Chapter 6

Telecommunications &
Networks

Communication Model
Message is communicated via a signal
Transmission medium (communication channel)

carries the signal

ck
a
b
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Fee

Encode

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Telecommunications
Electronic transmission of signals, e.g., telephone,

radio, television
Telecommunication medium: Anything that
carries an electronic signal & interfaces between a
sending device & a receiving device
Data Communications: A subset of
telecommunications referring to the sending,
transmission, & receiving of data -- typically
between computer systems
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Communications &
Telecommunications
In human speech, signals are transmitted through the
air; in telecommunications, signals are transmitted
through various media

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Elements of Telecommunications

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Types of telecommunication Media

(1)
Twisted Pair
Insulated copper wire
Electrical signals

Coaxial Cable
Inner wire core surrounded by shielding
Electrical signals
Higher transmission speeds than twisted
pair

Fiber-optic Cable
Extremely thin strands of glass bound
together
Light pulse signals
Very high transmission speeds

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Types of Telecommunication Media

(2)
Microwave

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Types of Telecommunication Media

(3)
Cellular transmission signals are transmitted to
receivers & integrated into the regular network.

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Modems
Translate digital signals to analog for transmission
over the Public Switched Telephone Network
(PSTN)

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Carriers & Services (1)

Common Carriers: Long distance telephone

companies (AT&T, Sprint)

Value-Added Carriers: Private telecom systems
offering enhanced services for a fee
Switched Lines: Circuits that use switching
equipment to allow one device to connect to other
devices (typical phone lines)
Dedicated Lines: Point-to-point circuits with no
switching or dialing
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Carriers & Services (2)

Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
Telecommunications switching equipment that allows
users within an organization to share outside lines
Capable of handling both voice & data traffic
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Uses existing telecommunications infrastructure to
simultaneously transmit digital voice, data, & video
Being phased out in North America (cable & ADSL are
replacing this service)
T1 Circuits
High speed dedicated lines (1.54 Mbps)
Equivalent to 24 regular voice lines
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Types of Network Configurations

Ring

Bus

Hierarchical
Star

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LANs & WANs

Local Area Network (LAN): Connects computer

systems & devices in the same geographic area

(can be ring, bus, hierarchical, star, hybrid)
Wide Area Network (WAN): Ties together large
geographic regions using microwave & satellite
transmission or telephone lines
International Network (Global Area Network:
GAN): Links systems between countries
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Types of Computing Connectivity (1)

Terminal-to-Host

File Server

Applications & databases

reside on host mainframe
computer
User accesses applications
via a dumb terminal

File server transfers data &

programs to PCs on the
network where the PCs
perform most processing.

Dumb
terminal

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Types of Computing Connectivity (2)

Client/Server
Applications & databases reside on specialized host
computers (servers)
Processing is shared between the host server & the
client
Client & server may be different types of computers

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Advantages & Disadvantages of

Client/Server Computing
Advantages
Reduced costs
Improved performance
Increased security

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Disadvantages
Increased costs
Loss of control
Complex multi-vendor
environment

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Communication Software
Communications Software: Provides error

checking, message formatting, communication

logs, data security/privacy, & translation
capabilities for networks
Network Operating System (NOS): Systems
software that controls the devices on a network &
allows them to communicate with each other
Network Management Software: Monitors the
use of network resources, scans for viruses, &
ensures compliance with software licenses
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Communication Protocols
Protocol: Rules that ensure communications among

different types of computers from multiple

manufacturers

Open Systems Interconnection (OSI): Leading protocol

model; comprised of 7 layers
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP): Two communication protocols of the Internet that
work together (rapidly overtaking OSI)
Systems Network Architecture (SNA): IBMs proprietary
communication protocol
Ethernet: Protocol standard developed for LANs using a bus
topology
X.400 & X.500: Standards for message handling &

network directories

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Bridges, Routers, Gateways, &

Switches
Bridge: Connects two or more networks

that use the same protocol at the media

control sublayer of the data link layer
Router: Operates at the network level of
the OSI model with more sophisticated
addressing software than bridges; can
determine preferred paths
Gateway : Operates at or above the OSI
transport layer & links LANs or networks
that employ different architectures & use
dissimilar protocols
Switch: Switches data to its destination
by a point-to-point (rather than shared)
connection
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Telecommunications Applications (1)

Linking computers & data terminals: Download &

upload information
Voice Mail: Enables users to send, receive, & save verbal
messages, including sending the same message to a
group
E-mail: Enables users to send, receive, & save text
messages & attached documents
Telecommuting: Enables employees to work away from
the office using PCs & networks to communicate
electronically
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Telecommunications Applications (2)

Videoconferencing
Allows participants to
conduct longdistance meetings
face to face while
eliminating travel

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Telecommunications Applications (3)

Electronic Data

Interchange (EDI)
Uses networks to allow
output from one
organizations system to
be processed directly as
input to another
organizations systems,
without human
intervention; follows
standards & procedures

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 Case: Nav Canada, pages 284-285

Next Class: Chapter 7

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