EE3262 Data Communications and Networking

Tutorial 1 - Networks and Layered Architecture

1. Explain how the notion of layering and internetworking make the rapid growth of
applications such as the World Wide Web possible.

2. What are two reasons for using layered protocols? What is one possible disadvantage
of using layered protocols?

3. Which OSI layer is responsible for the following networking functions?

a. Determining the best path to route packets.
b. Providing end-to-end communications with reliable service
c. Providing node-to-node communications with reliable service within a network

4. A system has an n-layer protocol hierarchy. Applications generate messages of length M

bytes. At each of the layers, an h-byte header is added. What fraction of the network
bandwidth is filled with headers?

5. Besides bandwidth and latency, what other parameter is needed to give a good
characterization of the quality of service offered by a network used for:
(i) digitized voice traffic?
(ii) video traffic?
(iii) financial transaction traffic?

6. Briefly explain the three (03) different implementation methods of a Wide Area Network
(WAN).

7. Suppose an application layer entity wants to send an L-byte message to its peer process,
using an existing TCP connection. The TCP segment consists of the message plus 20
bytes of header. The segment is encapsulated into an IP packet that has an additional 20
bytes of header. The IP packet in turn goes inside an Ethernet frame that has 18 bytes of
header and trailer. What percentage of the transmitted bits in the physical layer
correspond to message information, if L = 100 bytes, 500 bytes, 1000 bytes?

8. What does ‘‘negotiation’’ mean when discussing network protocols? Give an example.
EE3262 Data Communications and Networking

Tutorial 2 - Physical Layer Basics

1. (Leon-Garcia 3.1) Suppose the size of an uncompressed text file is 1 megabyte,

a. How long does it take to download the file over a 32 kilobit/second modem?
b. How long does it take to download the file over a 1 megabit/second modem?
c. Suppose data compression ratio of 1:6 is applied to the text file. How much to the
transmission times in a) and b) change.?

2. Comment on the properties (if information is compressible) of the sequence of frame

images and the associated bit rates in the following examples.
a. A music video
b. A children’s cartoon program
c. A tennis game and a basketball game

3. Describe three telecommunications applications (e.g. digital mobile telephone, text

messaging, digital TV) which you have recently used. For each, discuss how the
performance would be affected if the data rate was limited to 64 kbits per second and the
transmission delay was 1 second.

4. A scanner has a resolution of 600 x 600 pixels/square inch. How many bits are produced
by an 8-inch x 10-inch image if scanning uses 8 bits/pixel? 24 bits/pixel?

5. Suppose a computer monitor has a screen resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels. How many
bits are required if each pixel uses 256 colors? 65,536 colors?

6. A noiseless 4-kHz channel is sampled every 1 msec. What is the maximum data rate?
How does the maximum data rate change if the channel is noisy, with a signal-to-noise
ratio of 30 dB?

7. Television channels are 6 MHz wide. How many bits/sec can be sent if four-level digital
signals are used? Assume a noiseless channel.

8. What is the minimum bandwidth needed to achieve a data rate of B bits/sec if the signal
is transmitted using NRZ and Manchester encoding? Explain your answer.