4/18/2021

REVIEW
SCS3105
INTER. DATA COMMUNICATION • Local Area Networks (LANs)sometimes- referred to as
Local area data networks
AND NETWORKING • Are used to interconnect distributed communities of
BITC/3 computer based data terminal equipment(DTE)
located in a localized group of building such as a
COMPILED BY University, Hospital, factory .
Matovu Henry(Lecturer)
• LANs normally installed and maintained by the
organizations are referred to as Private Data Networks
1 2

Types of LAN

Basically there are two type of LANs

1. Wired • In order to accommodate the demands of a network
and connect more computers, central devices like
2. Wireless hubs, switches, or routers have evolved.
Wired Local Area Networks
• In a wired LAN, coaxial cable or special grades of twisted • Below is a schematic diagram for the various
pair wires and network adapters connect the devices. technologies and…………
• Back in the dawn of computing, two computers were
directly wired to each other using a crossover cable.
3 4
 4/18/2021

Baseband and Broadband

a)Base band
• Base band transmission is a type of data transmission
in which digital or analog data is sent over a single un
multiplexed channel, such as an Ethernet LAN.
• The signal flows in form of discrete pulses.
• The entire channel capacity is used to transmit a
single data signal
5 6

• Baseband transmission use TDM to send simultaneous b)Broadband

bits of data along the full bandwidth of the • Broadband type of data transmission in which a single
transmission channel. medium (wire) can carry several channels at once.
• As a signal travels along the cable, its strength • Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission.
decreases, so repeaters may be used to retransmit it
to its original strength and • In terms of LAN network standards, broadband
• hence the practical length of the cable is increased transmissions, use analog transmissions.
• Communication on baseband transmissions is
bidirectional, allowing signals to be sent and received
but not at the same time. 7 8
 4/18/2021

Types of broadband configurations

• For broadband transmissions to be sent and received, 1) Mid-split broad band. This divides the width into
the media has to be split into two channels. two channels. One transmits and one receives
• Multiple channels are created using Frequency
Division-Multiplexing (FDM)
• Digital systems such as computers require MODEM to
translate the digital signal into analog signal.

9 10

Summary of comparison

Baseband Signaling: Broadband Signalling:

2)Dual cable broadband.
Here each device is attached to two cables. One a) Uses digital signaling a) Uses analog signaling
transmits and one receives. b) No frequency-division b) Frequency-division
Note: multiplexing multiplexing is possible
• Most communications between computers, including c) Bi-directional transmission c) Unidirectional transmission
the majority of local-area networks, use base band
communications. d) Signal travels over short d) Signal can travel over long
An exception is B-ISDN networks, which employ distances distances before being attenuated
broadband transmission.
11 12

MEDIUM ACCESS CONTROL METHODS in a WIRED LAN
• Local area networks (LANs) are typically shared by a
number of attached systems, but
• Only one system at a time may use the network cable
to transmit data.
• An access method defines how a system gains access
to a shared network in a cooperative way so its
transmissions do not interfere with the transmissions
of other systems.
13
CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision
Detection)
• Carrier sensing implies that network nodes listen for a
carrier tone on the cable and send information when other
devices are not transmitting.
• Multiple access means that many devices share the same
cable.
• If two or more devices sense that the network is idle, they
will attempt to access it simultaneously (contention),
causing collisions.
• Each station must then back off and wait a certain amount
of time before attempting to retransmit.
• Contention may be reduced by dividing networks with
bridges or using switches. 15
4/18/2021
• Simultaneous access to the cable is either prevented
by using a token-passing method or controlled with a
carrier sensing and collision detection method.
• The primary access methods listed below,1 & 2 are
used by Ethernet. The 3rd is used by Token ring
networks.
1. CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection)
2. CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance)
3. CONTROL TOKEN
14
CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple
Access/Collision Avoidance)
• This access method is a variation on the CSMA/CD
method.
• Nodes estimate when a collision might occur and
avoid transmission during that period.
• This method is cheaper to implement, since
collision detection circuitry is not required;
• However, it imposes more delay and can slow
network throughput.
16

CONTROL TOKEN
• On the network, a control token is a kind of package which
is created on the network once.
• The DTE which possesses the token can send package on
the network
• All other DTEs have to wait till the DTE sends the token to
one of the DTEs.
• There has to be a logical ring for application of control
token, but this need not to be a ring network.
17
Note
• Carrier sensing methods tend to be faster than token-
passing methods,
• But collisions can bog down the network if it is heavily
populated with devices.
• Token ring does not suffer from collision problems,
• But the throughput rates on token ring networks are
restrictive when compared to new high-speed Ethernet
networks.
19
4/18/2021
• In bus networks, the DTEs can be placed in an order
to form a logical ring also.
• The control token prevents the collisions on the
network because it ensures that only one DTE with
the token can send data on the
• A workstation must have possession of a token
before it can begin transmission.
• The token is passed around the network. Any station that
needs to transmit must grab the token
18
Wireless Local Area Networks(WLANs)
• WLANs send and receive data through the air and use
radio and infrared waves to transmit information
without a physical connection.
• The access point receives, buffers and transmits data
between the WLAN and the wired network
infrastructure.
• A single access point can support a small group of
users and can function within a range of less than one
hundred to several hundred feet. 20

• A LAN, based on wireless network technology is
referred to as Wi-Fi(Wireless Fidelity).
• Unlike LAN, Radio signals are the medium for
communication.
• Wireless network cards are required to be installed in
the systems for accessing any wireless network around.
• Mostly wireless cards connect to wireless routers for
communication among computers or accessing WAN,
internet. 21
• With the help of different amplifiers, the users can
easily change their location without disruption in their
network access.
• Wi-Fi devices are compliant with each other to grant
efficient access of information to the user.
• Wi-Fi location where the users can connect to the
wireless network is called a Wi-Fi hotspot
23
4/18/2021
• Wi-Fi, was developed on IEEE 802.11 standards, (See
attachment B)
• As the name indicates, WI-FI provides wireless access to
applications and data across a radio network
• Wi-Fi provides its users with the liberty of connecting to
the Internet from any place such as their home, office or
a public place without the hassles of plugging in the
wires.
• Wi-Fi is quicker than the conventional modem for
accessing information over a large network.
22
• Wi-Fi uses radio networks to transmit data between
its users.
• Networks are made up of cells that provide coverage
across the network.
• The more the number of cells, the greater and
stronger is the coverage on the radio network
24
 4/18/2021

Overview of WiFi modes: Infrastructure mode:

• There are two most common modes by which we connect • Infrastructure mode is one of the two methods for
to Wi-Fi for connectivity for accessing internet or other connecting to wireless networks with Wi-Fi enabled
computer for file sharing etc.
devices such as laptops, etc.
• The most common modes for Wi-Fi connectivity are as • These devices are connected to wireless network with
follow: the help of Access point (AP) or Base station.
• Wireless Access Points are usually routers or switches
a) Infrastructure mode which are connected to internet by Ethernet port.
b) Ad hoc Mode
25 26

Figure showing Wireless networking : Infrastructure with a base station/Access point

• Wireless Access points are always required for
infrastructure mode of wireless networking.
• It is necessary to use SSID(Service Set Identifier,
Network Name) while configuring Access Point.
• SSID is basically security key which help prevent UN
authorized access to WLAN.
• The SSID is a sequence of alphanumeric characters
(letters or numbers).
27 28
 4/18/2021

Ad hoc Mode
• SSIDs have a maximum length of 32 characters. • Ad hoc is another mode of connectivity available for
• It should be known to clients for their computers to Wi-Fi connectivity.
connect WLAN. • Devices are capable for communicating directly with
• The Access point is then connected to wire network each other.
(Internet) to provide wireless internet connectivity to
clients. • No Access point (routers / switches) is required for
communication between devices and,
• Multiple access points can be added in the WLAN, this
increases the reach of infrastructure for supporting • All devices in the range connect in peer to peer
many number of wireless clients communication mode.
29 30

Advantages of Infrastructure mode (comparison

between Ad hoc and infrastructure)

If we are to compare ad hoc with infrastructure mode

Figure (b) showing
then
Ad hoc networking
• infrastructure mode provide much more stability,
• scalability,
• ease of management and
• improved centralized security management.
• disadvantage associated with infrastructure mode is
extra cost for Access points
31 32
 4/18/2021

Limitation of Ad hoc mode Advantages of Ad hoc network mode

1) Ad hoc mode is best used for small number of devices
which are physically present in close proximity with
each
2) As the number of devices grows performance of
network suffers.
3) Disconnections of random device may occur from time
to time and managing the network can be difficult task
for administrator.
4) Ad hoc mode networks cannot bridge to wired LANs
and cannot access internet without installing special
gateways.
33
1) Works fine in small environment, like building,
homes etc.
2) No extra hardware (Access point) is required If
devices have wireless network adapters ,
therefore it reduces the cost.
3) Ad hoc can be useful as back up option for time
being if network based on infrastructure mode
and access points are malfunctioning.
34

Some WLAN technologies

• 802.11b was the first standard to be widely used in
WLANs, and support a maximum theoretical bandwidth of
11 Mbps,
• The 802.11a standard is faster but more expensive than
802.11b; 802.11a is more commonly found in business
networks. Support a bandwidth of 54 Mbps
• The 802.11g, attempts to combine the best of both
802.11a and 802.11b, though it is a more expensive home
networking option. Supports a bandwidth of 54 Mbps
35 36

SECURITY ISSUES IN A WLAN
WPA2-PSK
• Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 - Pre-Shared Key,
and also called WPA or WPA2 Personal,
• It is a method of securing your network using WPA2
with the use of the optional Pre-Shared Key (PSK)
authentication.
• It was designed for home users without an enterprise
authentication server.
37
WEP
• Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy (or Wireless Encryption
Protocol),
• WEP is part of the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking
standard and was designed to provide the same level of
security as that of a wired LAN.
• Because wireless networks broadcast messages using radio,
they are susceptible to eavesdropping.
39
4/18/2021
• To encrypt a network with WPA2-PSK you provide
your router not with an encryption key, but rather
with a plain-English passphrase between 8 and 63
characters long.
• Using a technology called TKIP (for Temporal Key
Integrity Protocol), that passphrase, along with the
network SSID, is used to generate unique encryption
keys for each wireless client.
• Those encryption keys are constantly changed.
38
• WEP provides security by encrypting data over radio
waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one
end point to another.
• WEP was the encryption scheme considered to be the
initial standard for first generation wireless networking
devices.
• However -it has been found that WEP is not as secure
as once believed.
40

• WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model
- the data link and physical layers;
• So-it therefore does not offer end-to-end security
41
• DES
• Short for Data Encryption Standard, a popular
symmetric-key encryption method developed
longtime ago and standardized by ANSI.
• DES uses a 56-bit key and uses the block cipher
method, which breaks text into 64-bit blocks and then
encrypts them.
43
4/18/2021
AES
• Short for Advanced Encryption Standard
• A symmetric 128-bit block data encryption technique
developed by Belgian cryptographers.
• The U.S government adopted the algorithm as its
encryption technique replacing the DES encryption it
used.
• AES works at multiple network layers simultaneously.
42
WPS
• Short for WI-FI Protected Setup a network security
standard to create secure wireless home network
• Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a feature that lets you easily
connect WPS-supported client devices, such as
wireless printers, to your router wirelessly
• WPS lets you join a secure WiFi network without
selecting the network name and entering the
password
44
 4/18/2021

How to use WPS to connect to your WiFi network:

a) Make sure that your router is receiving power (the
Power LED is lit).
b) Check the WPS instructions for your computer or WiFi
device.
c) Press the WPS button on your router.
d) Within two minutes, on your computer or WiFi device,
press its WPS button or follow its instructions for WPS
connections.
Your computer or WiFi device connects to the WiFi
network.
e) Note: When attempting WPS connection, ensure your
client device is in the same room as the WiFi router
45