MC7301 - COMPUTER NETWORKS

UNIT I - NETWORK FUNDAMENTALS

Uses of Networks (Ref. 3)
Categories of Networks (Ref. 3)
Communication Model (Ref. 2)
Data Transmission Concepts and Terminology (Ref. 2)
Protocol Architecture Protocols OSI TCP/IP (Ref. 1, Ref. 2, Ref. 3)
LAN Topology Transmission Media (Ref. 1, Ref. 2, Ref. 3)
REFERENCES:
1.

Larry L. Peterson & Bruce S. Davie, Computer Networks A systems

Approach, Fourth Edition, Harcourt Asia / Morgan Kaufmann, 2007.
2.
William Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, Nineth Edition,
Prentice Hall, 2011.
3.
Andrew S. Tannenbaum, David J. Wetherall, Computer Networks, Fifth
Edition, Pearson Education, 2011.

PART A
1. Compare and contrast distributed system with computer networks. (Apr/May 2015)
A distributed system is a collection of independent computers appears to its users as a
single coherent system whereas computer network is an interconnected collection of
autonomous computers.
2. What are the different types of network?

(Dec 2015/Jan 2016)

Personal area network

Local area network
Metropolitan area network
Wide area network
Internet

3. List some attributes of LAN.

(Dec 2015/Jan 2016)

Networking limited to a small geographical area.

High speed data transfer.

Relatively low cost.

Two most common transmission technologies - Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

Topologies bus, tree, ring and star

4. Identify the five components of a data communication system.

(May/Jun 2013, Nov/Dec 2010)
Source
Transmitter
Transmission System
Receiver
Destination.
5. Differentiate between an analog and digital signal.
(May/Jun 2014)
An analog signal is one in which the signal intensity varies in a smooth fashion over
time. i.e., there are no breaks or discontinuities in the signal. A digital signal is one in
which the signal intensity maintains a constant level for some period of time and then
abruptly changes to another constant level.
6. Differentiate between point-to-point connection and multipoint connection.
(Nov/Dec 2013)
A guided transmission medium is point to point if it provides a direct link between
two devices and those are the only two devices sharing the medium. In a multipoint
guided configuration, more than two devices share the same medium.
7. What is message formatting?

(Nov/Dec 2012)

The agreement between two parties on the form of the data, such as the binary code
for characters, to be exchanged or transmitted is known as message formatting.
8. Illustrate protocol and its key elements.

(Apr/May 2015, Nov/Dec 2013)

For two systems to communicate, the same set of layered functions must exist in two
systems. The corresponding or peer layers in the two systems communicate by means of
formatted blocks of data that obey a set of rules or conventions known as a protocol. The
key elements of a protocol are:
Syntax : Concerns the format of the data blocks
Semantics : Includes control information for coordination and error handling
Timing : Includes speed matching and sequencing
9. Differentiate between a service interface and a peer interface.

(Apr/May 2015)

Each protocol defines two different interfaces: Service interface and peer interface.
The service interface defines the operations that local objects can perform on the
protocol. For example, a request/reply protocol would support operations by which an
application can send and receive messages.
The peer interface defines the form and meaning of messages exchanged between
protocol peers to implement the communication service. For example, this would
determine the way in which a request/reply protocol on one machine communicates with
its peer on another machine.
10. Define the terms: OSI and TCP/IP.

(Nov/Dec 2014)

OSI:

Open Systems Interconnection. The seven-layer network reference

model developed by the ISO. The model is called the ISO OSI (Open

Systems Interconnection) Reference Model because it deals with connecting

open systems, that is, systems that are open for communication with other
systems.
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP is an Internet-based
concept and is the framework for developing a complete range of computer
communications standards.
11. List the layers of OSI reference model.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

Application Layer
Presentation Layer
Session Layer
Transport Layer
Network Layer
Data Link Layer
Physical Layer

12. Mention the functions of the session layer in OSI model.

(Apr/May 2015)

Allows users on different machines to establish sessions between them.

Offers various services, including
o dialog control (keeping track of whose turn it is to transmit),
o token management (preventing two parties from attempting the same critical
operation simultaneously), and
o synchronization (checkpointing long transmissions to allow them to pick up
from where they left off in the event of a crash and subsequent recovery).
13. What are the layers of TCP/IP model of a network?
i.
Application Layer
ii.
Transport (host-to-host) Layer
iii.
Internet Layer
iv. Network Access Layer
v. Physical Layer

(Nov/Dec 2012)

14. Define router.

A network node connected to two or more networks that forwards packets from one
network to another.
15. List the different network topologies available.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Bus Topology
Tree Topology
Ring Topology
Star Topology
Mesh Topology

(May/Jun 2016)

16. Distinguish between a hub and a switch.

(Apr/May 2011)

Hubs and switches are different types of network equipment that connect devices.
They differ in the way that they pass on the network traffic that they receive.
Hubs pass on traffic to the network regardless of the intended destination whereas
switches control the flow of network traffic based on the address information in each
packet and forwards the packets to the appropriate port only.

17. Distinguish between guided and unguided transmission media.

(May/Jun 2013, Nov/Dec 2012)
With guided media, the waves are guided along a physical path; examples of guided
media are twisted pair, coaxial cable, and optical fiber.
Unguided media, also called wireless, provide a means for transmitting
electromagnetic waves but do not guide them; examples are propagation through air,
vacuum, and seawater.
18. What are the types of coaxial cable? Brief any one. (Apr/May 2015, Apr/May 2011)

Baseband coaxial cable: A baseband coaxial cable is one that makes use of digital
signaling.
Broadband coaxial cable: Broadband coaxial cable is the type of cable used in cable
television systems. Analog signaling is used at radio and
television frequencies.

19. Define reliability.

(May/Jun 2016)

Reliability is the design issue of making a network that operates correctly even though
it is made up of a collection of components that are themselves unreliable.
20. What is 10base5?

(Nov/Dec 2014, Nov/Dec 2013)

The 10 in 10Base5 means that the network operates at 10 Mbps, Base refers to
the fact that the cable is used in a baseband system, and the 5 means that a given
segment can be no longer than 500 m.
PART B
1. With the relevant diagram explain the various modes of data transmission.
(8) (Dec 2015/Jan 2016)
2. Explain in detail about OSI layered architecture. Also list the functions of each layer.
(May/Jun 2016)
3. Describe the protocol and network components in OSI layers. (12) (Dec 2015/Jan 2016)
4. Explain the physical, data link and network layers of OSI model.
(8) (Nov/Dec 2014)
5. Briefly describe the importance of TCP/IP.
(8) (May/Jun 2016)
6. Explain TCP/IP reference model.
(8) (Nov/Dec 2014)
7. Illustrate the TCP/IP model and the functions of various layers in detail. (Apr/May 2015)
8. Compare the OSI and TCP/IP reference model.
(4) (Dec 2015/Jan 2016)

9. Explain various topologies of a LAN.

(8) (Nov/Dec 2014)
10. Give brief notes on transmission media.
(8) (Dec 2015/Jan 2016)
11. Explain about fiber optics and coaxial cables.
(8) (Nov/Dec 2014)
12. Compare and contrast difference between various transmission media.
(8) (May/Jun
2016)
13. Explain the applications of any two types of wired transmission media and their features.
(8) (Apr/May 2015)
14. Consider a channel of 4 km length. At what bandwidth would propagation delay equal
transmission delay for 512-byte packets? Assume a signal propagation speed of 2 x 10 8
m/s. If the length of the channel is doubled, what would be the new bandwidth at which
the above 2 delays will be equal? Comment on the result. In each of the cases,
determine the width of a bit on the channel, in metre/bit.
(8) (Apr/May 2015)