The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to data communications and networking. The module includes an overview of essential foundation topics and also introduce students to the internetworking principles and concepts.

Introduction to telecommunications: Definitions and concepts, standards bodies, communications tasks, protocol elements, characteristics and functions; reference communications models (OSI vs. TCP/IP). History/evolution of telecommunications networks. Physical Layer: Transmission modes and types; analog vs. digital signals; baseband vs. broadband; modulation/demodulation; transmission impairments (attenuation, delay distortion, noise); channel capacity; data encoding and compression; physical interfacing; asynchronous vs. synchronous transmission; transmission media (guided, unguided); structured cabling standards; multiplexing techniques (FDM, TDM, WDM). Network topologies (star, ring, bus, tree, mesh). Data link layer: Line disciplines (ENQ/ACK, poll/select); framing; frame synchronisation and data transparency, flow control; addressing; link management; protocol examples (HDLC, LAPB, LAPD, LAPM, PPP). Introduction to higher communications layers: Switching (circuit-, message-, packet-); routing (main types, concepts and principles), congestion control, QoS management, connection-oriented vs. connectionless transport services; segmentation and re-assembly; session management; data presentation; client-server model; internetworking principles and concepts (repeating, hubs, bridges, routers, gateways).

Understand, describe, discuss and explain main communication models, standards and paradigms by using proper communication terminology. Describe and analyse different communication protocols and locate/relate them to architectural communication layers. List, explain and differentiate information source encoding, data compression and error control coding principles and techniques. Describe and discuss the general structure and functioning of both analog and digital communication systems, and explain and compare different modulation and multiplexing schemes. Recognise and differentiate different network topologies and relate/match them to communication systems. Define, categorise, discuss and employ different communication techniques e.g. for error control, flow control, congestion control, QoS provision etc. Distinguish homogeneous and heterogeneous networks and propose solutions for their internetworking.

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