Information

Technology
Data Communication & Networking
Form 4
Data Communication &
Networking
Definition
1. Data Communication is the transfer of information from one
computer to another.

2. Network is a communications, data exchange and resource –

sharing system created by linking two or more computers.
Types of Networks
1. Local Area Network(LAN): is a computer network
that uses cables or radio signals to link two or more
computers in a geographically limited area
(Generally one building or a group of buildings e.g.
JW Fletcher IT Lab and/or PBC IT Lab).
2. A Metropolitan Area Network(MAN): is a regional computer or
communication network spanning the area covered by an average to
large-sized city. An example would be WiMax.
3. Wide Are Network (WAN) is a data communication
network extending a LAN, over telecommunication
lines or wirelessly, to link to other LANs over great
distances. The internet is an example of a WAN.

NB: The Internet is thought of as, a network of

networks.
Questions
1. What is WiMax?
2. Suggest two ways in which WiMax service is advantageous to
specific users.
Transmission Media
Both cables and radio waves are used for linking
computers in a network.
Types of
Transmission Media
Wired Media
Coaxial cable: A type of wire that consists of a center
wire surrounded by insulation and then a grounded shield of
braided wire. The shield minimizes electrical and radio
frequency interference.

Coaxial cabling is the primary type of cabling used by the

cable television industry and is also widely used for
computer networks, such as Ethernet. Although more
expensive than standard telephone wire, it is much less
susceptible to interference and can carry much more data.
Twisted Pair Cable: A type of cable that consists of two
independently insulated wires twisted around one another.
The use of two wires twisted together helps to reduce
crosstalk and electromagnetic induction. It is used in old
telephone networks and is the least expensive type of local-
area network (LAN) cable, most networks contain some
twisted-pair cabling at some point along the network. Other
types of cables used for LANs include coaxial cables and fiber
optic cables.
Fiber-Optic Cable: A technology that uses glass (or plastic)
threads (fibers) to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle
of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages
modulated onto light waves.

Fiber optics advantage's over traditional metal communications lines:

• Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables.
This means that they can carry more data.
• Fiber optic cables are less susceptible than metal cables to interference.
• Fiber optic cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires.

The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to
install. In addition, they are more fragile than wire and are difficult to
splice.
Fiber optics is a particularly popular technology for local-area
networks. In addition, telephone companies are steadily
replacing traditional telephone lines with fiber optic cables. In
the future, almost all communications will employ fiber optics
Break
Types of
Transmission Media
Wireless Media
Wireless Media
• Satellite
• Microwave
• Infrared
Wireless Technology Common Usage Technical Stuff

Bluetooth Most commonly used for • Has very limited

communication between range(10 meters)
a computer and external • Devices do not have
device such as graphic to be in line of sight
pads, and digital camera.

Infrared Remote control to • Dose not penetrate

command appliances walls.
and games(Xbox, Wii,
Television). • Less expensive whilst
providing very high
Short range bandwidth.
communications among
computer peripherals
Wireless Technology Common Usage Technical Stuff
Satellite Long distance Very Long Range: 160 –
telephony(calling from 2,000 km (100-1,240
Grenada to UK) miles).

Satellite television

Video Conferencing

GPS Navigation
Systems
Microwave Before the advent of • Used over long
fiber optic transmission, distances(up to
most long distance 70km).
telephone calls were
carried via microwave • Must be in line of sight
point to point links.
Question
1. What is Wi-Fi?
2. What are some of it’s common usage.
3. What technical specifications are associated with it?
4. What is a Hotspot?
Bandwidth
Each transmission media has a characteristic that determine the
speed at which data is carried: its bandwidth. This is a
measure of the amount of data that can be transmitted via the
communication channel in a given time (generally 1 second), and
is measured in bits per second(bps).
Bandwidth
A number of terms have been coined to refer to
bandwidth such as narrowband, voiceband and
broadband.
• Narrowband technology provides bandwidth that is less than
or equal to that provided by ordinary telephone lines. That is ,
64 kilobits or less.

• Voiceband technology provides bandwidth capable of

transmitting human spoken communication.

• Broadband technology provides bandwidth that is greater

than that provided by ordinary telephone lines, i.e. greater
than 64 kilobits
Communication Modes
When computers communicate, they do so in two ways:
• Broadcast means sending out a message to all other
computers on a network. E.g. Radio and television
stations broadcast programs so that people with a device
capable of receiving the signal may do so if they wish.

• Point-to-Point establishes a direct communication

channel between two computers on a network. E.g.
When one person calls another on a mobile phone, a
wireless path is created between two callers. Other
people in the vicinity are unable to receive the call even
though they also have a mobile phones.
Communication Modes
Data travels over transmission medium in one of three ways:
a) Simplex transmission is unidirectional – in one direction only.
b) Half-duplex transmission is bi-directional, but only in one
direction at a time.
c) Duplex transmission is bidirectional and permits
transmission in both direction at the same time.
Question
1. Give an example of a usage for each of the following
a) Simplex
b) Half Duplex
c) Duplex
The Internet, Intranet and
Extranet.
• An intranet is a private computer network designed to meet
the needs of a single organization or company It is not open
to the out side world; but it utilizes similar facilities such as
webpages and web browsers.
• An extranet is an intranet that has been selectively opened to
strategic allies(including customers suppliers research
associates). An on-line banking application is an example of an
extranet.
• The internet is public, global (wide area network based TCP/IP
protocol. This protocol assigns every connected computer a
unique internet address called an IP address, so that any two
connected computer can locate each other on the network
Break
Terms Associated
with the internet
• Electronic mail(e-mail) allows users to send an electronic
message over a network to anyone with an e-mail
address and access to a computer system.
• Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a messaging system that
allows users to ‘chat’ with other people on the internet
using text messages. E.g. Windows Live Messenger©.
• A Newsgroup is an on-line discussion group or forum
specifically focused on a particular area of the internet.
• Bulletin board is an electronic forum that hosts posted
messages and articles related to a common subject.
• Blogging is a diary maintained by its author on the world
wide web.
 • To Upload information means to send information from your
computer to another computer.
• To Download information means to receive information from
another computer..
• Telnet is a user command for accessing remote computers.
Through Telnet, an administrator or another user can access
someone else's computer remotely.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a method of uploading files
from a local computer to a remote computer and
downloading files from a remote computer to a local
computer.
• HTTP(Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is a protocol used to
request and transmit files, especially web pages, over the
internet or other computer networks.
NB: Protocols are sets of given rules.
• Web browsers are programs foe viewing web pages made available
on the world wide web.
• World Wide Web is the complete set of documents residing on all
Internet servers that use the HTTP protocol, accessible to users via
a simple point-and-click system.
• Web Page is a document, written in Hyper Text Markup
Language(HTML), that may contain text, sound, images, video clips,
hyperlinks and other components.
• A Web Site is a group of web pages that belong together and a re
linked to each other using hyperlinks.
• A Web server is a special purpose application software that accepts
requests for information, according to HTTP, processes these
request and sends the requested document. It also refers to a
computer that holds web pages. The Web server includes the
hardware, operating system, Web server software, TCP/IP protocols
and site content (Web pages, images and other files).
• Uniform Resource Locator(URL) is a string of characters that
uniquely identifies an internet resource’s type and location.
E.g. http://www.gov.gd
• Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that
allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks
like the Internet.
• HyperText Markup Language(HTML), the authoring language
used to create documents on the World Wide Web. HTML
defines the structure and layout of a Web document by using
a variety of tags and attributes.
• The correct structure for an HTML document starts with
<HTML><HEAD>(enter here what document is about)<BODY> and ends
with </BODY></HTML>.
• Wi-Fi is a set of standards that relate to a range of protocols
governing wireless LAN communication.
• E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services on the
Internet, especially the World Wide Web. E.g. Amazon.com
• E-learning is learning that is facilitated and supported via
information and communications technology (ICT).

NB: ICT (information and communications technology - or

technologies) is an umbrella term that includes any communication
device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular
phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite
systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications
associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance
learning.
THE END