Title: Data Communications
1Data Communications Networking
- CT101 - Computing Systems
2Contents
- Data Transmission Circuits
- Data Communications
- Parallel Data Transmission
- Serial Data Transmission
- Asynchronous Serial Transmission
- Synchronous Serial Transmission
- Data Multiplexing Modems
- Networks Topologies (bus, star and ring)
- Cabling (coaxial, UTP, fiber optic)
- Media Access Methods (CSMA/CD, CSMA/CA, Token
Passing) - LAN Architectures (Ethernet, Token Ring)
- Networking Devices
- OSI Model. OSI layer functions. OSI versus TCP/IP
3Data Transmission
- Data transmission is the transfer of data from
point-to-point often represented as an
electromagnetic signal over a physical
point-to-point or point-to-multipoint
communication channel - A communication channel refers to the medium used
to convey information from a sender (or
transmitter) to a receiver, and it can use fully
or partially the medium. - Examples of channels copper wires, optical
fibbers or wireless communication channels.
4Data Communication Channels
- The following is a discussion on the THREE main
types of transmission circuits (channels),
simplex, half duplex and full duplex. - Simplex
- Data in a simplex channel is always one way.
Simplex channels are not often used because it is
not possible to send back error or control
signals to the transmit end. An example of a
simplex channel in a computer system is the
interface between the keyboard and the computer,
in that key codes need only be sent one way from
the keyboard to the computer system. - Half Duplex
- A half duplex channel can send and receive, but
not at the same time. Its like a one-lane bridge
where two way traffic must give way in order to
cross. Only one end transmits at a time, the
other end receives. - Full Duplex
- Data can travel in both directions
simultaneously. There is no need to switch from
transmit to receive mode like in half duplex. Its
like a two lane bridge on a two-lane highway.
5Parallel and Serial Data
- Parallel transmission (e.g. 8 bits)
- Each bit uses a separate wire
- To transfer data on a parallel link, a separate
line is used as a clock signal. This serves to
inform the receiver when data is available. In
addition, another line may be used by the
receiver to inform the sender that the data has
been used, and its ready for the next data.
6Parallel and Serial Data
- Serial (e.g. 8 bits)
- Each bit is sent over a single wire, one after
the other - Usually no signal lines are used to convey clock
(timing information) - There are two types of serial transmission,
essentially having to do with how the clock is
embedded into the serial data - Asynchronous serial transmission
- Synchronous serial transmission
- If no clock information was sent, the receiver
would misinterpret the arriving data (due to bits
being lost, going too slow). - Parallel transmission is obviously faster, in
that all bits are sent at the same time, whereas
serial transmission is slower, because only one
bit can be sent at a time. Parallel transmission
is very costly for anything except short links.
7Asynchronous Serial Transmission(RS232 Example)
- Because no signal lines are used to convey clock
(timing) information, this method groups data
together into a sequence of bits (five to eight),
then prefixes them with a start bit and a stop
bit. This is the method most widely used for PC
or simple terminal serial communications. - In asynchronous serial communication, the
electrical interface is held in the mark position
between characters. The start of transmission of
a character is signaled by a drop in signal level
to the space level. At this point, the receiver
starts its clock. After one bit time (the start
bit) come 8 bits of true data followed by one or
more stop bits at the mark level. - The receiver tries to sample the signal in the
middle of each bit time. The byte will be read
correctly if the line is still in the intended
state when the last stop bit is read. - Thus the transmitter and receiver only have to
have approximately the same clock rate. A little
arithmetic will show that for a 10 bit sequence,
the last bit will be interpreted correctly even
if the sender and receiver clocks differ by as
much as 5. - It is relatively simple, and therefore
inexpensive. However, it has a high overhead, in
that each byte carries at least two extra bits a
20 loss of line bandwidth.
8Synchronous Serial Transmission (PS2 Example)
- The PS/2 mouse and keyboard implement a
bidirectional synchronous serial protocol. - The bus is "idle" when both lines are high
(open-collector). Â This is the only state where
the keyboard/mouse is allowed begin transmitting
data. Â The host has ultimate control over the bus
and may inhibit communication at any time by
pulling the Clock line low. - The device (slave) always generates the clock
signal. Â If the host wants to send data, it must
first inhibit communication from the device by
pulling Clock low. Â The host then pulls Data low
and releases Clock. Â This is the
"Request-to-Send" state and signals the device to
start generating clock pulses. - Summary Bus StatesData high, Clock high
 Idle state.Data high, Clock low
 Communication Inhibited.Data low, Clock
high  Host Request-to-Send
- Data is transmited 1 byte at a time
- 1 start bit. This is always 0.
- 8 data bits, least significant bit first.
- 1 parity bit (odd parity - The number of 1's in
the data bits plus the parity bit always add up
to an odd number. This is used for error
detection.). - 1 stop bit. This is always 1.
- 1 acknowledge bit (host-to-device communication
only)
9Serial Communication
Name Sync/Async Type Duplex Max devices Maxspeed(Kbps) Maxdistance(feet) Pincount (not including ground)
RS-232 async peer full 2 115.2 30 2 (or 4 with HW handshake)
RS-422 async multi-drop half 10 10000 4,000 1 (unidirectional only, additional pins for each bidirectional comm.)
RS-485 async multi-point half 32 10000 4,000 2
I2C sync multi-master half Limitation based on bus capacitance and bit rate 3400 lt10 2
SPI sync multi-master full Limitation based on bus capacitance and bit rate gt1000 lt10 31(Additional pins needed for every slave if slave count is more than one)
Microwire sync master/slave full Limitation based on bus capacitance and bit rate gt625 lt10 31(Additional pins needed for every slave if slave count is more than one)
1-Wire async master/slave half Limitation based on bus capacitance and bit rate 16 1,000 1
10Data Communication Terminology
- Channel
- A channel is a portion of the communications
medium allocated to the sender and receiver for
conveying information between them. The
communications medium is often subdivided into a
number of separate paths, each of which is used
by a sender and receiver for communication
purposes. - Baud Rate
- Baud rate is the same as symbol rate and is a
measure of the number of line changes which occur
every second. Each symbol can represent or convey
one (binary encoded signal) or several bits of
data. For a binary signal of 20Hz, this is
equivalent to 20 baud (there are 20 changes per
second). - Bits Per Second
- This is an expression of the number of data bits
per second. Where a binary signal is being used,
this is the same as the baud rate. When the
signal is changed to another form, it will not be
equal to the baud rate, as each line change can
represent more than one bit (either two or four
bits). - Bandwidth
- Bandwidth is the frequency range of a channel,
measured as the difference between the highest
and lowest frequencies that the channel supports.
The maximum transmission speed is dependant upon
the available bandwidth. The larger the
bandwidth, the higher the transmission speed.
11Data Multiplexing
- A multiplexer is a device which shares a
communication link between a number of devices
(users). - Rather than provide a separate circuit for each
device, the multiplexer combines each low speed
circuit onto a single high speed link. The cost
of the single high speed link is less than the
required number of low speed links. - It does this by time or frequency division.
12Time Division Multiplexing
- In time division, the communications link is
subdivided in terms of time. - Each sub-circuit is given the channel for a
limited amount of time, before it is switched
over to the next user, and so on - In the picture bellow it can be seen that each
sub-channel occupies the entire bandwidth of the
channel, but only for a portion of the time
13Frequency Division Multiplexing
- In frequency division multiplexing, each
sub-channel is separated by frequency (each
sub-channel is allocated part of the bandwidth of
the main channel) - The speed or bandwidth of the main link is the
sum of the individual sub-channel speeds or
bandwidth.
14Modems
- Modems are devices which allow digital data
signals to be transmitted across an analogue
link. - Modem stands for modulator/demodulator. A modem
changes the digital signal to an analogue
frequency, and sends this tone across the
analogue link. At the other end, another modem
receives the signal and converts it back to
digital.
15Modulation Techniques
- Modulation techniques are methods used to encode
digital information in an analogue world. - There are three basic modulation techniques
- AM (amplitude modulation)
- FM (frequency modulation)
- PM (phase modulation)
- All 3 modulation techniques employ a carrier
signal. A carrier signal is a single frequency
that is used to carry the intelligence (data). - For digital, the intelligence is either a 1 or 0.
- When we modulate the carrier , we are changing
its characteristics to correspond to either a 1
or 0.
16Amplitude Modulation
- Modifies the amplitude of the carrier to
represent 1s or 0s - a 1 is represented by the presence of the carrier
for a predefined period of 3 cycles of carrier. - Absence or no carrier indicates a 0
- Pros
- Simple to design and implement
- Cons
- Noise spikes on transmission medium interfere
with the carrier signal. - Loss of connection is read as 0s.
17Frequency Modulation
- Modifies the frequency of the carrier to
represent the 1s or 0s. - a 0 is represented by the original carrier
frequency - a 1 by a much higher frequency ( the cycles are
spaced closer together) - Pros
- Immunity to noise on transmission medium.
- Always a signal present. Loss of signal easily
detected - Cons
- Requires 2 frequencies
- Detection circuit needs to recognize both
frequencies when signal is lost.
18Phase Modulation
- Phase Modulation modifies the phase of the
carrier to represent a 1 or 0. - The carrier phase is switched at every occurrence
of a 1 bit but remains unaffected for a 0 bit. - The phase of the signal is measured relative to
the phase of the preceding bit. The bits are
timed to coincide with a specific number of
carrier cycles (3 in this example 1 bit) - Pros
- Only 1 frequency used
- Easy to detect loss of carrier
- Cons
- Complex circuitry required to generate and detect
phase changes
19What is a network
- A network as a "group of computers and associated
devices that are connected by communications
facilities." - A network provides two principle benefits the
ability to communicate and the ability to share. - A network supports communication among users in
ways that other media cannot. - Sharing involves not only information (database
records, e-mail, graphics, etc.), but also
resources (applications, printers, modems, disk
space, scanners, etc.) Through its ability to
share, a network promotes collaboration - A network can consist of two computers connected
together on a desk or it can consist of many
Local Area Networks (LANs) connected together to
form a Wide Area Network (WAN) across a continent.
20Network Classifications
- Scope
- Local area network (LAN)
- Metropolitan area (MAN)
- Wide area network (WAN)
- Ownership
- Closed versus open
- Topology (configuration)
- Bus (Ethernet)
- Star (Wireless networks with central Access
Point) - Ring
21Network Topologies
- A topology refers to the manner in which the
cable is run to individual workstations on the
network. - the configurations formed by the connections
between devices on a local area network (LAN) or
between two or more LANs - There are three basic network topologies (not
counting variations thereon) the bus, the star,
and the ring. - It is important to make a distinction between a
topology and an architecture. - A topology is concerned with the physical
arrangement of the network components. - In contrast, an architecture addresses the
components themselves and how a system is
structured (cable access methods, lower level
protocols, topology, etc.). An example of an
architecture is 10baseT Ethernet which typically
uses the star topology.
22Bus Topology
- A bus topology connects each computer (node) to a
single segment trunk. - A trunk is a communication line, typically coax
cable, that is referred to as the bus. The
signal travels from one end of the bus to the
other. - A terminator is required at each end to absorb
the signal so it does not reflect back across the
bus. - In a bus topology, signals are broadcast to all
stations. Each computer checks the address on the
signal (data frame) as it passes along the bus.
If the signals address matches that of the
computer, the computer processes the signal. If
the address doesnt match, the computer takes no
action and the signal travels on down the bus. - Only one computer can talk on a network at a
time. A media access method (protocol) called
CSMA/CD is used to handle the collisions that
occur when two signals are placed on the wire at
the same time. - The bus topology is passive. In other words, the
computers on the bus simply listen for a
signal they are not responsible for moving the
signal along. - A bus topology is normally implemented with
coaxial cable.
23Bus Topology
- Advantages of bus topology
- Easy to implement and extend
- Well suited for temporary networks that must be
set up in a hurry - Typically the cheapest topology to implement
- Failure of one station does not affect others
- Disadvantages of bus topology
- Difficult to administer/troubleshoot
- Limited cable length and number of stations
- A cable break can disable the entire network no
redundancy - Maintenance costs may be higher in the long run
- Performance degrades as additional computers are
added
24Star Topology
- All of the stations in a star topology are
connected to a central unit called a hub. - The hub offers a common connection for all
stations on the network. Each station has its own
direct cable connection to the hub. In most
cases, this means more cable is required than for
a bus topology. However, this makes adding or
moving computers a relatively easy task simply
plug them into a cable outlet on the wall. - If a cable is cut, it only affects the computer
that was attached to it. This eliminates the
single point of failure problem associated with
the bus topology. (Unless, of course, the hub
itself goes down.) - Star topologies are normally implemented using
twisted pair cable, specifically unshielded
twisted pair (UTP). The star topology is probably
the most common form of network topology
currently in use.
25Star Topology
- Advantages of star topology
- Easy to add new stations
- Easy to monitor and troubleshoot
- Can accommodate different wiring
- Disadvantages of star topology
- Failure of hub cripples attached stations
- More cable required (more expensive to wire a
building for networking)
26Ring Topology
- A ring topology consists of a set of stations
connected serially by cable. In other words, its
a circle or ring of computers. There are no
terminated ends to the cable the signal travels
around the circle in a clockwise (or
anticlockwise) direction. - Note that while this topology functions logically
as ring, it is physically wired as a star. The
central connector is not called a hub but a
Multistation Access Unit or MAU. (Dont confuse a
Token Ring MAU with a Media Adapter Unit which
is actually a transceiver.) - Under the ring concept, a signal is transferred
sequentially via a "token" from one station to
the next. When a station wants to transmit, it
"grabs" the token, attaches data and an address
to it, and then sends it around the ring. The
token travels along the ring until it reaches the
destination address. The receiving computer
acknowledges receipt with a return message to the
sender. The sender then releases the token for
use by another computer. - Each station on the ring has equal access but
only one station can talk at a time.
27Ring Topology
- In contrast to the passive topology of the bus,
the ring employs an active topology. Each
station repeats or boosts the signal before
passing it on to the next station. - Rings are normally implemented using twisted pair
or fiber-optic cable - Advantages of ring topology
- Growth of system has minimal impact on
performance - All stations have equal access
- Disadvantages of ring topology
- Most expensive topology
- Failure of one computer may impact others
- Complex
28Choosing a Topology
- The following factors should be considered when
choosing a topology - Installation
- Maintenance and troubleshooting
- Expected growth
- Distances
- Infrastructure
- Existing network
- As a general rule, a bus topology is the cheapest
to install, but may be more expensive to maintain
because it does not provide for redundancy. - Various topologies can be mixed on the same
network. - One very common example is a large Ethernet
network with multiple hubs. Usually the hubs are
located on different floors in a building or
perhaps outside in another building. Each hub is
wired in the typical star configuration. However,
the hubs are connected together along a bus,
typically referred to as a backbone. - The backbone between hubs might consist of fiber
optic cable while the workstations are wired to
each individual hub with UTP (unshielded twisted
pair) cable.
29Cabling
- Coaxial Cable
- Thinnet looks like regular TV cable. It is about
1/4 inch in diameter and is very flexible and
easy to work with. - Thicknet is about 1/2 inch in diameter and not
very flexible. Thicknet is older and not very
common anymore except as a backbone within and
between buildings. Coax transmits at 10 Mbps.. - Twisted Pair. Twisted pair looks like telephone
wire and consists of insulated strands of copper
wire twisted together. There are two versions of
twisted pair cable - Shielded Twisted Pair (STP). STP is commonly used
in Token Ring networks - Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP). UTP is used in
Ethernet networks. Transmission rates vary
between 10-100-1000-10000 Mbps. - Fiber-Optic Cable. Fiber-optic cable consists of
a thin cylinder of glass surrounded by glass
cladding, encased in protective outer sheath. Â
Fiber-optic cable is very fast (over 1Gbps). It
can transmit over long distances (2 km ) but is
expensive.
30Cabling
- Top Unshielded Twisted Pair and Shielded Twisted
Pair Cable - Bottom Coaxial and Optical Fiber Cable
31Media Access Methods
- A media access method refers to the manner in
which a computer gains and controls access to the
networks physical medium (e.g., cable). - Common media access methods include the
following - CSMA/CD
- CSMA/CA
- Token Passing
- One of the primary concerns with media access is
how to prevent packets from colliding when two or
more computers try to transmit simultaneously.
Each of the methods listed above takes a
different approach to this problem. - Data transmitted over a network is sent one bit
at a time. A bit is either a 1 or a 0 represented
by a voltage change (on or off) or a light pulse.
If two stations are transmitting at the same
time, it is possible that the signals may
overlap, resulting in garbled data. Such
overlapping is referred to as a "collision."
32CSMA/CD
- CSMA/CD stands for Carrier-Sense Multiple Access
with Collision Detection. It is a media access
method which means it defines how the network
places data on the cable and how it takes it off.
- CSMA/CD specifies how bus topologies such as
Ethernet handle transmission collisions. A
collision occurs when two or more computers
transmit signals at the same time. - "Carrier Sense" means that each station on the
LAN continually listens to (tests) the cable for
the presence of a signal prior to transmitting. - "Multiple Access" means that there are many
computers attempting to transmit and compete for
the opportunity to send data (i.e., they are in
contention). - "Collision Detection" means that when a collision
is detected, the stations will stop transmitting
and wait a random length of time before
retransmitting. - CSMA/CD works best in an environment where
relatively fewer, longer data frames are
transmitted. This is in contrast to token passing
which works best with a relatively large amount
of short data frames. - Because CSMA/CD works to control or manage
collisions rather than prevent them, network
performance can be degraded with heavy traffic.Â
The greater the traffic, the greater the number
of collisions and retransmissions. - CSMA/CD is used on Ethernet networks.
33CSMA/CD Operation
- In its most simple form it operates as follows
- A station that wishes to transmit on the network
checks to see if the cable is free. - If the cable is free, the station starts
transmitting. - However, another station may have detected a free
cable at the same instant and also start
transmitting. The result is a "collision." - Once the collision is detected, all stations
immediately stop transmitting. - Stations then wait a random length of time before
checking the cable and then retransmit
34CSMA/CA
- CSMA/CA stands for Carrier-Sense Multiple Access
with Collision Avoidance and is a media access
method very similar to CSMA/CD. Â - The difference is that the CD (collision
detection) is changed to CA (collision
avoidance). Instead of detecting and reacting to
collisions, CSMA/CA tries to avoid them by having
each computer signal its intention to transmit
before actually transmitting. Â In effect, the
transmitting computer gives a 'heads up' prior to
transmitting. - Although CSMA/CA can prevent collisions, it comes
with a cost in the form of the additional
overhead incurred by having each workstation
broadcast it's intention prior to transmitting.
Thus, CSMA/CA is slower than CSMA/CD. - CSMA/CA is used on Apple networks and on WiFi
(IEEE 802.11) networks.
35The hidden terminal problem
36Token Passing
- Token passing is a media access method by which
collisions are prevented. - Collisions are eliminated under token passing
because only a computer that possesses a free
token (a small data frame) is allowed to
transmit. The token passing method also allows
different priorities to be assigned to different
stations on the ring. Transmissions from a
stations with higher priority take precedence
over stations with lower priority. - Token passing works best in an environment where
a relatively large number of shorter data frames
are being transmitted. (As opposed to CSMA/CD
which works best in an environment where
relatively fewer, longer data frames are being
transmitted.) - Token passing is used on Token Ring networks
37Token Passing Operation
- In its most simple form it operates as follows
- A station that wishes to transmit on the network
waits until it will receive a free token. - The sending station transmits its data with the
token. - The data travels to the recipient without
stopping at other stations (it is just relayed). - The receiving station receives the data and
returns the token to the sender as an
acknowledgment. - The sender receives acknowledgment and releases
the token to next station. - The token continues being passed along the ring
until it is seized" by the next station that
wants to transmit.
38LAN Architectures
- Network architecture refers to the manner in
which the hardware and software is structured.
The architecture includes the cable access method
(transmission), topology, and lower level
protocols. - The most common type of LAN architecture is
Ethernet. Token Ring was also used in the past. - These architectures are sometimes referred to as
"lower-level protocols" because they represent
the specifications for the IEEE802 model which
encompasses the physical (1st) and data link
(2nd) layers of the OSI model (to be discussed
latter)
39Ethernet
- Ethernet is a popular, relatively inexpensive,
easy-to-install LAN architecture with the
following characteristics - Uses the CSMA/CD media access control.
- Data transmission normally occurs at 100 Mbps
(10Mbps in the early forms and 10Gbps in the most
recent forms). - Typically implemented in a star topology (early
versions used bus topology as well). - Ethernet LANs are normally distinguished by the
type of cable they use Twisted Pair (Thinnet or
Thicknet were also used in the past). - The Ethernet architecture conforms to most but
not all of the IEEE 802.3 specification (the
physical layers are identical but the MAC layers
are somewhat different). - An Ethernet LAN is often described in terms of
three parameters transmission rate, transmission
type, and segment distance or cable type. - "100baseT" means
- 100 - transmission rate or through put of 100Mbps
- base - transmission type is baseband rather than
broadband network (i.e., the signal is placed
directly on the cable, one signal at a time) - T the cable type (e.g. Twisted pair)
- Few types of Ethernet 10Base2, 10Base5, 10BaseT
and 10BaseF, 100BaseT, 100BaseF, etc..
40Token Ring
- Token ring is a relatively expensive LAN
architecture that was strongly influenced by IBM.
It is very stable and can be expanded without a
significant degradation in network performance. - Token ring uses the token passing media access
control. Data transmission normally occurs at 4
or 16 Mbps depending on the cable. - Token ring is normally implemented in a logical
ring/physical star topology with a MAU
(Multistation Access Unit) as the hub. The
maximum number of stations on one ring is 260 for
shielded twisted pair and 72 for unshielded
twisted pair (UTP). There can be up to 33 MAUs
per ring. - Token Ring LANs normally use shielded twisted
pair (STP) but may also use unshielded twisted
pair (UTP) or fiber-optic cable. The maximum
distance to the MAU from the workstation depends
on the cable and varies from 45 meters for UTP to
100 meters for STP. - The Token Ring architecture conforms generally to
the IEEEs 802.5 specification
41Ethernet vs. Token Ring
- Ethernet is generally less expensive and easier
to install than Token Ring. - Token Ring is generally more secure and more
stable than Ethernet, but not used anymore in
typical LAN configurations. - It is usually more difficult to add more
computers on a Token Ring LAN than it is to an
Ethernet LAN. However, as additional computers
are added, performance degradation will be less
pronounced on the Token Ring LAN than it will be
on the Ethernet LAN. - Ethernet uses CSMA/CD media access control and
Token Ring uses token passing. This makes
Ethernet better suited in a situation where there
are a large number of computers sending fewer,
larger data frames. Token Ring is better suited
for small to medium size LANs sending many,
smaller data frames.
42Connecting Networks
- Repeater Extends a network
- Bridge Connects two compatible networks, doesnt
necessarily pass all the messages across the
connection - Switch Connect several compatible networks,
allowing it to connect several busses rather than
two.
43Building a large bus network from smaller ones
44Connecting Networks
- When networks are connected via repeaters,
bridges or switches, the result is a single large
network. - The entire system operates in the same way as the
original smaller networks - Sometimes the networks to be connected have
incompatible characteristics (e.g. WiFi network
to be connected with Ethernet network, etc..). - When building networks of networks, the system is
known as internet (note the small i, term that
is distinct from the Internet which refers to a
particular world wide internet). - Router Connects two incompatible networks
resulting in a network of networks - internet
45Routers connecting two WiFi networks and an
Ethernet network to form an internet
46Routers and internet addressing
- Routers purpose is to route (forward messages) in
their proper directions. - The forwarding process is based on an internet
wide addressing system which all the machines in
the internet (including the machines in the
original networks as well as the routers) are
assigned unique addresses. - Thus each machine in an internet has two
addresses its original local address within its
own network and the internet address - A machine wanting to send a message to a machine
in a distant network, it will attach the internet
address of the destination and will direct the
message to its local router. From there it is
forwarded to the proper direction (based on a
forwarding table maintained by the router).
47Client and Server
- The terms "client" and "server" are used to
describe individual computers that are part of a
network where computing resources and workload
are shared. - A server is a computer that makes its resources
available to the network and responds to the
commands of a client. The servers shared
resources can be files (a file server) printers
(a print server) processing power (an
application server) etc - A client is a computer that uses the resources
made available by a server. The client must have
sufficient processing power on its own to run
applications that interact with the resources on
the server. - It is possible, and quite common, for an
individual computer to function as both a client
and a server. - For example, if Bill queries a SQL Server
database from his workstation for the data he
needs to create an Excel spreadsheet, then his
workstation is functioning as a client. However,
if Sue then connects to Bills workstation from
her computer and copies the spreadsheet, then
Bills workstation is functioning as a server.
48ISO/OSI Model
- The International Standards Organization (ISO)
Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) is a standard set
of rules describing the transfer of data between
each layer in a network operating system. Each
layer has a specific function (i.e. the physical
layer deals with the electrical and cable
specifications) - The OSI Model clearly defines the interfaces
between each layer. This allows different network
operating systems and protocols to work together
by having each manufacturer adhere to the
standard interfaces. The application of the ISO
OSI model has allowed the modern networks that
exist today. There are seven layers in the OSI
model.
49OSI Model
- The Physical Layer
- Establishes the physical characteristics of the
network (e.g., the type of cable, connectors,
length of cable, etc.)Â - Defines the electrical characteristics of the
signals used to transmit the data (e.g. signal
voltage swing, duration of voltages, etc.)Â - Transmits the binary data (bits) as electrical or
optical signals depending on the medium. - The Data Link Layer
- Defines how the signal will be placed on or taken
off the NIC. The data frames are broken down
into individual bits that can be translated into
electric signals and sent over the network. On
the receiving side, the bits are reassembled into
frames for processing by upper levels. - Error detection and correction is also performed
at the data link layer. If an acknowledgement is
expected and not received, the frame will be
resent. Corrupt data is also identified at the
data link layer. - Because the Data-Link Layer is very complex, it
is sometimes divided into sublayers (as defined
by the IEEE 802 model). The lower sublayer
provides network access. The upper sublayer is
concerned with sending and receiving packets and
error checking.
50OSI Model
- The Network Layer
- Primarily concerned with addressing and routing.Â
Logical addresses (e.g., an IP address) are
translated into physical addresses (i.e., the MAC
address) for transmission at the network layer.
On the receiving side, the translation process is
reversed. - It is at the network layer where the route from
the source to destination computer is determined.
Routes are determined based on packet addresses
and network conditions. Traffic control measures
are also implemented at the network layer.  - The Transport Layer
- On the sending side, messages are packaged for
efficient transmission and assigned a tracking
number so they can be reassembled in proper
order. On the receiving side, the packets are
reassembled, checked for errors and acknowledged.
- Performs error handling in that it ensures all
data is received in the proper sequence and
without errors. If there are errors, the data is
retransmitted.
51OSI Model
- The Session Layer
- Is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and
terminating a connection called a 'session'. - A session is an exchange of messages between
computers (a dialog). Managing the session
involves synchronization of user tasks and dialog
control (e.g., who transmits and for how long). Â
Synchronization involves the use of checkpoints
in the data stream. In the event of a failure,
only the data from the last checkpoint has to be
resent. - Logon, name recognition and security functions
take place at the Session Layer. - The Presentation Layer
- It is responsible for data translation
(formatting), compression, and encryption. - The Presentation Layer is primarily concerned
with translation interpreting and converting the
data from various formats. For example, EBCIDIC
characters might be converted into ASCII. It is
also where data is compressed for transmission
and uncompressed on receipt. Encryption
techniques are implemented at the Presentation
Layer. - The redirector operates at the presentation layer
by redirecting I/O operations across the
network. - The Application Layer
- Provides the operating system with direct access
to network services. - It serves as the interface between the user and
the network by providing services that directly
support user applications.Â
52OSI Model
53OSI Model
- Each layer may add a Header and a Trailer to its
Data (which consists of the next higher layer's
Header, Trailer and Data as it moves through the
layers). The Headers contain information that
specifically addresses layer-to-layer
communication. For example, the Transport Header
(TH) contains information that only the Transport
layer sees. All other layers below the Transport
layer pass the Transport Header as part of their
Data.
54OSI vs. TCP/IP
55References
- Andrew S. Tanenbaum Computer Networks, ISBN
0-13066102-3 - J Glenn Brookshear Computer Science An
Overview, ISBN 0-321-54428-5 - Eugene Blanchard Introduction to Networking and
Data Communications