DATA COMMUNICATION (EC-603 (A)) - Important Questions

What is data communication? List and briefly describe the five main components of a data communication system with block diagram.

Explain the concept of network topology and describe types such as bus, star, ring and mesh, including network classification.

Explain the OSI reference model with a neat diagram of the seven layers, describing the main function of each layer and how they interact to facilitate network communication.

Define transmission medium and explain the differences between guided media and unguided media.

What is switching and what are the different switching techniques - circuit switching, packet switching and message switching?

Explain the simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex modes of data transmission with examples.

Illustrate how the Longitudinal Redundancy Check (LRC) code is generated and how it is used to detect errors in transmission.

Explain the HDLC protocol, its main features and modes of operation.

Describe the Sliding Window protocol and explain how it improves efficiency compared to Stop-and-Wait protocol.

Compare and contrast Token Bus and Token Ring LAN architectures.

What is Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)? Explain its cell-based architecture and switching mechanisms.

Discuss the architecture and operation of the DQDB protocol (IEEE 802.6) and how it supports data transmission in a MAN.

Explain the structure and layers of the TCP/IP reference model / protocol suite with neat diagram.

Explain the roles and functions of repeaters, bridges, and gateways in a computer network.

Write short notes on any two of the following: (i) Distance vector routing vs Link state routing (ii) TCP/IP protocol suite (iii) Repeaters, Bridges and Gateways.