The Open University of Sri Lanka

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Faculty of Engineering Technology
Model Answer - Assignment 1 2015/2016
ECX5234 Data Communications
Q1.

(a)

Briefly describe the following terms with reference to OSI reference model:
The OSI model consists of 7 ordered layers. Figure 1 shows how these layers are involved
when a message is sent from device A to device B.

Fig. 1 : Interaction between layers in the OSI model

(Data communications and networking by Behrouz A. Forouzan)

For the ease of management the whole communication process is divided into these 7 layers and each layer
defines a set of functions distinct from those of other layers.

(i)

Protocol - Protocol is a set of rules defined for sending a data block from one node
to another node which are in the same network or in different networks. OSI
reference model divides the process of network communication into 7 layers. Each
layer has a set of functions which are governed by a set of protocols.

(ii)

Encapsulation - When data moves from an upper layer to a lower layer of OSI model,
each layer adds a bundle of relevant information called a header along with the
1

actual data. The data package containing the header and the data from the upper
layer then becomes the data that is repackaged at the next lower level with lower
layer's header. Usually header is placed at the beginning of each data package and it
is used at the receiving side to extract the data from the encapsulated data packet.
This packing of data at each layer is known as data encapsulation.
(iii)

PDU Protocol Data Unit As described above each layer of OSI model adds their
relevant information in a data package called PDU. Each layer of the OSI uses PDUs
to communicate and exchange information between peer layers.

(iv)

Peer to peer process Within a single machine, each layer calls upon the services of
the layer just below it . Between machines, layer x of one machine communicate
with the layer x of another machine. This communication is governed by a set of
protocols. The processes which run for this communication between parallel layers
are called peer to peer processes.

(b)

Explain the main function of the following protocols and match them to the related layer in
the OSI model.
(i)
USB
- Universal Serial Bus - is a standard cable connection interface for personal
computers and consumer electronics devices to transmit or receive data or control
information over the cable. Physical layer
(ii)
http
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol - http is the foundation protocol used by the
World Wide Web. It is an application protocol which defines how messages are
formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take
in response to various commands. Application layer
(iii)
UDP
User Datagram Protocol A connectionless transmission protocol - The
service provided by UDP is unreliable as there is no guarantee provided for delivery
and no protection from duplication. Transport layer
(iv)
IGMP Internet Group Management Protocol - is a communication protocol used
by hosts and adjacent routers on IPv4 networks to establish multicast group
memberships. - Network layer
(v)
IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN multi access control protocol Data Link layer
(vi)
DNS Domain Name System Translates domain names into IP addresses
- Application layer

(c)

Suppose 100 students per minute are accessing OU Moodle web server at a data rate of
3Mb/s simultaneously. Bandwidth of the accessing channel from the web server to the users
is 100MHz.
(i)
What is the theoretical channel capacity (noise free) of the channel?
Theoretical channel capacity = 2 x BW = 2 x 100Mbps = 200 Mbps
(ii)

(iii)

What is the required data rate for connecting 100 users to the website?
In order to connect 100 users at 3Mbps , required channel capacity
= 100x3x106/60 = 5Mbps
Assuming a noisy channel, what would be the minimum signal to noise ratio which
can be tolerated on the channel in order to support the required data rate?
According to the Shannons formula, channel capacity = Blog2(1+SNR)
5 x106 = 100 x 106log2(1+SNR)
log2(1+SNR) = 0.05
SNR =

Q2.

(a)

Explain the following terms using examples and show how they are useful in digital
communication:
(i)
Asynchronous communication
- Transmission of data in which each character is a self-contained unit with its own
start and stop bits and an uneven interval between them.
- Without the use of an external clock signal, data can be transmitted
- Simple, cheap and low overhead
- Good for data with large gaps (e.g. key board)
- examples: ASCII characters, RS232, ATM

(http://becomeavictor.blogspot.com/2014/03/data-transmission.html)
(iii)

Multi level signaling

Binary 1 bit per symbol only 2 signal levels
Multilevel (or M-ary) - more than one bit per symbol More than 2 signal levels
increases bandwidth efficiency I.e. we can increase the data rate of the
signal by keeping bandwidth fixed.
Binary (M=2)

Multilevel (M=4)

00

10

01

10

11

(ii)

Line coding Line coding is the process of converting digital data into digital signals
examples: RZ, NRZ , Manchester, Differential Manchester etc.
(Draw the bit pattern of one above)

(iv)

Pulse shaping
3

(b)

Process of reshaping or transforming the waveform so that it can fit within the
available bandwidth of a channel
Purpose is to make the transmitted signal better suited to its purpose or the
communication channel (limiting the effective bandwidth of the transmission)
Intersymbol interference can be reduced
Example : Sinc shaped filter

Draw the encoded bit pattern of the data sequence 1110001101 for the following
coding schemes:
(i)
Polar RZ
(ii)
Manchester
(iii)
Differential Manchester

Polar
RZ

Manchester

Differential
Manchester

Q3.

(a)
Table the key characteristics and the corresponding maximum throughput of the following
MAC protocols:
(i)
ALOHA
(ii)
Slotted ALOHA
(iii)
CSMA/CD

ALOHA
Stations share the same
channel

Slotted ALOHA
Stations share the same channel
but time of shared channel is
divided into slots.

CSMA/CD
Stations share the same channel
but listens the channel whether
busy or not before transmitting.

When station has a frame it

sends

A frame can be sent at the

beginning of a slot. The stations
are synchronized so that each
node knows when the slots
begin.
Collisions may occur as 2
stations can send at the
beginning of the same time slot

A frame is sent when the channel is

free

When 2 stations transmit at

the same time collision
occurs

-Collision occurs when another

station starts transmitting data
before the previous data reaches
the destination. Jamming signal is
sent to ensure all stations know of

If ACK received OK
Otherwise retransmit the
frame

No collision, station can send

new frame in next slot.
If collision, station retransmits
frame in each subsequent slot.

Sender waits random amount

of time and retransmits to
avoid collision
Variable packet size
Maximum throughput = 1/2e
= 18.4%

(b)

the collision. Sender listens for

collisions while transmitting. If it
senses a collision immediately
stops transmission. This may
reduce the wastage of bandwidth
in a collision.
-Maximum time to detect a
collision is equal to twice the
propagation delay between the 2
stations
If ACK received OK
Otherwise retransmits the frame

Before attempting a
retransmission, a station
waits a random amount of time.
Fixed packet size
Maximum throughput = 1/e
= 36.8%

Variable packet size

100% maximum throughput can be
achieved theoretically by keeping a
zero propagation delay.

Assume that all stations have the same average traffic arrival rate. For each of the above
protocols, is it possible to achieve a throughput of 1 (i.e., have the channel always be fully
utilized)? If not, indicate how/why the protocol limits the maximum throughput to less than 1.

In a communication channel throughput is the rate of successful data delivered per unit time. Maximum
throughput is closely related to the channel capacity of the system, and is the maximum possible quantity of
data that can be transmitted under ideal circumstances. If there are no collisions in any multiple access
technique discussed above, the channel can be fully utilized. i.e. the throughput becomes 1.
ALOHA
ALOHA has collisions and hence the channel utilization will be less than 1
Slotted ALOHA:
Slotted Aloha also will have collisions and hence the channel utilization will be less than 1
CSMA:
With CSMA there will be collisions due to propagation delays. Hence the throughput will always be less than
one. As the end -to-end channel propagation delay becomes zero, however, the utilization will approach 1.