Networks Exam 2
LAN topologies - Star
- all computers attach to a central point, center of a star network is often called a hub - typical hub consists of an electronic device that accepts data from a sending computer and delivers it to the appropriate destination - in practice, star networks seldom have symmetric shape (hub is located an equal distance from all computers) - instead, a hub often resides in a location separate from the computers attached to it
LAN topologies - Ring
-arranges for computers to be connected in a closed loop - name ring arises because one can imagine the computers and the cables connecting them arranged in a circle (in practice they run along hallways or rise vertically from one floor of a building to another) -requires a computer to connect to a small device that forms the ring - this is needed for the ring to continue operation even if some of the computers are disconnected
LAN topologies - Mesh
-network that uses a mesh topology provides a direct connection between each pair of computers -chief disadvantage - arises from the cost connections in a mesh network = n!/(n-2)!2! = n^2 - n / 2 - important point is that the number of connections needed for a mesh network grows faster than the number of computers - because connections are expensive, few LANs employ a mesh topology in certain circumstances
Ethernet frame format
-refers to the way a packet is organized -frame format has remained constant since the DIX standard was created in the 1970s, so older versions of ethernet have remained compatible with newer versions
LAN topologies - Bus
-usually consists of a single cable to which computers attach -ends of a bus network must be terminated to prevent electrical signals from reflecting back along the bus -any computer attached to a bus can send on the cable and all computers receive the signal -computers attached to a bus network must coordinate to ensure that only one computer sends a signal at any time
Circuit Switched networks
3 properties: provide point to point communication; a dedicated path between sender and receiver separate steps: circuit creation, use, and termination performance equivalent to an isolated physical path Circuit can be permanent/provisioned (left in place for long periods) or switched (created on demand) Must have at least N/2 independent paths
How many satellites are orbiting the Earth in 2015?
4077
Byte = ? bits
8 bits
Twisted Pair Ethernet Wiring and Hubs
A hub emulates a physical cable, making the entire system operate like a conventional Ethernet Twisted pair Ethernet retains the same frame format as the previous versions In fact, software on a computer cannot distinguish between thick Ethernet, thin Ethernet, and twisted pair Ethernet (NIC handles the details and hides any differences)
GEO Satellites
Adv: orbital period is exactly the same as the rate at which the earth rotates, remains in exactly the same location, once a ground station has been aligned with the satellite, the equipment never needs to move
Standards organizations
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)
Transmission order
Big endian - system that sends the MSB first Little endian - system that sends the LSB first Either form can be used but the sender and receiver must agree
Wiring Standards and Data Rates
CAT 1 - unshielded twisted pair used for telephones - < 0.1 mbps CAT 2 - unshielded twisted pair used for T1 data - 2 mbps CAT 3 - improved CAT 2 used for computer networks - 10 mbps CAT 4 - improved CAT3 used for Token Ring Networks - 10 mbps CAT 5 - unshielded twisted pair used for networks - 100 mbps CAT 5E - extended CAT5 for more noise immunity - 125 mbps CAT 6 - unshielded twisted pair tested for 200 mbps - 200 mbps CAT 7 - shielded twisted pair with a foil shield around the entire cable plus a shield around each twisted pair - 600 mbps
Data flow
Communications channel is classified as: - simplex - data flows in one direction - full duplex - data flows simultaneously in both directions half-duplex - data flows both directions, but only one at a time
Nyquist's Theorem
D = 2Blog2K Provides an absolute max that cannot be achieved in practice
Wired LAN technologies
Explosion of technologies and products during 1980s, consolidation during the 1990s, currently: one de facto wired LAN standard - ETHERNET
Thinnet Ethernet Wiring
Formally named 10base2 and informally known as Thinwire Ethernet or Thinnet Flexible coaxial cable Connections run point to point among computers
Frames and Framing
Frame - Layer 2 (Data Link) packet - header - contains metadata, such as an address - payload - contains data being sent Network only examines the frame header, which usually has fixed fields, each technology imposes a maximum payload size Use ASCII character set, start of header (SOH), and end of transmission (EOT) characters to mark the start and end of a frame
Ethernet frame format
Header - 6 byte destination address, 6 byte source address, 2 byte type 46 - 1500 bytes of payload 4-byte CRC
Variants of Twisted Pair Ethernet and Speeds
Higher speed ethernet technologies use an electronic device known as a switch rather than a hub To remain backward compatible - standards for the higher speed versions specify that interfaces automatically sense the speed at which a connection can operate and slow down to accomodate older devices
Physical and Logical Ethernet Topology
Hub emulates a physical cable, topology is a physical star but logical bus, hub is known as a bus in a box
IEEE standard for addressing
IEEE media access control address (MAC address) Each address is 48 bits long - 3 byte organizationally unique id (OUI) - 3 byte network interface controller (NIC) Assigned to Network Interface Card (NIC) when device manufactured
Byte and Bit Stuffing
In the ASCII character set, SOH has hexadecimal value 01 or 0x01, EOT has the hexadecimal value of 04 or 0x04
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - professional society - standardizes vendor-independent technologies
Ethernet
Interesting aspect: newer versions of Ethernet remain backward compatible
Packet switched networks examples
LAN - Local Area Network - least expensive; spans a single room or a single building MAN - Metropolitan Area Network - medium expense; spans a major city or metroplex WAN - Wide area network - most expensive; spans sites in multiple cities PAN - Personal Area Network - spans the area around an individual used for earphones SAN - Storage Area Network - spans the distance between a disk farm and processors in a data center CAN - Chip Area Network - spans a single chip and connects processor, memories, etc
Which layer is the network interface in?
Layer 2 - Data Link
Satellite Communication
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - has advantage of low delay, disadvantage that from an observer's pov on the earth, the satellite appears to move across the sky - 100 to 500 mi Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) - an elliptical (rather than circular) orbit primarily used to provide communication at the North and South Poles - 6000 to 12000 mi Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) - has the advantage that satellite remains at a fixed position with respect to a location on the earth's surface, but the disadvantage of being farther away 22240 mi
Visible Spectrum Classification
Low frequency - < 2 MHz - wave follows earth's curvature, but can be blocked by unlevel terrain Medium frequency - 2 to 30 MHz - wave can reflect from layers of the atmosphere, especially the ionosphere High frequency - > 30 MHz - wave travels in a direct line, and will be blocked by obstructions
Electromagnetic (Radio) Communication
Most common form of unguided communication Use electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency range Has a distinct advantage over light - can traverse long distances and penetrate objects such as the walls of a building Properties depend on the frequency FCC sets rules for how frequencies are allocated
3 forms of optical fibers
Multimode, step index - least expensive and used when performance is unimportant, the boundary between the fiber and the cladding is abrupt, which causes light to reflect frequently, dispersion is high Multimode, graded index - slightly more expensive than the step index fiber, density of the fiber increase near the edge, which reduces reflection and lowers dispersion Single mode - most expensive, and provides the least dispersion, smaller diameter and other properties that help reduce reflection, used for long distances and higher bit rates
LAN connections and Network Interface Cards
NIC handles address recognition, frame recognition, sending/receiving frames NIC consists of a circuit board with a plug on one side, NIC is independent from the rest of the computer
What do these standards define?
Network topology (shape) Endpoint addressing scheme Frame (packet) format Media Access Mechanism Physical layer aspects and wiring
Optical fiber vs. Copper Wiring
Optical fiber - immune to electrical noise, less signal attenuation, higher bandwidth Copper wiring - lower overall cost, less expertise/equipment needed, less easily broken
Ethernet Evolution and Thicknet Wiring
Original Ethernet Wiring - thick wire Ethernet or Thicknet, medium consisted of a heavy coaxial cable: 10base5 2 major parts of the hardware - NIC handled the digital aspects of communication, transceiver connected to the Ethernet cable
Ethernet Evolution and Thicknet Wiring
Physical cable known as an Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) connected a transceiver to a NIC in a computer Heavy coaxial cable typically in the ceiling Each computer attached to the cable
Advantages/Disadvantages of Thinnet
Primary advantages: lower overall cost and ease of installation, no external transceivers were needed, thinnet cable could be installed in a convenient path Chief disadvantage: user can disconnect the network, if a user unplugged a segment of the network to relocate wired or move a computer, the entire network would stop working
IEEE 802 Model
Project 802 - LAN/MAN standards committee - organized in 1980 - focuses on layer 1 and layer 2 standards -divides layer 2 into 2 sublayers: Logical Link Control (LLC) - addressing and demultiplexing, Media Access Control (MAC) - access to shared media
Measuring Transmission Media
Propagation delay - time required for a signal to traverse the medium Channel capacity - max data rate that the medium can support
Advantages and Disadvantages of LAN Topologies
Ring - easy for computers to coordinate access, entire network is disabled if one cable is cut Star - protect the network from damage to a single cable as each cable connects only one machine, need more wires/connections Bus - requires fewer wires than a star, has same disadvantage as a ring
Variants of Twisted Pair Ethernet and Speeds
Several variants of twisted pair ethernet have been created, variants differ in data rate and wiring required 10BaseT - Twisted Pair Ethernet - 10mbps data rate, category 5 cable used 100BaseT - Fast Ethernet - 100mbps, category 5E 1000BaseT - Gigabit Ethernet - 1gbps, category 6
Twisted Pair Connectors and Cables
Twisted pair ethernet uses rj45 connectors Straight cable - used between a computer and a switch, connects each pin of the rj45 attached to one end of the cable directly to the corresponding pin on the rj45 at the other end Crossed cable - which is used to connect 2 switches, connects a pin on one end to a different pin on the other end
Address Types
Unicast - destination is a single computer; only that computer should receive a copy of the packet Broadcast - destination is all computers on a network; they should each receive a copy of the packet Multicast - subset of the computers on a network should receive a copy of the packet
How can we reduce the effect of noise on copper wiring?
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Coaxial Cable Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Twisted Pair Ethernet Wiring and Hubs
Unshielded or shielded twisted pairs using RJ45 connectors Multiple pairs allows full-duplex operation Each computer connects to central hub - hubs were available in a variety of sizes, with the cost proportional to size, but recently replaced with switches
Addressing
Used to direct messages from source to destination, addresses are assigned in various ways, exist at different layers, may be translated from one layer to another Application Layer - URL Internet Layer - IP Address Data Link Layer - MAC Address
Packet switched networks
all data divided into packets multiplex communication over shared media (after sending one packet, sender allows others a chance to transmit before sending a second packet properties: arbitrary, asynchronous communication, no set-up required before communication begins concept: underlying infrastructure is shared among users multiple sources compete for the use of shared media *forms the basis for the internet
Multi Access Networks - LAN
allow multiple computers to share a medium in such a way that any computer on the LAN can communicate with any other provide direct connection among communicating entities
Bit stuffing
also available for systems that transfer a stream of bits
Analog Modulation techniques
amplitude modulation frequency modulation phase shift modulation
Frequency Modulation (FM)
amplitude of the carrier remains fixed frequency changes according to the signal - when signal is stronger, the carrier frequency increases slightly - when signal is weaker, carrier frequency decreases slightly
Timing of serial transmission
asynchronous - can occur at any time synchronous - occurs continuously isochronous - regular intervals
Carrier
basic oscillating electromagnetic wave transmitted through a circuit
Infrared (IR) Communication
behaves like visible light but falls outside the range that is visible to a human eye disperse quickly, can reflect from a smooth, hard surface, easily blocked by an opaque object commonly used to connect to a nearby peripheral
Coaxial Cable
better protection: wrap a metal shield around the wire price - inexpensive (more costly than UTP) distance - up to 2km Use - cable TV/Internet in the past
2 approaches to guided and unguided transmission:
by type of path by form of energy
Ethernet tech specifies that data is sent
byte big endian and bit little endian
Modulation
changes made in a carrier, modification of a carrier wave's fundamental characteristics in order to encode information input: carrier, signal output: modulated carrier
Packet identification
each station on a LAN is assigned a unique address LAN hardware uses the address in a packet to determine which station(s) receive a copy
3 energy types
electrical light electromagnetic (radio)
Shannon's Theorem
gives the max channel capacity, C, in the presence of noise C = Blog2(1 + S/N)
Demodulator
hardware mechanism that accepts a modulated carrier wave and recreates the sequence of data bits that was used to modulate the carrier
Modulator
hardware mechanism that accepts a sequence of data bits and applies modulation to a carrier wave
Broadband modem
high data rate - normally > 1mbps
Advantages to parallel transmission
high speed - it can send N bits at the same time, parallel interface can operate N times faster than an equivalent serial interface match to underlying hardware - internally, computer and communication hardware uses parallel circuitry
Media using light energy
infrared transmission - short range and low data rate point to point lasers - useful between buildings optical fiber - high data rate and long distance
GEO Coverage of the Earth
limited amount of space available in GEO orbit above the equator - must be separated from one another to avoid interference - min separation depends on power of the transmitters
Advantages of packet switching
lower cost that arises from sharing scalability - to connect N computers with packet switching, a network must have a connection for each computer, but only requires one path that is shared
Transmission mode
manner in which data is sent over the underlying medium serial - one bit sent at a time parallel - multiple bits are sent at the same time
UTP
more current is generated in the first wire the interference hits - price - inexpensive - distance - typically up to 100m - use - telephones, LANs
Shift keying
operates similar to analog modulation except signal is digital - digital shift keying has a fixed set
Light energy types
optical fiber infrared laser
Point to point laser communication
pair of devices with a beam that follows the line-of-sight requires a clear, unobstructed path between the communicating sites - beam is only a few centimeters wide - sending and receiving equip must be aligned precisely - used outdoors, can span great distances
Byte stuffing
payload of a frame includes one or more bytes with value 01 or 04
Noise
random electromagnetic radiation
Serial transmission
sends one bit at a time most communication systems use serial mode can be extended over long distances at much less cost no timing problem since it uses one wire
LEO satellites
short delays, 1-4 min Orbit does not match rotation of earth, tracking is difficult
When electromagnetic radiation encounters metal
small electrical current is induced that can interfere with signals being carried on the wire
IEEE's version of ethernet (802.3)
standardized in 1983 as IEEE standard 802.3, adds 8 bytes of payload occupied by LLC/SNAP header - logical link control/sub-network attachment point (LLC/SNAP) header
Wiring in an office building
styles of wiring used for LANs make little difference in a machine room or laboratory Type of wiring makes a major difference in terms of: type, number of wires needed, distance spanned, cost 3 versions of Ethernet wiring illustrate the 3 principal forms that LANs use *Twisted pair ethernet requires many individual cables to go between offices and a central point (wiring closet), so twisted pair ethernet requires careful labeling of cables
Electromagnetic (radio) energy types
terrestrial radio satellite
STP
thinner, more flexible metal shield surrounding one or more twisted pairs of wires
Parallel transmission
transfers of multiple data bits at the same time over separate media used with a wired medium that uses multiple, independent wires signals on all wires are synchronized so that a bit travels across each of the wires at precisely the same time
Guided (wired) media
transmission flows along physical medium
Unguided (wireless/radiated) media
transmission flows through the air
Electrical energy types
twisted pair coaxial cable
Ethernet type field and demultiplexing
type field provides multiplexing and demultiplexing set by sender to identify content of frame used by receiver to determine how to process the frame formed when frame arrives, usually handled by protocol software, frame type field examined and frame passed to appropriate protocol module: unrecognized types are discarded
Phase Modulation (PM)
use changes in a phase to represent a signal
Optical Fiber
used for communication in a single direction one end of the fiber connects to a laser or LED used to transmit light the other end connects to a photosensitive device to detect incoming light price - expensive distance - 500 m - 100 km Use - trunk line/backbone, long distance circuits
Dialup Modems
uses data to modulate an audible carrier (audible tone instead of electrical signal)
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
varies the amplitude of a carrier in proportion to the information being sent continues oscillating at a fixed frequency, but amplitude of the wave varies