Business Data Communications

What is the bandwidth of telephone voice?

The bandwidth of telephone voice is approximately 3400 Hz.

Why are the burdens on the manager greater today than in previous years when it comes to using new technology efficiently?

The burdens on a manager are greater today than previous years because now they have to keep up with emerging technology and finding ways to incorporate it in their businesses at a reasonable cost. And by finding ways to incorporate technology into networks as well as making them secure and reliable.

What is the difference between Centrex and PBX?

The difference between Centrex and PBX is that PBX is an on-premise switching facility whereas Centrex provides a similar switching service but is located in the telephone company's central office.

What is the difference between a printable character and a control character?

The difference between a printable character and a control character is that a printable character is able to be printed as output whereas a control character is not printable and is used for things such as error detection and function control.

Name four types of information that are found on networks.

The four types of information that are found in networks are voice, data, image, and video.

Name two approaches that can be used for increasing the efficiency of transmission services?

Two approaches that can be used for increasing efficiency of transmission services are multiplexing and compression.

List two common document formats.

Two common document formats are Portable Document Format (PDF) and postscript.

List two common image formats.

Two common image formats are Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Graphic Interchange Format (GIF).

What is considered an acceptable system response time for interactive applications and how does this response time relate to acceptable response times for Web sites?

A system response time of less than two seconds would be an acceptable system response time for interactive applications. Ideally, a subsecond response time or decisecond response time would be the goal so that the user's attention, interest, and productivity is maintained at optimal levels. Having an acceptable rapid response time is especially crucial for Web sites given that potential clients will be discouraged if they have to wait long periods for a company Web page to load. An acceptable response time of less than three seconds would be ideal in order to maintain user attention on Web systems.

Contrast the function of application software with that of interconnection software.

Application software could be described as the end product of a certain application offered to users. An example of application software is multimedia messaging in which the user has access to a variety of sources by which to communicate such an e-mail and voice mail. Interconnection software is the software that makes it possible for the end user to be able to see the final product such as the interface for using emails. Interconnection software makes it possible for computers in a network to work together by communicating in the same language.

What are the two different interpretations of the prefixes kilo, mega, and giga? Define a context in which each interpretation is used.

In data transmission, the prefixes kilo, mega and giga are used to define the rate of data transmission as powers of 10, i.e. kilo = 10^3, mega = 10^6, and giga = 10^9. It is common to see internet download speeds of 18 Mbps (megabits per second). In terms of computer storage, memory is expressed by binary addresses and memory size is in powers of 2, i.e. kilo = 2^10, mega = 2^20, and giga = 2^30. A good computer system usually has a memory size of at least 8 GB (gigabytes).

Describe the process used to prevent flicker in a video screen.

Interlacing is the process used to prevent flicker in a video screen while at the same time it prevents having to increase bandwidth. Interlacing basically involves the use of scanning odd-numbered lines and even-number lines separately in order to refresh the screen 60 times per second versus 30 times per second in order to prevent a flicker in the screen.

Why has optical fiber transmission become popular in the past few years?

Optical fiber transmission has become popular by high data transmission capacity as well as the drop in cost of this resource in the last ten years. Also because security characteristics of optical fiber transmission makes this resource a much sought after tool and the only issue with this mode of transmission is the bottleneck created by switching.

Define response time.

Response time refers to the reaction time taken by a system after an input has been given, such as hitting a letter on the keyboard and that letter appearing on the screen. Statistics show that the less time it takes to respond to a command, the more likely it is that the user will continue engaging in that particular application and the more productive the interaction will be. Response time involves a computer's processing power as well as competing requirements such as processing two applications at a time that might take up each others response time rate.

How has the technology of the compact disc used in the music industry been used in image communications?

The optical disc, which is similar to the compact disc, enables the storage of immense amounts of information that can be stored inexpensively as well as it being easily distributable in an office setting.

The process that takes advantage of redundancy to reduce the number of bits sent for a given piece of data is called what?

The process that takes advantage of redundancy to reduce the number of bits sent for a given piece of data is called compression.

What three kinds of basic organizational difficulties can communications technology help companies overcome?

The three kids of basic organizational difficulties can be communications technology help companies overcome is the geographically dispersed companies become more manageable, top heavy companies trim down middle management, and companies can break down barriers between the divisions.

What types of communications can be carried by satellite transmission?

The types of communications that can be carried by satellite transmission are voice (telephone communications), image (fax), video (video conferencing) and data such as reports, memos and other documents. Satellite transmission enables the user to have a portable terminal such as a smartphone from which the user can access the web, chat, and do other transactions over satellite transmission; it is also a huge factor in the rise of portable computing.

Explain the basic principles of vector graphics and raster graphics.

Vector graphics basically involves the representation of an image as curved and straight line segments which can be grouped together to form complex shapes. Vector graphics use binary codes to represent details of an image such as size, type and orientation which can later be used to be transmitted digitally. Raster graphics represent images as pixels, which are two-dimensional array of spots. The most used form of raster graphics is for facsimile transmissions over fax machines.