Kelly Sparrow

1.) Data communication networks allow businesses to transfer large amounts of data quickly across the world, allow people that are outside the business to access information about the business, and allow consumers to buy and research products. Data communications is changing the world, and has changed the world.

2.) 1960’s – Data Communication across phone lines more common, users typed there own batches of data at terminals, and data was transmitted by sending messages from terminals to mainframe computers and then back to the user on the terminal.

1970’s – Went from batch processing to single transaction processing, DBMS  were more common, and integrated systems began. Late 1970’s ISO created the Open System Interconnection Subcommittee.

1980’s – microcomputer revolution, and need for networks increased drastically. 1084 OSI model created.

1990’s and on – Most individual county networks were linked together into the WWW, microcomputers have more power than the mainframes of the 1990’s.

The second industrial revolution is the “Information Age,” Computers, networking, and data communication was introduced. The transfer rate of information has gone from days or weeks to seconds since 1850.

3.) Network types are based on the scale, or size of the network. A local area network (LAN) involves microcomputers on the same floor or in the same building, basically a small area. LAN’s use shared circuits, support higher speed data transmissions than telephone circuits. In many cases a LAN is connected to a Backbone network (BN), a BN is a larger network that connects LAN’s, MAN’s (Metropolitan Area Network), and WAN’s (Wide Area Network). BN’s offer high speed transmission of data. A MAN can connect LAN’s and BN’s together, or to WAN’s. They cover a larger geographic area, 3 to 30 miles, than a BN. WAN’s connect BN’s and MAN’s, WAN’s can cover hundreds to thousands of miles. A LAN differs from the other network types in that a LAN does not connect any other network types to each other or to itself.

4.) Because each layer has its own protocol and it allows you to be able to build applications one layer at a time.

5.) Physical – transmits bits, defines transmission rules, and the cables and connectors that will be used.

Data Link – Marks where the message begins and where it ends, error detection, correction, and if needed retransmission.

Network – Routing, finds the best route and the address for the computer.

Transport – establishes maintains, and terminates, connections for data transfer.

Session – The conversation between the sender and receiver.

Presentation – How the data looks to the user.

Application – end user’s connection to the network.

6.) Standards allow hardware and software that is produced by different companies to talk to each other. We couldn’t have networks that could share information back and forth so easily if it weren’t for standards.

7.) Physical – the actual connection between sender and receiver, includes all hardware.

Data Link – moves message from one computer to the other.

Network – routing, selects computer to which message should be sent as well as determining the path.

Transport – links application layer software to the network, establishes connection between sender and receiver.

Application – application software end user accesses the network with.

8.) A peer to peer network is a network that does not need a server. It is set up so that the computers on the network can share their software and data with each other.

9.) Federal Communications Commission, have had the authority since 134 to regulate long distance phone businesses.

10.) When voice, video, and data communications are all integrated. Previous separate networks were used for voice, data, and cable TV; currently they are all being integrated.