Fundamentals of Networking and Data Transmission

Networking
Networking can be defined as the process of connecting multiple computers to
exchange information. In addition to computers. devices such as printers and
scanners that are capable of transmitting data can also be networked. To enable
networking among all the computers and devices, various networking devices, such
as routers, hubs, and sw itches, are aced. Networked computers can he used to
share data and resources. In this chapter. you will learn the basics of networking
and data transmission.
Networking: History The first step towards networking was taken in the year 1969
when a network called Advanced Research Project Agency NETwork (ARPANET) was
developed. ARPANET was developed to connect all the computers used by the
Department of Defense (DoD) of the United States of America. ARPANET used the
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) suite of protocols for
transmitting data. TCP/IP. also referred to as the ARPA protocols. is still one of the
most widely used protocol suites in networking.
0 Iffi>. Tric ARPANET used 11100001111 inn as Iwo "Sal charnel to data
transmissice . ALCM A 1 -4.14;ti ye )..41,-, on-1,:n. -14,,i-tr... 41***4 While ARPANET
was being implemented, efforts were made to determine the possibility of using
radio signals for transmitting data over a network. The study of using radio signals
for data transmission resulted in the development of the ALOHA network, which
began operating in June 1971. ALOHA was developed at the University of Hawaii.

Two years after the implementation of ALOHA, it was merged with ARPANET to
enable communication using both telephone lines and radio signal.. By the mid 80
es, ARPANET grew into a worldwide network of computers. and was referred to as
the Internet.
Networking: Significance Since the deyetome lit of the I nternet, millions of
computers worldwide have been connected. Apart from cannoning computers.
networking technologies arc being used to provide services such as Automated
Teller Machines IAFM) for banking transactions, news services, and airline
resenations. By enabling data communication. networking has also played an
important role in technological advancements. Information technology professionals
extensively use networking to share data, such as pmgram ming code and views on
software compatibility issues. to develop faster and more efficient software and
hardware. Some of the advantages of networking are: Resource sharing:
Resources refer to data and devices. such as pnnters and scanners. Networking has
enabled access to data or devices at remote locations. This helps in effective and
optimum utilization of resources. Increase in performance: Networking helps in
increasing the overall performance of a device by utilizing the combined power of
several individual computers. For example, if you need to store data and your

computer hard disk does not have enough space. you can store the data on a
remote computer that you can access. Reliability: Networking has enhanced
rehabs lity by providing alternatives to important resource. For example, if a prime
on a network is busy. you can use another printer for printing. Similarly. if a di sk
fails. you can use another copy of the file, available on some other computer.
Scalability: You can add and remove desires from the network without affecting the
working of the network. Some of the disadvantages of networking am: Threat to
security: Because the resources an shared the chances of security violation are
high. An unauthorized user may hack some important information or a virus may
spread across the network. resulting in the loss of data. Resource allocation: A I
times, the available storage space might need to be divided among multiple mos.
which can result in constraints on users who require more storage space. Therefore.
decisions regarding the allocation of resources need to be made to ensure efficient
utilization of the resources.

Intrusion: An unauthorized user may access another user's computer without

appropriate access permissions using networking utilities or hacking techniques.
Traffic congestion: Because the resources arc shared among multiple users. there
are possibilities of all uses attempting to use the resources at the same time.
zausmg heavy network traffic. This can affect the performance of the network in
terms of speed. In addition, network traffic congestion can also result in inefficient
utilization of network resources.
Note: To access a resource from another node on the network. a user needs to have
appropriate access permissions. In addition. a user would need to expertly execute
certain commands to access the required kites from the remote compute: However.
in distributed systems methodology. a computer can access the files from another
computer without taking pnor permissions from the user 04 that computer. This task
of accessing the required resources from another computer is performed by a
destitute ccerabng system. However. a user carrot expeztty use the &stituted
sinner* methOdctiOpy 10 access Net from another computer This is a hidden
mechanism used by the network to efficiently utilize resources.
The computers or devices that arc connected using networking devices are referred
to as odes.
%% hen setting up a network. the combination of nodes and networking devices
must be such that it provides high performance, reliability, and security. The
performance of a network can be measured in terms of the time taken to transfer
data. This includes the time taken to transfer data from the source computer to the
destination computer and the time taken to deliver an acknowledgement of data
transfer from the destination computer to the source computer. The reliability of a
network is measured in km of the number of data transmission failures and the time

taken by the network to recover from these failures. Failures on a network occur due
to various problems, such as link disruptions. The security of a network refers to the
implementation of astess restrictions and protection from virus and other
destructive files. This is a major concern because a virus can disrupt a complete
network and lead to the loss of data.
Data Transmission Mechanisms
Data transincision retch to the Itaildc: of (Lila from the source device to the
destination device. Data transmission can occur by two mechanisms, they are:
Broadcast transmission Point-to-point transmission
Broadcast Transmission
In broadcast transmission, the data is sent to all the nodes on the network, instead
of a specific computer for which the data is destined. All the nodes that are
connected through a single communication channel receive the broadcasted data. If
the data is intended for a specific computer, only that computer accepts the data,
and other computers reject it. Because the data is sent to all active nodes,
broadcasting tends to generate a huge amount of traffic. Some networks also
provide a facility to transmit data to a subset of computers within a network. The
subset of computers forms a group, and the data is sent only to that group. This
type of transmission is known as multicasting. Figure 1.1 depicts a network with
seven nodes: A, B, C, D. E, F. and G. Computer F needs to send data to computer G.
Therefore, computer F broadcasts the data on the network. All the computers on the
network receive the data. Because the data that is broadcast contains information
about the destination computer. all the other computers, except the target
computer, computer G. reject the data.
E F Figure 1.1: Broadaw 7room:cram
Point-to-point Transmission In point-to-point transmission, a dedicated connection is
used to transmit data between the source and destination computers. In a
dedicated connection, only source and destination computers arc involved in
communication: other computers do not receive the data that is transmitted by the
source computer.

: displays a network with multddepdmido-point connections.

Figure 1.2: Poinmorint Tronsniasson
Network Topologies Network topology refers to the structural design and
implementation of a network. A etwork includes interconnected computers. cables.
and devices, such as printers and scanners. The connection between multiple
devices is known as a link, and multiple links arc :elated to as a topology. The
geometrical representation of the relationship of the links on a network is known as

network topology. The basic network topologies am: Bus Ring star Tree
Mesh Hybrid
Bus Topology In bus topology, all the computers are connected to a single cable that
acts as the backbone of the network. The main advantage of the bus topology is its
case of installation. This is because only one cable is required to connect all the
nodes on the network. As a result, the installation of a bus incurs low expenses.