Computer Data System

Introduction

A computer network allows sharing of resources and information among devices connected to the
network. The first operational computer network in the world was the Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network for the United States Department of Defense, development of the
network began in 1969, based on designs developed during the 1960s.

Purpose

 Facilitating communications. Using a network, people can communicate efficiently and

easily via e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, telephony, video telephone calls, and
videoconferencing.
 Sharing hardware. In a networked environment, each computer on a network can access
and use hardware on the network. Suppose several personal computers on a network each
require the use of a laser printer. If the personal computers and a laser printer are
connected to a network, each user can then access the laser printer on the network, as
they need it.
 Sharing files, data, and information. In a network environment, any authorized user can
access data and information stored on other computers on the network. The capability of
providing access to data and information on shared storage devices is an important
feature of many networks.
 Sharing software. Users connected to a network can access application programs on the
network.

Network Classification

The following list presents categories used for classifying networks.

Connection method
Computer networks can be classified according to the hardware and software technology that is
used to interconnect the individual devices in the network, such as optical fiber, Ethernet,
Wireless LAN, HomePNA, Power line communication or G.hn.
Ethernet uses physical wiring to connect devices. Frequently deployed devices include hubs,
switches, bridges and/or routers. Wireless LAN technology is designed to connect devices
without wiring. These devices use radio waves or infrared signals as a transmission medium.
ITU-T G.hn technology uses existing home wiring (coaxial cable, phone lines and power lines) to
create a high-speed (up to 1 Gigabit/s) local area network.

Wired technologies
 Twisted pair wire is the most widely used medium for telecommunication. Twisted-pair
wires are ordinary telephone wires which consist of two insulated copper wires twisted
into pairs and are used for both voice and data transmission. The use of two wires twisted
together helps to reduce crosstalk and electromagnetic induction. The transmission speed
ranges from 2 million bits per second to 100 million bits per second.
  Coaxial cable is widely used for cable television systems, office buildings, and other
worksites for local area networks. The cables consist of copper or aluminum wire
wrapped with insulating layer typically of a flexible material with a high dielectric
constant, all of which are surrounded by a conductive layer. The layers of insulation help
minimize interference and distortion. Transmission speed range from 200 million to more
than 500 million bits per second.
 Optical fiber cable consists of one or more filaments of glass fiber wrapped in protective
layers. It transmits light which can travel over extended distances without signal loss.
Fiber-optic cables are not affected by electromagnetic radiation. Transmission speed may
reach trillions of bits per second. The transmission speed of fiber optics is hundreds of
times faster than for coaxial cables and thousands of times faster than for twisted-pair
wire.

Scale
Networks are often classified as local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),
metropolitan area network (MAN), personal area network (PAN), virtual private network (VPN),
campus area network (CAN), storage area network (SAN), and others, depending on their scale,
scope and purpose. Usage, trust level, and access right often differ between these types of
network. For example, LANs tend to be designed for internal use by an organization's internal
systems and employees in individual physical locations (such as a building), while WANs may
connect physically separate parts of an organization and may include connections to third parties.

Network topology
Computer networks may be classified according to the network topology upon which the network
is based, such as bus network, star network, ring network, mesh network, star-bus network, tree
or hierarchical topology network. Network topology is the coordination by which devices in the
network are arrange in their logical relations to one another, independent of physical arrangement.
Even if networked computers are physically placed in a linear arrangement and are connected to a
hub, the network has a star topology, rather than a bus topology. In this regard the visual and
operational characteristics of a network are distinct. Networks may be classified based on the
method of data used to convey the data, these include digital and analog networks.

Types of networks

Personal area network

A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer
and different information technological devices close to one person. Some examples of devices
that are used in a PAN are personal computers, printers, fax machines, telephones, PDAs,
scanners, and even video game consoles. A PAN may include wired and wireless connections
between devices. The reach of a PAN typically extends to 10 meters Wired PAN network is
usually constructed with USB and Firewire while wireless with Bluetooth and Infrared.

Local area network

A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited
geographical area such as home, school, computer laboratory, office building, or closely
positioned group of buildings. Each computer or device on the network is a node. Current wired
LANs are most likely to be based on Ethernet technology, although new standards like ITU-T
G.hn also provide a way to create a wired LAN using existing home wires (coaxial cables, phone
lines and power lines).
The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast
to WANs (Wide Area Networks), include their
higher data transfer rates, smaller geographic
range, and no need for leased telecommunication
lines. Current Ethernet or other IEEE 802.3
LAN technologies operate at speeds up to 10
Gbit/s. This is the data transfer rate. IEEE has
projects investigating the standardization of 40
and 100 Gbit/s.

Home area network

A home area network is a residential LAN which is used for communication between digital
devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and
accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices. An important function is the sharing
of Internet access, often a broadband service through a CATV or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
provider.

Campus area network

A campus area network (CAN) is a computer network made up of an interconnection of local area
networks (LANs) within a limited geographical area. It can be considered one form of a
metropolitan area network, specific to an academic setting.
In the case of a university campus-based campus area network, the network is likely to link a
variety of campus buildings including; academic departments, the university library and student
residence halls. A campus area network is larger than a local area network but smaller than a wide
area network (WAN) (in some cases).
The main aim of a campus area network is to facilitate students accessing internet and university
resources. This is a network that connects two or more LANs but that is limited to a specific and
contiguous geographical area such as a college campus, industrial complex, office building, or a
military base. A CAN may be considered a type of MAN (metropolitan area network), but is
generally limited to a smaller area than a typical MAN.

Metropolitan area network

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a network that connects two or more local area networks
or campus area networks together but does not extend beyond the boundaries of the immediate
town/city. Routers, switches and hubs are connected to create a metropolitan area network.

Wide area network

A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a large geographic area such as a
city, country, or spans even intercontinental distances, using a communications channel that
combines many types of media such as telephone lines, cables, and air waves. A WAN often uses
transmission facilities provided by common carriers, such as telephone companies. WAN
technologies generally function at the lower three layers of the OSI reference model: the physical
layer, the data link layer, and the network layer.
Global area network
A global area network (GAN) is a network used for supporting mobile communications across an
arbitrary number of wireless LANs, satellite coverage areas, etc. The key challenge in mobile
communications is handing off the user communications from one local coverage area to the next.

Internetwork
An Internetwork is the connection of two or more distinct computer networks via a common
routing technology. The result is called an internetwork (often shortened to internet). Two or more
networks connect using devices that operate at the Network Layer (Layer 3) of the OSI Basic
Reference Model, such as a router. Any interconnection among or between public, private,
commercial, industrial, or governmental networks may also be defined as an internetwork.

Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected governmental, academic, public, and private
computer networks. It is based on the networking technologies of the Internet Protocol Suite. It is
the successor of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed by
DARPA of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Internet is also the communications backbone
underlying the World Wide Web (WWW). The 'Internet' is most commonly spelled with a capital
'I' as a proper noun, for historical reasons and to distinguish it from other generic internetworks.
Participants in the Internet use a diverse array of methods of several hundred documented, and
often standardized, protocols compatible with the Internet Protocol Suite and an addressing
system (IP Addresses) administered by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and address
registries. Service providers and large enterprises exchange information about the reachability of
their address spaces through the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), forming a redundant
worldwide mesh of transmission paths.

Network Components

A- RJ45 Outlets
RJ45 is short for "Registered Jack-45", an eight-wire connector used commonly to connect
computers onto a local-area networks (LAN), especially Ethernets. RJ-45 connectors look similar
to the ubiquitous RJ-11 connectors used for connecting telephone equipment, but they are
somewhat wider.

B- Cable Media
Cable is the medium through which information usually moves from one network device to
another. There are several types of cable which are commonly used with LANs. In some cases, a
network will utilize only one type of cable, other networks will use a variety of cable types. The
type of cable chosen for a network is related to the network's topology, protocol, and size.
Understanding the characteristics of different types of cable and how they relate to other aspects
of a network is necessary for the development of a successful network.
The following cable media are discussed:

 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable
 Fiber Optic Cable

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

Twisted pair cabling comes in two varieties:
shielded and unshielded. Unshielded twisted pair
(UTP) is the most popular and is generally the
best option for normal networks.
The quality of UTP may vary from telephone-
grade wire to extremely high-speed cable. The cable has four pairs of wires inside the jacket.
Each pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from
adjacent pairs and other electrical devices. The tighter the twisting, the higher the supported
transmission rate and the greater the cost per foot. The EIA/TIA (Electronic Industry
Association/Telecommunication Industry Association) has established standards of UTP and rated
six categories of wire (additional categories are emerging).

Unshielded Twisted Pair Connector:

The standard connector for unshielded twisted pair cabling
is an RJ-45 connector. This is a plastic connector that
looks like a large telephone-style connector. A slot allows
the RJ-45 to be inserted only one way. RJ stands for
Registered Jack, implying that the connector follows a
standard borrowed from the telephone industry. This
standard designates which wire goes with each pin inside
the connector.
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable
Although UTP cable is the least expensive cable, it may be susceptible to radio and electrical
frequency interference (it should not be too close to electric motors, fluorescent lights, etc.). If
you must place cable in environments with lots of potential interference, or if you must place
cable in extremely sensitive environments that may be susceptible to the electrical current in the
UTP, shielded twisted pair may be the solution. Shielded cables can also help to extend the
maximum distance of the cables.
Shielded twisted pair cable is available in three different configurations:
1. Each pair of wires is individually
shielded with foil.
2. There is a foil or braid shield inside
the jacket covering all wires (as a group).
3. There is a shield around each
individual pair, as well as around the
entire group of wires (referred to
as double shield twisted pair).

Fiber Optic Cable

The highest performing structured cabling systems use fiber optics. As the cost of the electronic
devices used with fiber systems decreases, many more fiber-based systems are being
installed.These systems offer many advantages over copper-based systems. Since fiber optics use
light pulses instead of electrical signals for transmitting information, there is no concern for EMI
(electromagnetic interference) or RFI (radio frequency interference).

Transmission distances are greater because light

pulses attenuate or lose energy much more slowly
than electrical signals. Fiber also offers a much
greater bandwidth than copper cables, allowing more
information to be carried on each fiber. In fact, a
single pair of fibers can handle the same amount of
voice traffic as 1,400 pairs of copper. In the race to improve efficiency and data rates, there is no
better media than fiber. Fiber optic cables consist of a glass core and cladding surrounded by a
protective coating. The core and cladding are part of the same glass rod but have different optical
properties. Light pulses are injected into the core. As light pulses travel down the cable, the
cladding, acting as a mirror, reflects the pulse back to the center of the core. A plastic protective
coating, called a buffer, surrounds the core and cladding. The following figure shows the
construction of a fiber optic cable.
The two basic types of fiber optic cables are multimode and single-mode. Multimode fibers
provide a number of paths for light pulses to take as they traverse a cable; single-mode has only
one path. The number of modes is determined by the wavelength of the light source and size of
the core. Multimode fiber has a core width of 62.5 microns (um); single-mode fiber has an 8.3 um
core. By comparison, the average human hair is 80 um thick.
Single-mode and multimode fibers also have different optical light sources. Lasers transmit
optical signals into a single-mode fiber because they emit a focused, high-powered light beam.
The lasers’wavelengths in single-mode applications are 1,310 and 1,550 nanometers (nm). Since
the core size of multimode fibers is much larger than that of single-mode, lower-powered LEDs
(light emitting diodes) in the 850 and 1,300 nm range are typically used as their optical source.
Fiber optic cable construction differs depending on the purpose and application of the cable. A
tight buffer construction is used for indoor applications.This buffer brings the total fiber size to
900 um, providing extra protection to allow for direct
connectorization of a fiber. Outdoor cables use a loose tube
design in which 250 um coated fibers float in a moisture-
resistant gel. The gel combats the harmful effects of
temperature, humidity and mechanical loads. In addition to
the buffer tubes, fiber optic cables may include Kevlar
yarn, armor sheaths, steel messengers or other
components.

The following are some differences between Single Mode and Multimode fiber optics:
-Single Mode carries only a single ray of light whereas multiple rays of light can travel
through Multimode fiber optics.
-Single mode fibers do not exhibit any dispersion unlike Multimode fibers.
-Multimode fibers have multiple spatial modes unlike single mode fibers.
-Single mode fibers are better at retaining the fidelity of light pulse over long distances than
multimode fibers.
-Single mode fibers have higher bandwidth than multimode.
-Single mode fiber equipment is more expensive than the equipment for multimode.
- Multimode fibers have higher capacity and reliability over short distances than single mode.
- Multimode fibers support more than one propagation mode unlike single fiber.
- Multimode fibers are limited by modal dispersion whereas single mode is not.

C- Cable Management
Cable management refers to an important step during the installation of building services and the
subsequent installation of equipment providing means to tidily secure electrical, data, and other
cables. The term is often used interchangeably to refer to products used for the purpose of
managing cables or to the workmanship carried out to cables whilst being installed. Cable
management is important in many fields, such as IT, communications, power distribution, facility
wiring, local area networks, etc.
The purpose of cable management is twofold: to support the cables whilst being routed through
the building from Point A to B (often called containment), and to make subsequent management
of the cables through the lifetime of the installation easier.
The IT industry has special needs because, unlike heavy power cables, data cables often need to
be added, moved, or removed many times during the life of the installation. It is usual practice to
install "fixed cables" between cabling closets or cabinets. These cables are contained in cable
trays etc, and are terminated at each end onto patch panels in the communications cabinet or
outlets at the desktop. The circuits are then interconnected to the final destination using patch
cords.

Conduits
An electrical conduit is an electrical piping system used for
protection and routing of electrical and telecommunication
wiring. Electrical conduit may be made of metal, plastic, fiber,
or fired clay. Flexible conduit is available for special purposes.

Conduit is generally installed by electricians at the site of

installation of electrical equipment. Its use, form, and
installation details are often specified by wiring regulations
IEC, BS, NEC or other national or local code. The term "conduit" is commonly used by
electricians to describe any system that contains electrical conductors, but the term has a more
restrictive definition when used in wiring regulations.
Conduit systems are classified by the wall thickness, mechanical stiffness, and material used to
make the tubing.
The most widely used conduits in IT installations are PVC conduits for embedded installations
and EMT (Electrical metallic tubing) for exposed installations.

Cable Tray
A cable tray system a unit or assembly of units or sections and
associated fittings forming a rigid structural system used to
securely fasten or support cables and raceways, Cable trays are
used to hold up and distribute cables.
Some types of cable trays include:
- Perforated Cable Tray
- Cable Ladder
- Cable Mesh

Of these the cable mesh is most commonly type used for

telecommunication installations due to the light weight of the telecommunication cables.

D- Patch Panels
A Patch panel is a passive element, it’s nothing but cable organizer, hence it helps to detect faults
easily, labeling is a key to reduce work.
Patch panels are typically rackmounted, which houses cable
connections. One typically shorter patch cable will plug into the
front side, whereas the back holds the connection of a
much longer and more permanent cable. The assembly of
hardware is arranged so that a number of circuits, usually of
the same or similar type, appear on jacks for monitoring,
interconnecting, and testing circuits in a convenient, flexible
manner.
Patch panels offer the convenience of allowing technicians to
quickly change the path of select signals, without the expense of dedicated switching equipment.

E. Switches
A switch is an active element used in a wired network to connect Ethernet cables from a number
of devices together. The switch allows each device to talk to
the others.
A switch operates at the data-link layer of the OSI model to
create a different collision domain per switch port. If you have
4 computers A/B/C/D on 4 switch ports, then A and B can
transfer data between them as well as C and D at the same
time, and they will never interfere with each others'
conversations. In the case of a "hub" then they would all have
to share the bandwidth and run in half duplex. The result is that
there would be collisions and retransmissions. Using a switch
is called micro-segmentation. It allows you to have dedicated
bandwidth on point to point connections with every computer
and to therefore run in full duplex with no collisions.
F. Server
A server computer, sometimes called an enterprise server,
is a computer system that provides essential services
across a network, to private users inside a large
organization or to public users in the internet.
Enterprise servers are known to be very fault tolerant, for
even a short-term failure can cost more than purchasing
and installing the system. For example, it may take only a
few minutes of down time at a national stock exchange to
justify the expense of entirely replacing the system with
something more reliable. To increase reliability, most of
the servers use memory with error detection and
correction, redundant disks, redundant power supplies and so on. Such components are also
frequently hot swappable, allowing replacing them on the running server without shutting it
down. To prevent overheating, servers often have more powerful fans. As servers are usually
administered by qualified engineers, their operating systems are also more tuned for stability and
performance than for user friendliness and ease of use,
As servers need stable power supply, good Internet access, increased security and are also noisy,
it is usual to store them in dedicated server centers or special rooms. This requires reducing
power consumption as extra energy used generates more heat and the temperature in the room
could exceed the acceptable limits. Normally server rooms are equipped with air conditioning
devices. Server casings are usually flat and wide, adapted to store many devices next to each
other in server rack. Unlike ordinary computers, servers usually can be configured, powered up
and down or rebooted remotely, using out-of-band management.

G. Router
A router is a purposely customized computer used to forward data
among computer networks beyond directly connected devices. (The
directly connected devices are said to be in LAN, where data are
forwarded using Network switches.)
More technically, a router is a networking device whose software and
hardware [in combination] are customized to the tasks of routing and forwarding information. A
router differs from an ordinary computer in that it needs special hardware, called interface cards,
to connect to remote devices through either copper cables or Optical fiber cable. These interface
cards are in fact small computers that are specialized to convert electric signals from one form to
another, with embedded CPU or ASIC, or both. In the case of optical fiber, the interface cards
(also called ports) convert between optical signals and electrical
signals.
Routers connect two or more logical subnets, which do not share a
common network address. The subnets in the router do not
necessarily map one-to-one to the physical interfaces of the router.
The term "layer 3 switching" is used often interchangeably with
the term "routing". The term switching is generally used to refer to
data forwarding between two network devices that share a
common network address. This is also called layer 2 switching or
LAN switching.
System Design

Broadly speaking, there are three network categories can be designed in buildings:

I- Home/Small Business network

II- Medium Business Network
III- Large Business Network

I- Home/Small Business Network

Home Network

Small Business Network

II- Medium Business Network

III- Large Business Network

Data network system design on AutoCAD mainly consists of two items:

I- Plans Layouts

II- Schematic/Riser Diagram

I- Plans Layouts
The following steps are advised when performing data/network system design on the architectural
plans drawings:

- Study the architectural plans

- Study the electrical concept report (if any)

- Study special requirements (if any)

- Study design guidelines, codes and documents relating to data system design

- Locate where you will put the main active equipments (server, main data switch…)

- For large projects divide the plan into "Switch Zones" with one secondary switch appointed to
each zone, when dividing the zones take the following into consideration:
- The max distance between a data outlet and its zone switch should not be more
than 90m (taking in account real cable routing with bends and manoeuvring)
- Ease of cable routing & installation
- Fire compartments

- Distribute the data outlets in each zone taking the following into consideration:
- Work according to furniture layouts
- Work according to power layouts
- Locate at least one data outlet for each workstation
- Locate one data outlet for each network printer & network copier
- Locate one data outlet for IP phones
- Locate one data outlet for Wireless Access Points (WANs)
- Locate one data outlet for each Audio Video device, such as projectors
- Locate one data outlet for each LCD TV
- In projects such as hospitals, labs and industrial, check equipments
specifications to see if any equipments need data network connection.
- The design should be based on star topology criteria (each data outlet is
connected individually by a UTP cable to the patch panel)

The following page shows an architectural plan with data system design on it:
II- Schematic/Riser Diagram
The following picture represents a data network riser diagram :