Information Systems
Module Code: INFS-111
Programs: BCSS/BBIT
Network and
Telecommunication
Five most common types of network
include:
1. Personal Area Network
2. Local Area Network
3. Metropolitan Area Network
4. Wide Area Network
5. Value-Added Network
Personal Area Network
Is a wireless network that connects information
technology devices within range of three metres
or so.
One device serves as the controller during
wireless PAN initialization, and this controller
device mediates communication within the PAN.
The controller broadcasts a beacon that
synchronizes all devices and allocates time slots
for device.
With PAN you can connect laptop, digital
camera an portable printer without physical
cables.
Local Area Network
LAN is the most common type of data network.
Typical installations are :
1. Industrial plants
2. Office buildings
3. Colleges or university campuses or Similar locations
LANs are installed by organizations that want their own high
quality, high speed communication links where data speed range
from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps.
LAN allows users to users to share computer related resources
within an organization band may be used to provide shared access
to remote users through a router connected to a MAN or WAN.
Intermediate node devices such as repeaters, bridges, switches and
routers allow LANs to be connected together to form large LANs.
At local level, a backbone is a line or a set of lines that LANs
connect to form a WAN connection or within LAN to span distances
efficiently – for example, between buildings
Metropolitan Area Network
Is a telecommunications network that
connects users and their computers in a
geographical area that spans a campus or
city.
Most Man’s have a range of roughly up to
100 kilometer's.
A MAN might redefine the many networks
within a city into a single larger network or
connect several LAN’s into a single campus
LAN.
Wide Area Network
Is a telecommunications network that
connects large geographic regions.
WAN might be privately owned or rented
and includes public networks.
When you make a long-distance phone call
or access the internet, you are using a
WAN.
Value-Added Network
It refers to the provision of a network
infrastructure service to other businesses.
The services goes beyond the physical
cabling and includes “Value added services.
These value added services may include
limited data and transaction process or
message routing. An example for Banking
industry is the provision of an inter-bank
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and clearing
services, linking the computers of different
commercial banks
Network Topology
Refers to the physical and logical way in
which the computers in a network are
connected together.
Examples of these Technology include the
following:
1. Ring Topology
2. Bus Topology
3. Star Topology
4. Mesh Topology
Ring Topology
Ring is a network topology or circuit arrangement
in which each device is attached along the same
signal path to two other devices and form a path in
shape of a ring.
Each device in the ring has unique address.
To avoid collisions, information flow is
unidirectional and controlling device intercepts and
manages the flow to and from every station on the
ring by granting a token or permission to send or
receive.
A special version of the ring network is the token
ring whereby a special code, the token, is passed
around the ring.
Ring Topology
Bus Topology
Bus topology is a circuit arrangement in
which all devices are directly attached to a
line and the signal passes through each of
the devices.
Each device has its own unique identity,
and can recognize those signals intended
for it.
The main disadvantage of this network is
said to encounter Bottlenecks. However
devices can be added or removed without
affecting the network
Bus Topology
Star Topology
Star network is a network in which all
devices are connected to a central node
called the hub or switch.
Is driven by one central computer to and
through which all other computers
communicate.
Although this allows for central co-
ordination and control, it requires a very
reliable central computer and lots of cables.
Star Topology
Mesh Topology
This is similar to hierarchical structure
except that there are more
interconnections between nodes at
different levels, or even at the same level.
At a minimum there are at least two nodes
with two or more paths between them.
In a fully interconnected mesh, each node
is connected to every other node, although
this is cost prohibitive and therefore seldom
implemented
Mesh Topology
Class Activity
After discussing the network topologies
above suggest advantages and
disadvantages of each network Topology.
10 minutes discussion
Transmission Media Types
Transmission media can be divided into two
broad categories
1. Guided transmission media-
Communication signals are guided along a
solid medium. Examples include Twisted
cable, Coaxial cable and Fibre-Optic Cable
2. Wireless- Communication signal is
broadcast over airwaves as a form of
electromagnetic radiation. Microwave
Transmission, Radio Transmission and
Infrared Transmission
Twisted-Pair Wire
Twisted-pair wire contains two or more
twisted pairs of wire, usually copper.
Proper twisting of the wire keeps the signal
from “bleeding” into the next pair and
creating electoral inference.
Examples of the twisted-pair includes
UTP(Unshielded Twisted Pair) and
STP(Shielded Twisted Pair).
Used for telephone services.
The disadvantage is that the transmission
speed and distance limitations.
Twisted-Pair Wires
Coaxial Cable
a thin copper wire inside a tube of insulation
material, surrounded by a sheath or mesh of
conducting wire, again insulated on the outside.
This is similar to the wire used to connect
antennas to video or TV equipment. Because
there is less possibility of interference, it allows
greater volumes of data to be transmitted in a
given time – the amount or volume of data that
can be transmitted over a network connection
is referred to as bandwidth.
Coaxial cable offers cleaner and crisper data
transmission than twisted-pair
Coaxial Cable
Fibre-Optic Cable
Consisting of many extremely thin strands of glass
or plastic bound together in a sheathing (a jacket),
transmits signals with light beams.
These high-intensity light beams are generated by
lasers and are conducted along the transparent
fibres.
These fibres have a thin coating called cladding
which effectively works like a mirror, preventing the
light from leaking of the fibre.
Although this technology is more expensive, laser
light can be switched on and off a lot faster than
electricity (and it travels ten times faster), resulting
again in a much greater bandwidth
Microwave –terrestrial and satellite
High-frequency radio signal (300 MHz – 300
GHz) sent through atmosphere and space
(often involves communication satellites)
Advantage- Avoids cost and effort to lay
cable or wires, capable of high-speed
transmission.
Disadvantage- Must have unobstructed line
of sight between sender and receiver and
signal highly susceptible to interception
Radio Transmission
Operates in the 30-300 MHz range
Advantage – Supports mobile user and
costs are dropping.
Disadvantage – Signal highly susceptible
to interception
Infrared
Signals sent through air as light waves
Advantage- Lest you move, remove and
install devices without expensive wiring.
Disadvantage- Must have unobstructed line
of sight between sender and receiver, in
addition transmission effective only to short
distance.
Telecommunication Hardware
Includes modems, multiplexers and front
end processors.
Modems
At different stages in the communication process,
telecommunication often uses transmission media
of different types and capabilities.
If you use an analogue telephone line to tarnsfer
data, it can only accommodate an analogue
signal(Analog signals are continuous varying
quantities). Because a computer generates digital
signal(discrete quantities, most commonly binary
(On or Off, High or Low, 0 or 1)) you need a special
device that is able to the digital to analogue and
vice versa. This device includes Modems.
Digital to Analogue = modulation / Analogue to
Digital =demodulation
Multiplexers
A device that encodes data from two or
more data sources onto a single
communication channel, thus reducing the
number of communications channel needed
and therefore, lowering telecommunication
costs.
Front-End Processors
These are special-purpose computers that
manage communications to and from a
computer system serving hundreds or even
thousands of users. Thy poll user devices to
see if they have messages to send and
facilitate efficient, error checking, data
conversion, packaging and transmission
control
Switches, Bridges, Routers and
Gateways
These are hardware devices that switch messages
from one network to another at high speeds.
A switch uses the physical device address in each
incoming message on the network to determine to
which output port it should forward the message to
reach another device on the same network.
A bridge connects one LAN to another LAN that uses
the same telecommunications protocol.
A Router forwards data packets across two or more
distinct networks toward their destinations through a
process known as “routing”.
A Gateway is a network device that serves as an
entrance to another network.
