*Higher Technological Institute/10th of Ramadan City

Department of Electrical & Computers Engineering

Solutions to Quiz # 1
Subject/Code: Computer Networks / (EEC 210)
Examiner: Dr. Ahmed Khalifa
G2

Term: Feb. - May, 2016

SOLUTIONS TO QUESTIONS:
Q1a)

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Define the Local Area Networks (LANs) and give two examples of a LAN.
Solution:
A LAN is a privately owned network that operates within and nearby a single
building like a home, office or factory.
Examples:
1) Wireless LANs: each computer talks to a device in the ceiling, called an Access
Point, wireless router, or base station, relays packets between the wireless
computers and also between them and the Internet.
2) Wired LANs: use a range of different transmission technologies. Most of them use
copper wires, but some use optical fiber (e.g. Ethernet).

b)

Explain the difference between the presentation layer and its lower layers.
Solution:

Unlike the lower layers, which are mostly concerned with moving bits around,
the presentation layer is concerned with the syntax and semantics of the
information transmitted.

c)

Suppose the algorithms used to implement the operations at layer k is changed.

Explain how does this impact operations at layers k 1 and k + 1.
Solution:
This has no impact on the operations at layers k-1 or k+1.
Q2-

a)

Describe the main tasks of the data Link layer.

Solution:
The main tasks of the data link layer are:

[Ad,Cb]

1)

Framing: Almost all link-layer protocols encapsulate each network-layer datagram

within a link-layer frame before transmission over the link.

2)

Link access: The data link layer has to manage how to control access to the shared
channel.

3)

Error Control: A link-layer reliable delivery service can be achieved with

acknowledgments and retransmission.

4)

Error detection and correction: The transmitting node includes error-detection bits in
the frame, and having the receiving node perform an error check. Also, error
correction could be included, where a receiver determines exactly where in the frame
the errors have occurred and then corrects these errors.

5)

Flow Control: Regulating the flow of data so that slow receivers are not swamped by
fast senders.

b)

Define the processing delay.

Solution:
It is mainly the time required to examine the packets header and determine where to
direct the packet plus the time needed to check for bit-level errors in the packet.

c)

Suppose Host A wants to send a large file to Host B. The path from Host A to Host B
has three links, of rates R1 = 500 kbps, R2 = 100 Mbps, and R3 = 1 Mbps.
i. Assuming no other traffic in the network, Determine the throughput for the
file transfer.
Solution:
500 kbps
ii. Suppose the file is 4 million bytes. Dividing the file size by the throughput,
roughly calculate the time it will take to transfer the file to Host B.
Solution:
((4106) 8)/ 500 = 64 seconds.
Q3-

a)

[Ad,Bt]

Describe with drawing the relationship between data link layer and network layer.
Solution:

The data link layer takes the packets it gets from the network layer and
encapsulates them into frames for transmission. Each frame contains a header,
a payload field for holding the packet, and a trailer, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Relationship between packets and frames.

The function of the data link layer is to provide services to the network layer.
This principal service is transferring data from the network layer on the source
machine to the network layer on the destination machine.

b)

Explain the difference between a random access protocol and a controlled access
protocol.
Solution:
In an access protocol, there is no control; access is based on contention. In a
controlled access protocol, either a central authority (in polling) or other stations (in
reservation and token passing) control the access. Random access protocols have less
administration overhead. On the other hand, controlled access protocols are collision
free.

c)

A bit stream 101101 is transmitted using the standard CRC method described in the
text. The generator polynomial is x

+ x

+1. Determine the actual bit string

transmitted.
Solution:
The bit stream is 101101.
The generator is 1101.
The message after appending three zeros is 101101000.
The remainder on dividing 101101000 by 1101 is 010.
So, the actual bit string transmitted is 101101 010.
[Total marks is 10]