Computer Networks

Internet, Protocols, Model, and Architecture

Access Networks

Prof. Dr. Ehsan Munir

Department of Computer Science
COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus
ehsanmunnir@gmail.com

The slides are adapted from the publisher’s material

Data Communications and Networking by Behrouz A. Forouzan, 5th edition
Data and Computer Communications by William Stallings, 8th Edition
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach by J F Kurose, K W Ross, 7th Edition
Computer Networks, by L. Peterson, and B. Davie, 5th edition
Motivation
mobile network
▪ What’s a Computer
Network? global ISP
• Connecting more than
one communicating
home
devices network
regional ISP
• Different applications are
running, like youtube,
facebooke, skype, etc.

institutional
network
Todays Topics
▪ Chapter 1
▪ what’s the Internet?
▪ what’s a protocol?
▪ network edge; hosts,
access net

Computer Networking: A
Top-Down Approach
8th edition
Jim Kurose, Keith Ross
Pearson, 2020
Transport Layer 3-3
Chapter 1: introduction
our goal: overview:
▪ get “feel” and ▪ what’s the Internet?
terminology ▪ what’s a protocol?
▪ network edge; hosts, access net,
▪ more depth, detail physical media
later in course ▪ network core: packet/circuit
▪ approach: switching, Internet structure
• use Internet as ▪ performance: loss, delay,
throughput
example
▪ security
▪ protocol layers, service models
▪ history

Introduction 1-4
Chapter 1: roadmap
1.1 what is the Internet?
1.2 network edge
▪ end systems, access networks, links
1.3 network core
▪ packet switching, circuit switching, network structure
1.4 delay, loss, throughput in networks
1.5 protocol layers, service models
1.6 networks under attack: security
1.7 history

Introduction 1-5
What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts” view
mobile network
PC
▪ billions of connected
server computing devices:
global ISP
wireless
laptop
• hosts = end systems
smartphone • running network apps
• Processing power home
network
▪ communication links regional ISP
wireless • fiber, copper, radio,
links satellite
wired
links • transmission rate:
bandwidth

▪ packet switches: forward

router
packets (chunks of data) institutional
network
• routers and switches
• Processing power, ports,
Introduction 1-6
protocols
“Fun” Internet-connected devices

Web-enabled toaster +
weather forecaster

IP picture frame
http://www.ceiva.com/

Tweet-a-watt:
Slingbox: watch, monitor energy use
control cable TV remotely

sensorized,
bed
mattress
Internet
refrigerator Internet phones

Introduction 1-7
What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts” view
▪ Internet: “network of networks”
mobile network
• Interconnected ISPs
▪ protocols control sending, receiving
global ISP
of messages
• e.g., TCP, IP, HTTP, Skype, 802.11
▪ Internet standards home
network
• A group of people working on a regional ISP
topic, say TCP
• IETF: Internet Engineering Task
Force, group of people
• https://www.ietf.org/
• Draft of streamline the TCP work,
RFC
• For TCP
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7414 institutional
network
• Window, Gmail, Linux, Yahoo, etc,
implement TCP using RFC interoperability
• What is the advantage??? Introduction 1-8
What’s the Internet: a service view
mobile network
▪ infrastructure that provides
services to applications: global ISP

• Web, VoIP, email, games, e-

commerce, social nets, … home
▪ provides programming network
regional ISP
interface to apps
• hooks that allow sending
and receiving app programs
to “connect” to Internet
• provides service options,
analogous to postal service
institutional
network

Introduction 1-9
What’s a protocol?
human protocols: network protocols:
▪ “what’s the time?” ▪ machines rather than
▪ “I have a question” humans
▪ introductions ▪ all communication activity
in Internet governed by
protocols
… specific messages sent
… specific actions taken
when messages protocols define format, order of
received, or other
events messages sent and received
among network entities, and
actions taken on message
transmission, receipt
Introduction 1-10
What’s a protocol?
a human protocol and a computer network protocol:

Hi TCP connection
request
Hi TCP connection
response
Got the
time? Get http://www.awl.com/kurose-ross
2:00
<file>
time

Q: other human protocols?

Introduction 1-11
Internet protocol stack
ISO/OSI reference model
TCP/IP model used in practice

application application
presentation
transport
session
network transport
network
link
link
physical physical

Introduction 1-12
Application architectures
possible structure of applications:
▪ client-server
• Client request for service, server provides the service
• E.g, internet explorer (client) to access Yahoo web
server
▪ peer-to-peer (P2P)
• An application works as both client and server
• µTorrent for sharing the files

Application Layer 2-13

 Client-server architecture
server:
▪ always-on host
▪ permanent IP address
▪ data centers for scaling

clients:
▪ communicate with server
client/server ▪ may be intermittently
connected
▪ may have dynamic IP
addresses
▪ do not communicate directly
with each other
Application Layer 2-14
P2P architecture
▪ no always-on server peer-peer
▪ arbitrary end systems
directly communicate
▪ peers request service from
other peers, provide service
in return to other peers
• self scalability – new
peers bring new service
capacity, as well as new
service demands
▪ peers are intermittently
connected and change IP
addresses
• complex management

Application Layer 2-15

Internet protocol stack
ISO/OSI reference model
TCP/IP model used in practice

application application
presentation
transport
session
network transport
network
link
link
physical physical

Introduction 1-16
Internet protocol stack
▪ application: supporting network
applications
• FTP, SMTP, HTTP application
▪ transport: process-process data
transfer transport
• Registrar for sending letter post
• TCP, UDP network
▪ network: routing of datagrams from
source to destination link
• IP, routing protocols
physical
▪ link: data transfer between
neighboring network elements
• Ethernet, 802.111 (WiFi), PPP
▪ physical: bits “on the wire” Introduction 1-17
A closer look at network structure:
▪ network edge: mobile network

• hosts: clients and servers

global ISP
• servers often in data
centers
home
▪ access networks, physical network
regional ISP
media: wired, wireless
communication links

▪ network core:
• interconnected routers
• network of networks institutional
network

Introduction 1-18
Access networks and physical media

Q: How to connect end

systems to edge router?
▪ residential access nets
▪ institutional access
networks (school, company)
▪ mobile access networks
keep in mind:
▪ bandwidth (bits per second)
of access network?
▪ shared or dedicated?

Introduction 1-19
Access network: digital subscriber line (DSL)
central office telephone
network

DSL splitter
modem DSLAM
Digital to Analog
ISP
voice, data transmitted
at different frequencies over DSL access
dedicated line to central office multiplexer Depends
on
▪ use existing telephone line to central office DSLAM distance,
• data over DSL phone line goes to Internet wire
• voice over DSL phone line goes to telephone net gauge,
• Using Frequency division Multiplexing etc
▪ < 2.5 Mbps upstream transmission rate (typically < 1 Mbps)
▪ < 24 Mbps downstream transmission rate (typically < 10 Mbps)
Introduction 1-20
Access network: cable network
cable headend

cable splitter
modem

C
O
V V V V V V N
I I I I I I D D T
D D D D D D A A R
E E E E E E T T O
O O O O O O A A L

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Channels

frequency division multiplexing: different channels transmitted

in different frequency bands
Introduction 1-21
Introduction 1-22
Access network: cable network
cable headend

cable splitter cable modem

modem CMTS termination system

data, TV transmitted at different

frequencies over shared cable ISP
distribution network

▪ HFC: hybrid fiber coax

• asymmetric: up to 30Mbps downstream transmission rate, 2
Mbps upstream transmission rate
▪ network of cable, fiber attaches homes to ISP router
• homes share access network to cable headend
• unlike DSL, which has dedicated access to central office
Introduction 1-23
Enterprise access networks (Ethernet)

institutional link to
ISP (Internet)
institutional router

Ethernet institutional mail,

switch web servers

▪ typically used in companies, universities, etc.

▪ 10 Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps transmission rates
▪ today, end systems typically connect into Ethernet switch

Introduction 1-24
Wireless access networks
▪ shared wireless access network connects end system to router
• via base station aka “access point”

wireless LANs: wide-area wireless access

▪ within building (100 ft.) ▪ provided by telco (cellular)
▪ 802.11b/g/n (WiFi): 11, 54, 450 operator, 10’s km
Mbps transmission rate ▪ between 1 and 10 Mbps
▪ 3G, 4G: LTE

to Internet

to Internet

Introduction 1-25
A closer look at network structure:
▪ network edge: mobile network

• hosts: clients and servers

global ISP
• servers often in data
centers
home
▪ access networks, physical network
regional ISP
media: wired, wireless
communication links

▪ network core:
• interconnected routers
• network of networks institutional
network

Introduction 1-26
Host: sends packets of data
host sending function:
▪ takes application message
▪ breaks into smaller two packets,
chunks, known as packets, L bits each
of length L bits
▪ transmits packet into
access network at 2 1
transmission rate R R: link transmission rate
• link transmission rate, host
aka link capacity, aka
link bandwidth

packet time needed to L (bits)

transmission = transmit L-bit =
delay packet into link R (bits/sec)
Introduction 1-27
Physical media
▪ bit: propagates between
transmitter/receiver pairs
▪ physical link: what lies twisted pair (TP)
between transmitter & ▪ two insulated copper
receiver wires
▪ guided media: • Category 5: 100 Mbps, 1
Gbps Ethernet
• signals propagate in solid • Category 6: 10Gbps
media: copper, fiber, coax
▪ unguided media:
• signals propagate freely,
e.g., radio

Introduction 1-28
Physical media: coax, fiber
coaxial cable: fiber optic cable:
▪ two concentric copper ▪ glass fiber carrying light
conductors pulses, each pulse a bit
▪ bidirectional ▪ high-speed operation:
▪ broadband: • high-speed point-to-point
• multiple channels on cable transmission (e.g., 10’s-100’s
Gbps transmission rate)
• HFC
▪ low error rate:
• repeaters spaced far apart
• immune to electromagnetic
noise

Introduction 1-29
Wireless access networks
▪ shared wireless access network connects end system to router
• via base station aka “access point”

wireless LANs: wide-area wireless access

▪ within building (100 ft.) ▪ provided by telco (cellular)
▪ 802.11b/g/n (WiFi): 11, 54, 450 operator, 10’s km
Mbps transmission rate ▪ between 1 and 10 Mbps
▪ 3G, 4G: LTE

to Internet

to Internet

Introduction 1-30
The network core
▪ mesh of interconnected
routers
▪ packet-switching: hosts
break application-layer
messages into packets
• forward packets from one
router to the next, across
links on path from source
to destination
• each packet transmitted at
full link capacity

Introduction 1-31

circuit switching
end-end resources allocated
to, reserved for “call”
between source & dest:
circuit segment idle if not used by call
(no sharing)
commonly used in traditional
telephone networks
For continuous nature communication
mobile network

▪ in diagram, each link 2MB

B global ISP
• A wants to communicate
with B, and needs 1.5MB
data rate home
network
▪ Call setup D regional ISP
▪ Transmit data
• C wants to D, need 1.5MB
▪ Callsetup C
▪ No callsetup
▪ dedicated resources: no sharing A

• circuit-like (guaranteed) institutional

performance network
Introduction 1-32
 How to physically reserved
circuit switching using techniques like
end-end resources allocated FDMA, TDMA
to, reserved for “call”
between source & dest: mobile network

▪ in diagram, each link 2MB

B global ISP
• A wants to communicate
with B, and needs 1MB data
rate home
network
▪ Call setup D regional ISP
▪ Transmit data
• C wants to D, need 1MB
▪ Callsetup C
▪ callsetup
▪ dedicated resources: no sharing A

• circuit-like (guaranteed) institutional

performance network
Introduction 1-33
Circuit switching: FDM versus TDM
Example:
FDM
4 users

frequency

time
TDM

frequency

time
Introduction 1-34
Packet-switching: store-and-
forward
▪ in diagram, each link 2MB
• A wants to communicate
with B, and needs 1.5MB
data rate
▪ Transmit data
segment idle can b used by others
commonly used in Internet
For bursty data
mobile network
B

• C wants to D, need 1.5MB global ISP

▪ Transmit data
▪ Sharing resources homeD
network
• No guaranteed delivery regional ISP

institutional
network Introduction 1-35