Managing Information Technology

6th Edition
CHAPTER 4
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
NETWORKING

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 IT Building Blocks

Building Blocks of Information Technology

Hardware Software Network Data

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 Overview of Telecommunications and
Networking

Networking

●
● The electronic linking of geographically dispersed devices required to accomplish
telecommunications

Telecommunications

●
● Communication at a distance. Also synonymous with data communications,
datacom, teleprocessing, telecom, and sometimes networking.

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 The Telecommunications Industry
• Three major segments
– Carriers who sell the service of communication
transmission
– Equipment vendors who manufacture and sell
telecommunications hardware and software
– Service Providers who provide access to or
services via the Internet

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 Telecommunications Industry
• AT&T
– Largest corporation in industry
– In 1984, AT&T split into several companies as a
result of a US Department of Justice antitrust
lawsuit
– Breakup of AT&T has led to innovation through
competition
– Recent trend towards consolidation in the industry

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 Overview of Telecommunications and
Networking
• Telecommunications and networking are
becoming increasingly important to
businesses because of decentralization and
globalization
“ The short
answer is that
networks will
change
everything"
- Paul Saffo

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 Reasons for Networking
• Five primary reasons for networking
1. Sharing of technology resources
• Prior to networking capabilities, computers could not even share
printers!!
2. Sharing of data
• Enables virtual teams who can share data
• Allows efficient transactions between businesses, their suppliers,
their and customers
• Some businesses share many terabytes of data per day
3. Distributed data processing and client/server systems
4. Enhanced communications
5. Marketing outreach

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 Reasons for Networking
• Five primary reasons for networking
1. Sharing of technology resources
2. Sharing of data
3. Distributed data processing and client/server systems
• Distributed data processing
– Information processing that uses multiple computers at multiple sites
that are tied together through telecommunication lines
• Client/Server Systems
– A type of distributed systems in which the processing power is distributed
between a central server and a number of client computers
4. Enhanced communications
5. Marketing outreachTransfer of Data
Client Server
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 Reasons for Networking
• Five primary reasons for networking
1. Sharing of technology resources
2. Sharing of data
3. Distributed data processing and client/server systems
4. Enhanced communications
• Telecommunication networks provide the ability to communication through
Email, Bulletin Boards, Blogs, Instant Messaging, Wikis, and Videoconferencing
• Links between organizations can lead to strategic advantages in terms of
business transactions
– SABRE airline reservation system
– EDI
5. Marketing outreach
• Businesses may share data with consumers to advertise or sell their products
through a corporate web presence

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 Overview of Telecommunications and
Networking
• A telecommunications network is more than a
series of wires or radio waves
• Functions of a Telecommunications Network

Table 4.1

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 Analog and Digital Signals

Analog Signals

●
● A signal in which some physical property continuously varies across time

Digital Signals

●
● A signal that is not a continuous function of time, but rather a series of discrete
values that represent ones and zeros

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 Analog and Digital Signals
• Representation of digital and analog signals

Figure 4.2

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 Analog and Digital Signals
• Digital computer data does not naturally mesh with
analog transmission; it must be converted from ones
and zeros to analog signals
• Solutions
– Modem (Modulator/Demodulator)

Figure 4.1

– Digital networks
• Advantages of lower error rates and higher speeds

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 Transmission Speed
• Transmission speeds can be measured in
several ways
Bandwidth

●
● The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies that can be transmitted on a single
medium; a measurement of capacity

Hertz

●
● Cycles per second

Baud

●
● Signals per second
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 Telecommunication Lines
• Types of Transmission Lines
– Private (dedicated)
• Advantages
– Ensures quality of transmission
• Disadvantages
– Costly
– Switched
• Advantages
– Less costly
• Disadvantages
– Message may take many different routes
– Quality of transmission may degrade

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 Telecommunication Lines
• Types of Transmission Lines
Simplex

●
● Data can only travel in one direction

Half-duplex

●
● Data can travel in both directions, but not simultaneously

Full-duplex

●
● Data can travel in both directions at once

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 Transmission Media
• Twisted Pair
– Literally wires that are twisted to reduce
interference
– Can be shielded (STP) or unshielded (UTP), but the
most commonly used is UTP
– Commonly used in telephones and LANs

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 Transmission Media
• Coaxial (Coax) Cable
– Baseband
• Inexpensive, designed for digital transmission
– Broadband
• Originally for analog, now used for digital
• Commonly used in television cable

Figure 4.3

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 Transmission Media
– Wireless
• Not strictly a transmission media, but rather a technology in which radio
signals are sent through the air
• There are many different wireless technologies such as cordless telephones
and cellular telephones which are widely used in personal and business
communications
• We will consider the following wireless technologies in more detail:
• Wireless LANs
• Microwave
– Line of sight
• Satellite
– Long distances
– Line of sight
– RFID
– Bluetooth

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 Transmission Media
• Wireless
– Wireless LANs
• Growing in popularity
• Useful when wiring is not possible
• Slower than some wired solutions
• Allow mobile devices to connect to network

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 Transmission Media
• Wireless
– Microwave
• Widespread use for several decades
• Line of sight transmission
• Limited to 25-50 mile distances because of curvature of
the earth
• Expensive, but less costly than fiber optic cables

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 Transmission Media
Figure 4.4
• Wireless
– Satellite
• Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
– Remains stationary relative to earth
– Inmarsat service of 11 GEO
satellites
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

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 Transmission Media
Figure 4.4
• Wireless
– Satellite
• Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
– Iridium
» First major LEO project with 66 satellites
» Faced high operating costs and which resulted in a
bankruptcy
» Mostly military subscribers
» Tell us more about these 3
– Globalstar
» LEO project with 40 satellites that does not provide
global coverage
– Teledesic
» Ambitious project with original plans to launch 840
satellites
» This was later cut to 288 satellites, then 30, and then
the program was cancelled

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 Transmission Media
• Wireless
– RFID
• Acronym for Radio Frequency Identification
• An old technology that became popular in business
when Wal-Mart required the use of RFID by some of its
suppliers to improve inventory and supply chain
management

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 Transmission Media
• Wireless
– RFID
• Two Broad Types of RFID
– Active – these tags have their own power supply and can
transmit messages continuously, on request, or on a schedule
» Cost over $1.00
– Passive – these tags only send a response the RFID reader
sends a small radio signal which induces a current
» Cost in the $0.08 - $0.20 range
• Many analysts believe that passive tags must cost only
$0.05 for RFID to be widely adopted

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 Transmission Media
• Wireless
– Bluetooth
• Named after Danish King who united Denmark
– The technology is intended to unify telecom and computing
• Short-range wireless technology
• Designed to consume very little electrical power and be produced at a low
cost
• Found in a growing number of devices such as cell phones, laptops,
headsets, keyboards, mice, and home appliances
– Over 318 million devices in 2005 used Bluetooth for communication between
devices

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 Transmission Media
• Fiber Optics
– Thin fiber of glass
– Faster, lighter, and more secure than other media
– Large diameter fiber is multimode (multiple light
rays at the same time) while smaller diameter is
single mode
– Smaller diameter fiber has larger capacity due to
less light bounces

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 Individual Network Access
• Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sell access to the Internet
• Early, the only way to access the Internet was through a dial-in modem
connection
• Consumers now have more options including faster broadband connections
– Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a connection through a telephone company
– Cable modem is a connection through a cable television company
– Satellite
• With one-way service, individuals must obtain uplink service from another provider
– Wireless access may be through a municipal carrier or a private company
• There are several pricing methods for personal Internet access
– Fixed price (usually monthly)
• Hotels and airports often offer Internet access for a shorter period (e.g., 24 hours)
– Cost based on usage (data transferred)
– Free to consumers, but supported by taxes or advertising

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 Network Topology
• Network topology refers to the configuration or
arrangement of the devices
• Bus Figure 4.5
– All devices are attached to one cable
– Single-point failure
• Ring
• Similar to bus, but ends are attached
• Not susceptible to single-point failure
• Star
• All nodes are attached to central device
• Susceptible to failure of central device, but easy to identify cable
failure
• Tree
• Similar to the star, but with a hierarchical structure
• Mesh
• Devices are to multiple other devices
• A failure has little impact on the network
• Costly
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 Networking Devices
• Devices used to implement network topologies
Hub
●
● Simple devices that forwards all messages to every device attached to it

Wireless Access Point

●
● Central device that connects wireless LAN to other networks

Bridge
●
● Connects two LAN segments and only forwards messages that need to go to other segment

Switch
●
● A multiport bridge; connects two or more LAN segments

Router
●
● Connects two ore more LANs and only forwards messages that go to the other LAN

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 Network Types
• There are several types of networks
• We will consider six types
1. Computer Telecommunications Networks
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
3. Backbone Networks
4. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
5. The Internet
6. Internet2

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 Network Types
1. Computer Telecommunications Networks
– This was the only type of network until the
1980s
– Commonly used in mainframe architectures

Figure 4.7

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 Network Types
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
– Standards developed by the Institute for Electrical and
Electronic Engineering (IEEE)
• IEEE 802 is a family of standards for LANs and metropolitan area
networks
– Five types of LANs in common use today
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
5. WiMAX (802.16e)
– We will discuss each of the five types of LANs

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 Network Types
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
• Developed by Xerox
• Usually called Ethernet after the original Xerox version
• Half-duplex
• All devices must contend to use
– CSMA/CD protocol for collisions
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
5. WiMAX (802.16e)
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 Network Types
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
• A token (special message) is passed among devices
• Only the device with the token can transmit a message
• Important for Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
5. WiMAX (802.16e)

Manufacturing Automation Protocol

●
● A token bus protocol that was developed by General Motors for factory
automation

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 Network Types
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
• Developed by IBM
• Combination of ring topology with use of tokens (used
the same way as in token bus)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
5. WiMAX (802.16e)

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 Network Types
2. Local Area Networks (LANs)
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
• Short for Wireless Fidelity
• Most common wireless LAN type
• Uses a shared Ethernet design
• Use CSMA/CA Protocol
– Similar to CSMA/CD, but with less collisions
• Commonly used in offices to supplement wired Ethernet networks or in
areas where adding wiring is problematic
• Many cities are offering Wi-Fi networks
5. WiMAX (802.16e)
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 Network Types
• LANs
1. Contention Bus (IEEE 802.3)
2. Token Bus (IEEE 802.4)
3. Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
4. Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
5. WiMAX (802.16e)
• Newest of the network types
• Similar to Wi-Fi, but operates over longer distances and at higher speeds
• Can use both licensed and non-licensed frequencies
• Sprint Nextel are planning to offer their Xohm WiMAX service across the
US in the 2.5GHz radio spectrum
– In November 2007, Sprint Nextel abandoned talks of a joint venture with
Clearwire, a WiMAX provider

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 Network Types
• Local Area Networks (LANs)
– Problems with wireless networks (WiFi and
WiMAX)
• More difficult to secure that other network types
• Organizations that offer wireless access to entice
customers have problems with noncustomers or
unprofitable customers overusing the network
• Unauthorized wireless use is also problematic in condos
and apartments

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 Network Types
Figure 4.10
• Types of Networks
3. Backbone Networks
• Connect LANs
• Key to internetworking

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 Network Types
4. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
– Similar to LANs, but cover greater distances
– We will consider the following three general types
of WANs because they each have advantages and
disadvantages
1. Switched Circuit
2. Dedicated Circuit
3. Packet-switched

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 Network Types
4. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
1. Switched Circuit (or circuit-switched)
• A single physical path is temporarily created between two nodes for their
exclusive communication
• There are most widely available means of implementing a WAN using a
switched circuit connection is to use the ordinary telephone network
• Advantages
– Easy to set up
• Disadvantages
– Low speed
– High error rates
• There are two different pricing schemes available for this service
– Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) - pay for usage
– Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS) - fixed rate

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 Network Types
4. Wide Area Networks (WANs) Table 4.3
2. Dedicated Circuit
• These are permanent channels exclusive to
the business
• Advantages
– High capacity
– Low error rates
• Disadvantages
– Expensive
• There are two different types of dedicated
circuits
– Leased lines are cable, microwave, or fiber
connections
– Satellite circuits are popular for organizations with
many global locations

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 Network Types
4. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
3. Packet-switched
• Multiple connections exist simultaneously over the same physical circuit
• Messages are broken up into packets
• Businesses use PADs (Packet assembly/disassembly devices) to connect
their networks to a common carrier network
• Advantages Figure 4.11
• Efficient use of network
• Can be high capacity
• Disadvantages
• Packets may arrive in
different order or with delay

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 Network Types
5. The Internet
– Network of networks that use the TCP/IP protocol
– Similar to an enormous WAN
– 433 million hosts as of January 2007
– Roots in ARPANET and NSFNET
• ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) was
created by the US Department of Defense
• NSFNET (National Science Foundation Network) was created
to link supercomputers for research
• Each of these were wide scale, packet-switching networks
that lead to the creation of the Internet

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 Network Types
5. The Internet
– Internet Applications

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 Network Types
6. Internet2
– Not-for-profit consortium made up of over 200
universities as well as industry and government partners
that develops and deploys advanced network applications
and technologies for research and commercial purposes
– Goals
• Create a leading-edge network capability for the national
research community
• Enable revolutionary Internet applications based on a much
higher-performance Internet than we have today
• Ensure the rapid transfer of new network services and
applications to the broader Internet community

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 Networking Protocols
Figure 4.13

• Network Protocols
– An agreed-upon set of rules or
conventions governing
communication among elements
of a network
– Open Systems Interconnection
(OSI) Reference Model
• Skeleton for standards
• Movement toward this model
stopped with the growth of the
Internet

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 Networking Protocols
• OSI Model
– Developed by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)to outline a standard set of
protocols for telecommunications

Figure 4.14

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 Networking Protocols
• Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
– Created to link different types of networks (e.g., satellite and
ground packet networks) together into a network of networks
– Has become de facto standard protocol for networking
• TCP is responsible for the reliable and ordered transmission of
messages
• IP is responsible for routing individual packets based on their
individual addresses (IP addresses)
– Roughly corresponds to network and transport layers of OSI
model

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 Networking Crucial to Organizations

• Networking and Telecommunications have

become necessary for businesses to function
– Problems with undersea Internet cables cut in
Middle East

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