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Datacom Circuits, Circuit Arrangements, and Networks

Datacom Circuit Components

Source

Transmitter

Transmission Medium

Receiver

Destination

Serial and Parallel Data Transmission

Parallel Transmission. Involves sending data bits simultaneously

on a set of transmission lines on a single clock pulse. Also called
parallel by bit or serial by character transmission.

Serial Transmission. Involves sending data bits on a single

transmission line involving several clock cycles. Also called serial by bit
transmission.

Datacom Circuit Arrangements

Circuit Configurations.

- Point-to-point. Involves only two stations on a circuit.

- Multipoint. Involves more than two stations in a datacom circuit.

Transmission Modes.

- Simplex (SX). Transmit only or receive only or one-way-only lines

- Half duplex (HDX). Two way alternate or either-way lines

 - Full duplex (FDX). Two-way simultaneous or both-way lines

- Full/Full duplex (F/FDX). Transmission in both directions at the

same time but not between the same two stations.

Datacom Network Components, Functions and Features

Servers. Computers that hold shared files, programs, and the

network operating system.

Clients. Computers that access and use the network and other
shared resources.

Transmission Media. Facilities used to interconnect computers in

a network.

Shared Data. Data that file servers provide to clients such as

data files, printer access programs, and e-mail.

Shared Peripherals. Hardware resources provided to users by the

network servers.

Network Interface Card (NIC). Prepares, and sends data, receives

data, and controls data flow between the computer and the network.

Local Operating System (LOS). A software that allows personal

computers to access files, print to a local printer, and connect to other
local memory and peripheral devices.

Network Operating System (NOS). A program that runs on

computers and servers that allows the computers to communicate over
the network.

Datacom Network Models

Peer-to-Peer Client/Server. A network in which all computers

share their resources, such as hard drives, printers, and so on, with all
the other computers in the network.

- No dedicated servers or heirarchy among computers

- Used for networks with 10 users or less, when computers are

located in the same general area, when security is not an issue,
or when limited growth is projected for the network in the
immediate future.
 Dedicated Client/Server. A network where one computer is
designated as the server, and the rest of the computers are clients.

- Features highly centralized network control

- There could be a dedicated server to serve each network

function.

- Preferred model for general purpose data networks.

 Datacom Network Topologies

Network Topology. Describes the layout or appearance of a

network. A physical topology describes how a network is actually laid
out while the logical topology describes how data actually flow through
the network.

- Star. A multipoint datacom network where remote stations are

connected by cable segments directly to a centrally located
computer called a hub which acts as a multipoint connector.

- Bus. A multipoint datacom circuit where remote stations are

physically or logically connected to a single transmission line
called a bus. Also called a multidrop, horizontal bus, or linear
bus, it is the simplest and most common method of
interconnecting computers.

- Ring. A network where all stations are interconnected in tandem

(series) to form a closed loop or circle. In this type of topology
that is also called a loop, transmissions are unidirectional and
must propagate through all stations in the loop such that each
computer acts like a repeater.

- Mesh. A network where every station has a direct two-point

communication link with the rest of the computers in the
network. Also known as a fully connected network, this topology
offers reduced traffic problems, increased reliability, and
enhanced security although requires a much greater number of
transmission paths and input/output ports.

- Hybrid. A network that combines two or more of the traditional

topologies to form a larger, more complex topology.

Bus topology

Star Topology
 Ring Topology

Mesh Topology

Advantages and Disadvantages of Network Topologies

Bus
-Cheap. Easy to install.
Difficult to reconfigure.
Break in bus disables entire network.
Star
-Cheap. Easy to install.
Easy to reconfigure.
Fault tolerant.
More expensive than bus.
Ring
-Efficient. Easy to install.
Reconfiguration difficult.
Very expensive.
Mesh
-Simplest. Most fault tolerant.
Reconfiguration extremely difficult.
Extremely expensive.
Very complex.
 Datacom Network Classifications

Network Classification. Generally classified by size, which

includes geographic area, distance between stations, number of
computers, transmission speed, transmission speed, transmission
media, and the networks physical architecture.

- LAN (Local Area Network). Typically privately owned data

communications networks in which 10 to 40 computer users
share data resources with one another. Most LANs are owned by
the company or organization that uses it and have a connection
to a building backbone for access to other LANs, MANs, WANs,
and GANs.

- MAN (Metropolitan Area Network). A high speed network similar

to a LAN except it is designed to encompass larger areas, usually
an entire city/metropolis. A MAN can be owned and operated
entirely by a single company, or could lease services and
facilities on a monthly basis from the local cable or telephone
company.

- WAN (Wide Area Network). The oldest type of data

communications network that provides relatively slow-speed,
long distance transmission of data, voice, and video information
over relatively large and widely dispersed geographical areas,
such as a country or an entire continent.

- GAN (Global Area Network). A network that provides connections

between countries around the entire globe.

Datacom Networks Comparison

Primary types of interconnecting networks:

- Building Backbone. A network connection that normally carriers

traffic between departmental LANs within a single company.
 - Campus Backbone. A network connection used to carry traffic to
and from LANs located in various buildings on a campus or
similar settings like corporate headquarters, universities,
airports, and research parks.

- Enterprise Network. A network connection that includes some or

all of the previously mentioned networks and components
connected in a cohesive and manageable fashion.

Two promising computer networks of the future:

1. Personal area network (PAN)

- Idea behind it is to allow people to transfer data through the

human body simply by touching each other.

2. Power line area network (PAN or PLAN)

- Use existing ac distribution networks to carry data wherever

power lines go, which is virtually everywhere.

Internetwork or internet

-When two or more networks are connected together.

Internet

- Is the name of a specific worldwide data communications

network.