Using Management Information Systems

David Kroenke
Data Communications and Internet Technology
Chapter 5

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 Learning Objectives

Know basic telecommunications terminology.

Know the definition and characteristics of LAN, WANs,

and internets.

Understand the nature of processing in a layered

communications protocol.

Know the purpose of the five layers of the TCP/IP-OSI

protocol.

Know basic concepts involved in the operation of the

Internet

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 Fundamental Networking Concepts

A computer network is a collection of computers

that communicate with one another over
transmission lines.

Three basic types of networks are:

 Local area networks (LANs)–connects computers that
reside in a single geographic location on the premises of
the company that operates the LAN.
 Wide area networks (WANs)–connects computers at
different geographic sites.
 Internets–a network of networks

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Figure 5-1 Major Network Types

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Figure 5-2 Example Networks

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Figure 5-6 Local Area Network

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 Fundamental Networking Concepts (Continued)

The networks that comprise an Internet use a large

variety of communication methods and
conventions, and data must flow seamlessly across
them.

To provide seamless flow, an elaborate scheme

called a layered protocol is used.

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Figure 5-3 Example of a Grocery Store Protocol

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 Communications Protocols

A protocol is a standard means for coordinating an

activity between two or more things.

A communications protocol is a means for

coordinating activity between two or more
communicating computers or devices.

Two machines must agree on the protocol to use, and

they must follow that protocol as they send messages
back and forth.

Communications protocols are broken into levels of

layers. 9
 The TCP/IP-OSI Architecture
An architecture is an arrangement of protocol layers in which
each layer is given specific tasks to accomplish.

At each level of the architecture, there are one or more

protocols.
 Each protocol is a set of rules that accomplish the tasks assigned to its
layer.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

developed the Reference Model for Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI), an architecture that has seven layers.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETP), developed a

four-layer scheme called the TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Program Internet Protocol) architecture.

The most commonly used architecture today is a five-layer

blend of these two architectures called the TCP/IP-OSI
architecture. 10
Figure 5-4 TCP/IP – OSI Architecture

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 Layer 5

Layer 5 generates and receives email (and

attachments like photos) according to one of the
standard email protocols generated for layer 5
 Most likely its Simple Mail Transfer (SMTP)
 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used for the
processing of Web pages.
 Programs that implement the HTTP protocol of the TCP/IP-OSI
architecture are called browsers.
 Two common browsers are Netscape and Microsoft Internet
Explorer.

The Web and the Internet are not the same thing.
 The Web, which is a subset of the Internet, consists of sites
and users that process the HTTP protocol.
 The Internet is the communications structure that supports
all application-layer protocols, including HTTP, SMTP, and
other protocols. 12
 Layer 5 (Continued)

FTP, or the File Transfer Protocol is another

application layer protocol.
 You can use FTP to copy files from one computer to
another.

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 Layer 4

An email program (which uses SMTP) interacts with

another protocol called TCP, or Transmission
Control Program (TCP).

TCP operates at layer 4 of the TCP/IP-OSI

architecture.

The TCP program examines your data (files, email,

pictures, etc.) and breaks these lengthy messages into
pieces called segments.

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 Layer 4

TCP places identifying data in front of each segment

that are akin to the To and From addresses that you
would put on a letter for the postal mail.

TCP programs also provide reliability.

If data is sent from a Dell computer to a Macintosh

computer, TCP program translates the segments from
Windows (Dell) to Macintosh format, reassembles the
segments into a coherent whole, and makes that
assembly available to the Macintosh computer.

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 Layer 3

TCP/IP interacts with protocols that operate at Level 3,

the next layer down.

For the TCP/IP architecture, the layer-3 protocol is the

Internet Protocol (IP).

The chief purpose of IP is to route messages across

an internet.

Routers are special-purpose computers that

implements the IP protocol.

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 Layers 1 and 2

Basic computer connectivity is accomplished using

Layers 1 and 2 of the TCP/IP-OSI architecture.

Computing devices called switches facilitate data

communication.

A program implementing a Layer-2 protocol will

package each of your packets into frames, which are
the containers used at Layers 1 and 2 (Segments go
into packets and packets go into frames).

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Figure 5-5 TCP/IP-OSI on Your Computer

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 Switches and Routers

Switches work with frames at Layer 2.

 They send frames from switch to switch until they arrive at
their destination.
 They use MAC addresses.

 All switches have a table of data called a switch table.

Routers work with packets at Layer 3.

 They send packets from router to router until they arrive at
their destination.
 They use IP addresses.

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 Local Area Networks

A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers

connected together on a single company site.

Usually the computers are located within a half mile or

so of each other, although longer distances are
possible.
 The key distinction, however, is that all of the computers are
located on property controlled by the company that operates
the LAN.

Computers and printers are connected via a switch,

which is a special-purpose computer that receives and
transmits messages on the LAN.

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 Local Area Networks (Continued)

Each device on a LAN (computer, printer, etc.)

has a hardware component called a network
interface card (NIC) that connects the device’s
circuitry to the cable.
 The NIC works with programs in each device to
implement Layer 1 and Layer 2 protocols.
 Each NIC has a unique identifier, which is called the
(MAC) media access control address.

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 Wide Area Networks
A wide area network (WAN) connects computers
located at physically separated sites.
 A company with offices in Detroit and Atlanta must use a
WAN to connect the computers together.
 Because the sites are physically separated, the company
cannot string wire from one site to another.

An Internet service provider (ISP) has three

important functions:
 It provides you with a legitimate Internet address.
 It serves as your gateway to the Internet.
 It receives the communication from your computer and
passes them on to the Internet, and it receives
communication from the Internet and passes them on to you.

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 Connecting the Personal Computer to an ISP:
Modems
Home computers and those of small businesses are
commonly connected to an ISP in one of three ways:
 Using a regular telephone line
 Using a special telephone line called a DSL line

 Using cable TV line

All three ways require that the digital data in the

computer be converted to an analog, or wavy signal.

A device called a modem, or modulator/demodulator

performs this conversion.

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 Dial-Up Modems

A dial-up modem performs the conversion between

analog and digital in such a way that the signal can be
carried on a regular telephone line.
 You dial the number for your ISP and connect.
 The maximum transmission speed for a switch is 56 kbps.

The way messages are packaged and handled

between your modem and the ISP is governed by a
protocol known as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
 This Layer-2 protocol is used for networks that involve just
two computers.

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 Network Addresses: MAC and IP
On most networks, and on every internet, two address
schemes identify computers and other devices.
 Programs that implement Layer 2 protocols use physical
addresses, or MAC addresses.
 Programs that implement Layer 3, 4, and 5 protocols use
logical addresses, or IP addresses.

Physical Addresses (MAC Addresses)

 Each NIC is given an address at the factory that is the
device’s physical address or MAC address.
 By agreement among computer manufacturers, such
addresses are assigned in such a way that no two NIC
devices will ever have the same MAC address.
 Physical addresses are only known, shared, and used within
a particular network or network segment.
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 Network Addresses: MAC and IP (Continued)

Logical Address (IP Addresses)

 Internets, including the Internet, and many private networks
use logical addresses, which are also called IP addresses,
for example, 192.168.2.28

Public Versus Private Addresses

 Public IP addresses are used on the Internet and assigned
to major institutions in blocks by the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
 Each IP address is unique across all computers on the
Internet.
 Private IP addresses are used within private networks and
internets. They are controlled only by the company that
operates the private network or internet

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 Using TCP/IP-OSI Protocols over the Internet
Network Address Translation
 For Internet traffic, only public IP addresses can be used.
 These addresses are assigned in blocks to large
companies and organizations like ISPs.
 All Internet traffic aimed at any computer within an
organization's LAN will be sent over the Internet using the
router’s IP public address for the given computer.
 The router will receive all packets for all computers for the
organization’s computers.
 When the router receives a packet, it determines the
internal IP address within the LAN for that computer.
 It then changes the address in the packet from the
router’s IP public address to the internal IP address of a
computer in the organization's LAN, the packet’s true
destination.
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 Summary Questions

What is the difference between the Internet and

the WWW?
What is a protocol? What are the various
protocols and what do they do?
What is the difference between a LAN, WAN and
internet?
What are modems, routers and switches and how
do they work together across various networking
schemes?
What is an ISP?
What is a NIC, MAC Address and an IP Address?

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