Communication Using a Network

Chapter 7

Chapter Objectives

State and explain the different components of a network Explain and install Network Interface Card Describe the basic principles of data communication Explain the use of MAC address Explain the concepts of a direct cable connection Identify and troubleshoot problems of NIC

Chapter 7

Recall

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) provides high-performance and connects multiple stations at the data transfer rate of 100 Mbps. The two types of logical topologies are:

Token ring logical topology Token bus logical topology

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a network protocol which converts data traffic into a stream of fixed size cell before transmission. The basic network components of AppleTalk are: Sockets, Nodes, Network and Zones.

Chapter 7

Data Communication

Transmission of information between two computers or nodes

Basic Components

Sender

Receiver

Medium

Message

Protocol

Chapter 7

Signaling Techniques I

Two types of Signaling techniques:

Baseband Broadband Uses single frequency to transmit data Transmit information in digital form

Baseband Signals:

Chapter 7

Signaling Techniques II

Broadband Signals:

Data is transmitted using more than one frequency Uses analog signals Adds additional information to carrier signals by process of modulation

Chapter 7

Network Interface Card (NIC)

Hardware device used to connect different computers on Network Serves as a link for sending and receiving data on a network MAC address is address assigned by IEEE to identify network card
NIC Types

Ethernet Card

Token Ring Card

Chapter 7

Ethernet Card

Used in devices which are connected using Ethernet technology Two types of Ethernet network card Wired and wireless The choice depends on type of network used

Chapter 7

Types of Ethernet Card - I

10Base-5 (Thicknet) NIC

10Base-2

Chapter 7

Types of Ethernet card - II

10BaseT

Fiber optic

Chapter 7

10

Token Ring Card

Used to connect to a token ring network Assigned a MAC address by IEEE Maximum of two token ring cards can be installed at any node Consists of 9 pin DIN type connector which connects card to network cable

Chapter 7

11

Physical Connections

Physical Connections

NIC either connected on a PCI or PCI-X slot NIC cards can be connected to an USB port or can have a PC card connection
BNC connector ST-fiber optic connector RJ-45 connector

Depends on one of the cable connectors:

Chapter 7

12

Lights on NIC and hub

Different LEDs on NIC:

Link LED ACT LED Speed LED Collision LED

Power LED Port LED

LEDs on Hub:

Chapter 7

13

MAC Address

Also known as hardware or physical address Used to identify nodes at lower levels of the OSI model ID assigned by IEEE Hardware address hard-coded into NIC Nodes on network identified by MAC address Is a 12 digit hexadecimal number (48 bit address)

Chapter 7

14

MAC vs IP address
MAC address Functions at data link layer It is a physical address It is fixed IP address Functions at network layer It is a logical address It changes with the relocation of device from one network to another It is a 32 bit address
15

It is a 48 bit address
Chapter 7

Installing the NIC

Different factors while choosing NIC:

Bus type (Expansion slot) Speed Connection type (cabling)

Pentium I/233MHz 32 MB RAM 2 GB of available hard disk

Hardware Requirements:

Chapter 7

16

Direct Cable Connection

One device acts as a host and other acts as a guest Can also use infrared connection, if both nodes have required hardware All the latest versions of windows provide a software which allows a user to have a direct serial-to-serial, parallel-to-parallel, or infrared-to-infrared connection with the other PC. To establish a connection using serial ports, a cable known as null modem is use

Chapter 7

17

Diagnostic and Repair of Physical Cabling using tools

Tools can be used to identify the problems and also troubleshoot these problems Various tools available for checking network are: Volt-ohm meters (VOMs) Cable-testing tool used to measure parameters

Analog Digital

Chapter 7

18

Tone generators and probe I

Tone generator is a network troubleshooting tool Consists of single or multi-tone signal, two test leads and a 4-conductor modular cable Acts like a radio transmitter Probe:

Works like a radio receiver Catches a tone when placed near wire

Chapter 7

19

Optical tester

Fiber optic NICs mostly do not have any lights so making the diagnosis of the problem becomes little difficult Optical tester is used to inspect the quality of the connections

Chapter 7

20

Case Study
The Bangalore branch of MoneyMaker bank is organizing a seminar on the various developments that have occurred in the past one year. David has created a presentation for this purpose which is stored on the network server. This file can be accessed only through David's system. But on the day of seminar, he is unable to access the system.

Chapter 7

21

Problem

Unable to access the file which is available on network server

Chapter 7

22

Solution

Verify cable connection Verify LED status of NIC Verify LED status of hub The LED on NIC should be ON, once you boot the operating system

Chapter 7

23

Summary I

The main components of data communication are sender, receiver, medium and message The data to be sent is converted into signals and then transmitted over the network Signaling techniques are of two types broadband and baseband Baseband signals transmit data at a single frequency Broadband technique can transmit data using more than one frequency
24

Chapter 7

Summary II

Network Interface Cards are devices that are used to get connected to different computers on a network Some examples of NIC are Ethernet Card and Token Ring Card Ethernet cards support transfer rate of 10 or 100 or 1000 Mbps MAC address is a hardware address that is embedded onto the NIC Lower layers of OSI model identify nodes on the network by their MAC address

Chapter 7

25

Summary III

A connection established between two nodes by directly connecting a cable is known as direct cable connection. Signals lying on the cable are absorbed by the terminators at the end of the cable to avoid collision. Cross over cables can be used for temporary connection between two devices when switch or hub is not present. Volt-ohm meters is a cable-testing tool which is used to troubleshoot the network cabling.
26

Chapter 7

Summary IV

Volt-ohm meter is used to measures voltage and resistance and to check the continuity of a cable. Tone generator and probe is another troubleshooting tool which has the ability to identify wires, finding open circuits and short circuits, diagnosing crosstalk and other telecom tasks

Chapter 7

27