostup
becauseitisalowcostalternativetotheproprietarynetworks.ECstandards
arehoweverunderdevelopment.ElectronicDataInterchange(EDI)isstillthe
dominantpartofEC.

Information Technology has transformed the way people work. Electronic

Commerce(EC)hasunearthedyetanotherrevolutionwhichischangingtheway
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businesshousesbuyandsellproductsandservices.ECisassociatedwithbuying

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 DataCommunicationandNetworking

andsellingofproductsandservicesovercomputercommunicationnetworks.
EC transfers information electronically from computer to computer in
autonomousway.EChas,infact,transformedthewayorganisationsoperate.

(e) ElectronicDataInterchange(EDI)

EDIisthecomputertocomputerexchangeofbusinessdocumentsinastandard
format.Theseformatslookmuchlikestandardformsandarehighlystructured.

(f) Teleconferencing

It refers to electronic meetings that involve people who are at physically

differentsites.Telecommunicationtechnologyallowsparticipantstointeract
withoneanotherwithouttravellingtothesamelocation.

WhatyouhaveLearnt

Inthislessonyoulearntabouttheimportanceandmodesofcommunication
through computers. Computers can communicate with one another through
computernetworking.Therearetwotypesofcomputernetwork:LANand
WAN. We discussed about the physical arrangements of computer and
peripheralsinnetworktopology.Therearethreetypesofnetworktopology:
startopology,bustopologyandringtopology.Attheendwediscussedabout
Internetandemail.

TerminalQuestions

1. Whatiscomputernetwork?Whatareitsmainobjectives?
2. Distinguishbetweenanaloganddigitaltransmissionofdata.

3. Explaininbriefdifferentcommunicationmedia.

4. Whatisthedifferencebetweensimplexandfullduplextransmission?

5. Explainnetworkarchitecturebriefly.

6. Defineteleconferencing.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

IntextQuestions5.1

1. The data communication software instructs computer systems and

devicesastohowexactlydataistobetransferredfromoneplaceto
another.Theprocedureofdatatransformationintheformofsoftware
iscommonlycalledprotocol.

2. Inasynchronoustransmissiondataistransmittedcharacterbycharacter
as you go on typing on a keyboard. On the other hand, in the
synchronousmode,thesaveddataistransmittedblockbyblock.

3. (a) True(b) False(c) True(d) True(e) True

InTextQuestions

1. LANisrestrictedtolimitedgeographicalareawhereasWANcovers
longdistance.InLANthecomputerterminalsandperipheraldevices
areconnectedwithwiresandcableswhereasinWANcommunication
isdonethroughtelephonelinesandsatellitelinks.Thespeedofdata
transmissionismuchhigherinLANthaninWAN.

2. There are three major types of network topology. They are star
topology,bustopologyandringtopology.

3. (a) False (b) True (c) False

REFERENCE:
1- http://www.tutorialspoint.com/data_communication_computer_network/
2- http://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/communication-networks/what-is-
data-communication
3- https://accessengineeringlibrary.com/browse/data-communications-and-networking-fourth-
edition
4- http://nitttrc.ac.in/Four%20quadrant/dcn/Quadrant%20-%203/FAQ_PDF.pdf
5- http://www.dictionary.com/browse/data-communication

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