ETE303 / EEE401

Welcome
Lecture – 2
Basic Concepts
Related to
Network
Telecommunication Networks –I (ETE 303)
Computer Networks
(EEE 401/ETE331/ETE321)
Faculty
Tahsin Ferdous Ara Nayna

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)
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 Network Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

Topology defines the physical or logical arrangement of links in a network.

The topology of a network is the geometric representation of the relationship of
all the links and linking devices (usually called nodes) to each other.
There are three general interconnection schemes: point-to-point, broadcast and
multidrop.
Point-to-point network:
• Nodes can only communicate with adjacent nodes.
• It’s like looking into a telescope and seeing only one planet out the eyepiece.
• Three very common point-to-point topologies are star, loop or mesh and tree.
A broadcast design:
• Consists of nodes that share a single communications channel.
• Broadcast networks topologies: bus, ring and satellite.
In contrast, a point-to-point design nodes do not share a common channel but
instead are directly connected to each other.
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 Network Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Therefore there are five basic topologies possible: mesh, star, tree, bus,
and ring.

These five labels describe how the devices in a network are

interconnected rather than their physical arrangement.
For example, having a star topology does not mean that all of the
computers in the network must be placed physically around a hub in a
star shape.

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 Mesh Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

Every device has a dedicated

point-to-point link to every other
device.
The link carries traffic only
between the two devices it
connects.
A fully connected mesh network
therefore has n(n-1) / 2 physical
channels to link n devices. Fig. Full connected mesh topology
(for five devices)
To accommodate that many links,
every device on the network must
have n-1 input/output (i/o) ports .

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 Mesh Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Advantages of mesh topology: Disadvantages of mesh topology:

Dedicated links Difficult installation and
reconfiguration.
Robustness
Bulk wiring requirement.
Privacy or security
Expensive hardware required for
Finally, point-to-point links make
connection.
fault identification and fault
isolation easy. Traffic can be
routed to avoid links with
suspected problems.

Usually implemented in a limited fashion - for example, as a backbone

connecting the main computers of a hybrid network that can include
several other topologies.
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 Mesh Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Example 01:
The Lucky Ducky Corporation has a fully connected mesh network
consisting of eight devices. Calculate the total number of cable links
needed and the number of ports for each device.

Solution:
The formula for the number of links for a fully connected mesh is n (n -
1)/2, where n is the number of devices.

Number of links = n (n -1)/2 = 8 (8-1) / 2 = 28

Number of ports per device = n - 1 = 8 - 1 = 7

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 Star Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

Each device has a dedicated point-

to-point link only to a central
controller, usually a hub.
The devices are not linked to each
other.
No direct traffic between devices.
The controller acts as an
Fig. Star topology
exchange: if one device wants to
send data to another, it sends to the
controller, which then relays the
data to the other connected devices

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 Star Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Advantages of Star topology:

Less expensive: each device needs only one link and one I/O
port to connect it to any number of others.
Easy to install and reconfigure.
Robustness
Disadvantages of Star topology:
Each node must be linked to a central hub: more cabling
required.
If the hub fails then the whole network is stopped.
Performance is based on the hub.

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 Tree Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

Another variation of a star.

Nodes are linked to a central
Controller.
However, not every device plugs
directly into the central device.
The devices are not linked to each
other.
The central hub: an active hub,
contains a repeater, i.e. Regenerates the
received bit patterns before sending
them out. Fig. Tree topology
The secondary hubs may be active or
passive hubs.
A passive hub provides a simple physical connection between the attached
devices. Contains a set of resistors to balance the circuit linking the connected
devices.
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 Tree Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Advantages & Disadvantages of Tree topology:

Similar as those of a star. The addition of secondary hubs, however,
brings two further advantages
First, it allows more devices to be attached- increase the
distance a signal can travel between devices.
Second, it allows the network to isolate and prioritize
communications from different computers.

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 Bus Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

A bus topology, is
multipoint.
Nodes are connected to the
bus cable by drop lines and
taps.
A tap is a connector that Fig. Bus topology
either splices into the main
cable or punctures the
sheathing of a cable to
create a contact with the
metallic core.
Limitation on the number of
taps a bus can support and
on the distance between
those taps.
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 Bus Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Advantages of Bus topology:

Ease of installation backbone cable can be laid along the
most efficient path, then connected to the nodes by drop
lines of various lengths.
Uses less cabling than mesh, star, or tree topologies.

Disadvantages of Bus topology:

Difficult reconfiguration and fault isolation.
In addition, a fault or break in the bus cable stops all
transmission, even between devices on the same side of the
problem. The damaged area reflects signals back in the
direction of origin, creating noise in both directions.
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 Ring Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

each device has a dedicated point-to-

point line configuration only with
the two devices on either side of it.
A signal is passed along the ring in
one direction, from device to device,
until it reaches its destination.
Each device in the ring incorporates Fig. Ring topology
a repeater.
Example 02:
If the devices in Example 01 are configured as a ring instead of a mesh, how many
cable links are required?

 Solution
To connect n devices in a ring topology, we need n cable links. An eight-device ring
needs eight cable links.
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 Ring Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401
Advantages of Ring topology:
Disadvantages of Ring topology:
Unidirectional traffic
Can be solved by using a dual
ring or a switch capable of
closing off the break.
Tahsin Ferdous Ara Nayna
A ring is relatively easy to
install and reconfigure.
To add or delete a device
requires moving only two
connections.
Fault isolation is simplified.
Generally in a ring, a signal is
circulating at all times. If one
device does not receive a
signal within a specified
period, it can issue an alarm.
The alarm alerts the network
operator to the problem and its
location.
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 Hybrid Topology
ETE303 / EEE401

Fig. Hybrid topology

Combines several topologies as subnetworks linked together in a larger

topology. For instance, one department of a business may have decided
to use a bus topology while another department has a ring. The two can
be connected to each other via a central controller in a star topology
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 Hybrid Topology (Contd..)
ETE303 / EEE401

Advantages of Hybrid topology:

Reliable as Error detecting and trouble shooting is easy.
Effective.
Scalable as size can be increased easily.
Flexible.
Disadvantages of Hybrid topology:
Complex in design.
Costly.

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 Categories of Network
ETE303 / EEE401

Which category a network falls into is determined by its size, its

ownership, the distance it covers, and its physical architecture.

Local Area Networks

Network
(LANs)
Short distances
Local Area Metropolitan Area Wide Area Designed to provide
Network (LAN) Network (MAN) Network (WAN) local interconnectivity

Wide Area Networks (WANs) Metropolitan Area Networks

Long distances (MANs)
Provide connectivity over Provide connectivity over
large areas areas such as a city, a campus

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 Local Area Network (LAN)
ETE303 / EEE401

Usually privately owned

Links the devices in a
single office, building, or
campus.
A LAN can be as simple as
two pcs and a printer in
someone's home office, or Fig. LAN
it can extend throughout a
company and include
voice, sound, and video
peripherals.
Currently, LAN size is
limited to a few
kilometers.
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 Local Area Network (LAN)
ETE303 / EEE401

Features of LAN:
Designed to allow resources to be shared between personal computers or
workstations.
The resources to be shared can include hardware (e.g., A printer), soft ware (e.g., An
application program), or data.
A common example of a LAN, found in many business environments, links a work
group of task-related computers, for example, engineering workstations or
accounting PCs.
One of the computers may be given a large-capacity disk drive and become a server
to the other clients. Software can be stored on this central server and used as needed
by the whole group.
In addition to size, LANs are distinguished from other types of networks by their
transmission media and topology.
In general, a given LAN will use only one type of transmission medium. The most
common LAN topologies are bus, ring, and star.
Traditionally, LANs have data rates in the 4 to 16 Mbps range. Today, however,
speeds are increasing and can reach 100 Mbps with gigabit systems in development.
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 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
ETE303 / EEE401

Designed to extend over an entire city.

It may be a single network such as a cable television network, or it may be a
means of connecting a number of LANs into a larger network so that resources
may be shared LAN-to-LAN as well as device-to-device.
For example, a company can use a MAN to connect the LANs in all of its
offices throughout a city.
A MAN may be wholly owned and operated by a private company, or it may be
a service provided by a public company, such as a local telephone company.

Fig. MAN
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 Wide Area Network (WAN)
ETE303 / EEE401

Provides long-distance transmission of data,

voice, image, and video information over
large geographical areas.
May comprise a country, a continent, or even
the whole world.
WANs may utilize public, leased, or private
communication devices, usually in
combinations, and can therefore span an
unlimited number of miles.
A WAN that is wholly owned and used by a
Fig. WAN single company is often referred to as an
enterprise network.
A WAN can be as complex as the backbones
that connect the Internet or as simple as a
dial-up line that connects a home
computer to the Internet.
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 Wide Area Network (WAN)
ETE303 / EEE401

Fig. WANs (Left) and A network made of four WANs and two LANs (Right)

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 Internetworks
ETE303 / EEE401

When two or more networks are connected, they

become an internetwork, or internet.
Individual networks are joined into internetworks
by the use of internetworking devices.
The term internet (lowercase i) should not be
confused with the Internet (uppercase 1).
The first is a generic term used to mean an
interconnection of networks.
The second is the name of a specific worldwide
network.

Fig. Hierarchical organization

of the Internet
Fig. Internetwork (Internet)
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 Network Components
ETE303 / EEE401

Physical Media Interconnecting

Devices
Network
Components

Computers Networking
Software

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 Physical Media
ETE303 / EEE401

In a network, the media are the wires, cables and other means by
which data travels from its source to its destination.

The most common network media are twisted-pair cable, coaxial

cable, fiber-optic cable, and wireless links.

Coaxial cable Twisted-pair cable Fiber-optic cable

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 Interconnecting Devices
ETE303 / EEE401

Network Interface Card (NIC)-

Used to connect each computer to the
network.
Determine the infrastructure of a local
area network (LAN) and allow all of the
computers to connect to the network.

Network Router-
A hardware device connected to
multiple channels for different networks
that determine the path for the transfer
of data .
Duplicates information packets
Uses a specific protocol or set of rules
to determine which packets to be routed
within the network.
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 Interconnecting Devices
ETE303 / EEE401

Network Switches-
Work similar to routers because they both copy information from one area of the
network to the other.
Network switches contain multiple ports for copying frames of information from
one port to the other.
Like routers, switches operate within the layers of a network and evaluate every
frame before determining the port in which the frame should be copied.

Network Hubs-
A hardware device- relays communication data.
Sends data packets (frames), regardless of MAC
addresses, including the one that sent it.
Enable computers on a network to communicate.
A hub can send or receive information, but it can't
do both at the same time. This makes hubs slower
than switches. Hubs are the least complex and the
least expensive of these devices.

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 Interconnecting Devices
ETE303 / EEE401

Network Bridges-
Divides traffic on a local area network
by separating the LAN into several
different segments.
Responsible for filtering data by
determining the data destination or
discarding unnecessary data.
Operate within the layers of the network
and also control the data that crosses the
boundaries from one local area network
to the other.

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 Networking Software & Network Software
ETE303 / EEE401

Networking Software
Software that facilitates, enhances or interacts with a computer network.
One type of networking software allows computers to communicate with one another, while another
type of networking software provides users access to shared programs.
Networking software is a key component of today's computer networks, including the Internet.
Understanding the types of networking software is the first step in understanding how your computer
network really works.
Protocols are network software that lets computers "talk" to one another.
Network Software
Operates over a network rather than on an individual computer, may perform tasks that supplement, enable or replace
end-user software.
Network software for communications includes email, instant message, teleconferencing and video conferencing
applications.
Network software for security includes antivirus, spam filtering, firewall and data-access management applications.
 Network-based antivirus software- supplements desktop antivirus software.
 Network messaging server software- enables end-user computers to send instant messages back and forth.
 Server application software-, such as Customer Relationship Management software, replaces end-user contact
management software.
All network software shares the common goal of increasing productivity and improving security for network users

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 Networking Software & Network Software
ETE303 / EEE401

Differences
The terms "network software" and "networking software" are often used
interchangeably.
Networking software most often refers to the software that enables networking.
Novell and Microsoft, for example, are two widely known developers of
networking software.
Network software, by contrast, is software that operates once the network is
already enabled.

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