Actual submission date: October 11, 1998
Assignment #1 From Business Data Communications & Networking, 6th Edition:
| Course: | MCTE 650 — Computer Networks |
| Subject: | Assignment #1 from MCTE 650 Syllabus, Fall 1998 |
| Title: | Assignment #1 From Business Data Communications & Networking, 6th Edition: |
| Readings,
Responses And Activities
From Selected Chapters |
|
| Fitzgerald, Jerry, and Dennis, Alan (1998) | |
| Professor: | Dr. Robert Lipton, Ph.D. |
| Student: | Leanne C. Boyd |
| Usercode: | boydl |
| Email: | boydl@scis.acast.nova.edu |
| Due date: | October 12, 1998 |
Actual submission date: October 11, 1998
Assignment #1 from Business Data Communications & Networking, 6th Edition:
Chapter 2: Network Applications
Chapter 3: Telephone Communication Hardware
Assignment #1 From Business Data Communications & Networking, 6th Edition:
Readings,
Responses And Activities From Selected Chapters
A more broad term is that of telecommunications, which also includes the transmission of audio and video (such as images, graphics, animation and the like), as well as data. Typically, telecommunications also connotes longer distances for transmission, as well as longer transmission times for such items as graphics and audio files.
With certainty, I believe we will see huge leaps in this calm technology. Each new purchase will bring new levels of silently, invisibly embedded computerization – with actually no choice for going back to a less-advanced "toy." Like the television dials of only a couple decades ago, it will be impossible to find electronics without these computerized niceties.
In my work at Lucent Technologies, it was interesting to learn that in many of the Third World countries, the use of the cellular phone is much higher than even in the United States. Because the cost of laying cable is so high, this has become the method of choice for implementing not just telephone networks, but also all the new technologies for data transmittal. I think our book is almost incorrect in stating that "once the cost of cellular service drops elsewhere in the world, more computer networks will begin to use it, making wireless networking commonplace."
The truth of the matter is that the United States still sees the cellular phone as a means of calling home from the freeway, while many areas of the world see computer science instituting the very wireless networking services that we are discussing! In this area of the country, in nearby small towns just into the foothills of the Rockies, there are many people experimenting with cellular connection, as it is easier to solve these "aerial" connection problems than it is to move the mountain that sits directly in your view of downtown Denver, or to lay many miles of cable up the twists and turns of a mountain road. In this case of cellular connectivity, it appears that necessity is indeed the mother of invention, and those in need of inventive methods are leading the way.
Definitely, EDI (electronic data interchange) has been a part of my personal and professional life for more than two years. I have telecommuted several large jobs in those two years. Both were website projects, with the Colorado State Department of Justice, and with Lucent Technologies. More than just the work arena, much of my shopping and spending habits have slowly turned to the paperless, online environment. It is much more efficient and fun than battling the roadways and the Malls. We might even call it Calm Consumerism!
It must be pointed out that literally every computer sold right now falls into the description of "multimedia." Much power and speed is available to each household and certainly is no longer limited to the corporate setting. My recent purchase of a powerful Dell laptop has increased my use of the integrated services that are popping up everywhere on the Internet. Daily, I utilize a welcome addition to my tool kit, which is the RealPlayer version 5.0. With quite a sophisticated jump, RealNetworks has made daily news, entertainment, and learning scenarios into very sophisticated multimedia experiences. This computer has basically taken away the need for a television in my household, in my opinion. The larger screen of the television is very nice, as is the VCR capability. It goes without saying that, except for needing to find time, I am capable of utilizing the both, by connecting the computer capacity (with its DVD-ROM) to the big-screen television and the VCR. I must point out that my family purchased its first black and white television when I was five years old. The small town we lived in, in New Mexico, provided NO television signal, and we were enraptured by the fuzzy outline of images we could pick up from Roswell. These 40 years since has seen huge changes in the electronic components with which I live!!
I work and correspond with many people who are looking into the integration of voice, video and data. In one discussion group I belong to, a recent inquiry was posted: "My organization is in the process of upgrading our phone system (PBX) and I’m investigating switching our voice mail system from the Audix voice mail to a PC based one that would integrate a Definity PBX with our MS Exchange Server. Our goal is to have a unified Text/Fax/Voice system. If you have experience with such products, or know of resources I could investigate, please reply." (Dzilvelis, Steven, 1998). Because this is of such interest to me, and also because Definity is a Lucent telecommunications architecture and was the topic of my recent instructional website development project, I checked out the websites that were suggested by the members of the Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group (RMIUG). These were: 1) MediaGate at http://www.mediagate.com/ and 2) VirtualPlus at http://www.virtualplus.com/. Each of these websites offers things that they are calling the next generation in access server technology, enhanced Service Provider functions such as the combination of open architecture, powerful DSP technology and sophisticated application software, Universal Messaging, IP Fax and IP Phone, both WAN and LAN connectivity, and pioneer efforts in messaging technological developments such as Web collection of messages, Text to Speech, and relative newcomers such as "Workgroup Messaging," "Global Message Roaming," and "advanced, node-based, and distributed operation." (VirtualPlus, 1998). Although difficult to keep up with, it’s obvious that these things are here to stay, in each of our daily lives. I find that each time I decide to upgrade my equipment, I have many difficult decisions to make, concerning the efficiency and offerings of delivery options that are available to me.
The key benefits for discussion groups is probably more pertinent to individual users than for companies. They are easily accessible, and offer much choice for participating in discussion of interesting subjects. They offer a very specific environment where not only can you exchange information, but they also are small enough that friendships can be made. A large corporation such as Lucent probably would not utilize discussion groups, unless individual employees found a specific group that provided hard information in a given area. For the small business owner, however, there are many useful discussion groups for finding information for anything from how to run your business, to software how-to’s, to industry-specific contact lists.
There are many key benefits that I can see in this area of groupware. The astounding success of Lotus Notes in educational systems such as the University of Nebraska, is testimony to the many uses this groupware has for the online learning environment. Along with the virtually limitless archive capacities of Notes, it also holds great promise for real-time classroom situations and communication, as well as its replication abilities. This will cut the error factor drastically, and make all the contents of the linked servers into an instantly updated, on-demand tool.
The possible uses for individuals are almost limitless, too, but I think mostly as the individual user is connected to a larger faction, such as a business or educational facility.
The key benefit for GSS lies in its ability to provide every individual the equal opportunity to be "heard." Even those who are shy or not usually overt with opinions, are enabled. As a small home studio, this particular groupware would not be something that I would need. However, at Lucent, they have several departments that are in the act currently, of designing their own very topic-specific GSS systems. I see this as an important tool especially for large groups.
Working at Lucent Technologies allowed me a glimpse into the highest end of technical possibilities for videoconferencing, as some of the setups were quite expensive and impressive. On the lower end, I was also introduced to lower-cost systems that were used by some employees on a daily basis. Many departments within Lucent are divided across the country. The Print and Publications Department has employees in California, Colorado, New Jersey, and scattered other sites with only one or two workers. Daily or at least weekly meetings were necessary for this department. Very often, impromptu meetings were devised via email alert, and phone conferencing, but many weekly meetings were held via videoconferencing methods. As our book states (p. 56), the key benefit of this method is the time and cost savings because of reduced travel needs. Properly structured and implemented, this is an invaluable tool to a company, and one that is becoming more widespread. Since the key benefit, in my opinion, is that of the utmost in real-time communication, videoconferencing will probably continue to grow in popularity both in the corporate and the individual sectors. I see great uses for it within the education system, also.
This form of communication has, for a number of years, moved rapidly within the arena of satellite communication, in the fields of emergency communication, medicine, and even education. This has opened up the entire world to the group or team project.
Florida State University has an excellent website that addresses this topic, as well as many others, when it comes to distance learning. The interesting fact that it was produced by their Department of Criminology shows just how topic-specific these methods can be, and how vital to any given group of people. The home page is located at http://www.fsu.edu/~crimdo/courses/dl.html while the specific topic of videoconferencing and satellite delivery is found at http://www.fsu.edu/~crimdo/courses/dl10.html.This website takes the viewer from very elementary Internet skills through highly sophisticated topics. They do point out that "Universities attempting to fully utilize the Internet for distance education and/or computer-assisted learning will likely move toward desktop videoconferencing models." (Greek, C.E., 1998). The site also confirms that newer systems have introduced true videoconferencing, which requires two-way video and audio communication. This means that two or more people at different sites can see and hear each other at the same time. Videoconferencing is often more convenient and less expensive than travel, especially for a group of people. It is exciting to ponder that perhaps Nova University will be implementing these methods within the time I will still be attending! I believe we all will see astounding use of desktop conferencing, and it won’t take even five years to see widespread use of this.
One of the most difficult things I’ve done as a returning student (7/95 in my B.A., to current in my M.S.) has been to work with proper citation of electronic sources. Still, to date, there are no set standards, no absolutes. I have utilized many web sources in completing research and papers, as well as the recent 4th Edition of the APA Manual, which does address many electronic issues. Finally, there was one source recommended to me in late 1997 by a Nova peer, that has absolutely the best layout and discussion of this matter. It is "APA Style Electronic Formats," by Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey. It may be found online at: http://www.westwords.com/guffey/apa_z.html. Dr. Guffey’s site has a wealth of education-related information, beyond this document on APA citation. Dr. Guffey introduces her APA discussion with this statement:
When and if another source is given to me concerning these issues, I will welcome the additional information. Meanwhile, this site by Dr. Guffey has proven invaluable in my course of study.
Another way to describe a call management system would be "voice call control," as this type of system gives the company or individual specific control over the company phone system. It will monitor call traffic, indicate peak calling times, monitor all levels of activity, show the current number of calls in progress, and the status of the lines. A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) system, for instance, which is a switchboard within a company, is the termination point for all calls within the company. It usually has several circuits that go to the telephone company. Fourth generation, digital PBXs can provide switching for very large loads of voice and data. They can provide simultaneous transmission of voice and data, as well. The system can control the LAN. It can provide voice messaging and Email. It might even be set up for modemless switching for digital transmission. It is capable of circuit switching, non-blocking switching, store and forward abilities, and automatic alternate routing to choose the least-cost communication facility. Finally, the PBX can output this information as a station message detail recording (SMDR), such as to a call recorder. This will hold the information to be transferred to a microcomputer, for analysis by a call-accounting package software. (Donnellan, S., 1997, slides 019, 020).
The act of switching is the identifying and connecting of independent transmission circuits to form a continuous path from your telephone to the telephone you are calling, using a telephone number as an "address." Obviously, with this basic definition, the importance of the switch is to efficiently connect your device with a device of your choice. Early networks used direct connections between each pair of stations, which can be extremely inefficient. Switching allows for temporary connections between any two stations. Circuit switching is the most common form in a switched network. A central site makes the connection between two devices, and the message goes directly from one device to the other. The major disadvantage is when one circuit is busy, you cannot get the message through, as the connection cannot be made. (Donnellan, S., 1997, slides 006, 015, 016).
In telecommunications, the switch is the network device that selects a path or circuit for sending a unit of data to its next destination. This is what sets it apart from a direct connection. A switch may also include the function of the router, a device or program that can determine the route and specify to which adjacent network point the data should be sent. In general, switches are simpler and faster mechanisms than routers – which require network knowledge and how to determine the route.
On larger networks, the trip from one switch point to another, is called a hop. The time that a switch takes to figure out where to forward the data, is called its latency. The price paid for having the flexibility that switches provide in a network is this latency. Switches are found at the backbone and gateway levels of a network, where one network connects with another, and at the subnetwork level where data is being forwarded, close to its destination or origin. A switch is not always required in a network, such as in many local area networks (LANs), where all destinations inspect each message and read only those intended for that destination. The largest maker of network switching systems is Cisco. (Whatis.com Computer Dictionary, 1998).
Because the 6th Edition of our textbook has eliminated this chapter three on "Telephone Communication Hardware," much of this information has been researched both online and in other books. Simplistically stated, data-over-voice (DOV) is when voice and data share the same transmission medium. The data transmissions are superimposed over the voice transmission. Author Fitzgerald (p. 107) defines the two fundamentally different types of data, digital and analog. He points out that computers produce digital data that are binary. Telephones, however, produce analog data that are sent as electrical signals like the audio waves they transfer. Data can be transmitted in the same form they are produced, through the circuit. If a network is designed to transmit phone data, it will be very competent using just analog transmission methods, while the computer emphasis for transmission would need digital methods. The good news is that data can be converted! For instance, a modem will translate digital computer data into a form that the analog telephone circuit can work with. At the receiving end, another modem can then convert the data back to digital forms for being received by another computer. The reason all of this is important is that it is far simpler to integrate voice, date, and video on the same circuit, if digital transmission is used. Digital transmission produces fewer errors, it is more efficient, it permits higher maximum transmission rates, and it has encryption abilities that make it more secure. Most long-distance companies have built telephone circuits using digital transmission for at least a decade.
The truth of the matter is that these methods have become quite refined and a highly technical commodity in the marketplace. In a simple search engine inquiry, dozens of companies are beginning to offer data-over-voice capacities. Some of these are: Alternate Accessâ Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) of Raleigh, North Carolina, Cygnus Microsystems of Hyderabad, India, Data Voice Systems, Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky, E-Tech Research, Inc. of Fremont, California, MICOM Communications Corp. of Los Angeles, TST On Ramp of Pomona, California (who offers online instructions for setup of your DOV using ISDN, at http://www.tstonramp.com/onramp/tech/howtodovisdn.html), ZyXEL Communications of Placentia, California … literally, the A to Z in high tech connectivity, and these were just a few. While sifting through the techno-jargon on each site, it became quite evident that the actual "How-To" for integrating data and voice is much more complex than is addressed in our book. MICOM states that their product "Integrates LAN, voice/fax and legacy data traffic over a common private leased line, ISDN or private and public frame relay links for substantial cost savings," and that it provides "superior 8 Kbps ClearVoice™ technology [that] ensures toll-quality telephone conversations while consuming minimal bandwidth," and that it "allows cost-effective time-of-day WAN access and dynamic bandwidth management to meet peak multimedia traffic demands." (MICOM Marathon, 1998). Most of these sites offered similar products and services.
For this author, this Internet find exemplifies what has become a standard for modern research on current technologies – it is absolutely vital to check current online resources to expand and update information we find in textbooks, as that information is often out-dated. My research into DOV revealed an exciting history in the making that brought the text articles to life.
In an article called "Congress vs. Technology: FULL DISCLOSURE," at http://www.glr.com/awar.html, we learn this:
As with so many other arenas in new technologies, we are dealing with not only the creation and implementation of new devices and tools, as well as the severe learning curve attached to them, but also the elements of legal issues and personal ethics. Again, one’s best mechanism for support is self-inspired and self-initiated – it is that of information, a lot of timely information, and the stance that you will never, ever go into a situation unprepared. Unfortunately, this has almost become a credo of users of new technology.
The client-server network is becoming increasingly popular. This choice shows the client and the server sharing things, with the server being responsible for the data access logic, and the client being responsible for the presentation logic. This is a scalable system, meaning that it is easy to increase or decrease the storage and processing capabilities, with costs for upgrading much more stable and less expensive. They offer other benefits, such as not being locked into one vendor, and you also aren’t locked into purchasing a certain type of microcomputer, as this architecture is compatible with many computer types. You can even link many types of computers together, in a true multi-platform way. Because there isn’t just one central computer, the system is more stable. With no central point for failure, if a portion of the network goes down, the entire thing won’t also go down!
If a company I worked for was contemplating moving from a host-based to a client-server system, the move would probably entail many of the problems discussed here. On the downside, for instance, client-server networks are quite complex. All software has two parts: one for client, one for server. So, the writing of the software is more complex, with programmers often having to learn new languages. In an update, all clients and servers must be updated. After all is said and done, however, the central argument is one of cost. When that issue is settled for a particular company, then the next issue is the flip side of the multi-platform capacity, which is getting the software from different vendors to work together. This brings up the solution of middleware. Although the list seems to go on forever, after studying the issues, it is easy to see why client-server architecture has gained such popularity. When all of the problems have been confronted, it seems a very efficient solution especially for a larger company.
Also, define a multiplexer, and describe which method of multiplexing you would use (TDM or FDM). Why?
FM, or frequency modulation, is characterized by each 0 or 1 in the modulation being represented by a number of waves per second, or a different frequency. The amplitude never varies. The main difference between the two, then, is that AM is constituted of variations in loudness of signal, while FM is made up of the signal’s variations in wave frequency. (p. 117).
(400/1200) + 0.030
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©1998 Leanne C. Boyd
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