Data Communication
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Data communication is a process of transferring data electronically from one place to another. Data can be transferred by using different mediums. Data is a collection of raw facts and figures. It may consist of text, graphics, and sound, etc. An electromagnetic or light wave used to transmit data from one place to another is called a signal. The propagation of signals across a communication medium is called signaling. Communication of data from one place to another place in the form of signals is called transmission.
The basic elements of data communication are as follows:
- Send
- Receiver
- Medium
1. Sender
The sender is a device that sends a message. The message may consist of text, numbers, pictures, etc. It is also called some or transmitter. Normally, a computer is used as a sender in data communication systems.
2. Medium
Medium is the physical path that connects the sender and receiver. It is used to transmit data. The medium can be a copper wire, a fiber optic cable, microwaves, etc.
3. Receiver
The receiver is a device that receives the message. It is also called a sink. The receiver can be a computer, printer, or another computer-related device. The receiver must be capable of accepting the message.
Communication Protocol
Data communication software is a type of software that is used to communicate with other computers. The procedure of data transformation in the form of software is commonly called a protocol. This protocol is a set of rules for exchanging information among computers. These protocols define:
- How the communication channel is established
- How information is transmitted
- How errors are detected and corrected.
Functions of Communication Protocols
The main functions of communication software or protocols are as follows:
1. Data Sequencing
A process of breaking a long maze into smaller blocks is called data sequencing A long message is divided into smaller packets of the same size This technique reduces the amount of data that is retransmitted if an error is detected.
2. Data Routing
Data routing is the process of finding the most efficient path between source and destination before sending data. This technique increases the efficiency of data communication.
3. Data Flow
All computers are not equally efficient in terms of speed. Data flow is a process that controls data transmission properly if the sender computer is faster than the receiver computer.
4. Error Control
Error detecting and recovering is one of the main functions of the communication protocol. It ensures that data is transmitted without any error. It also solves the problem if an error is detected.
Encoding
The computer works only with binary numbers. It stores all types of data in the form of binary digits. The data is converted to binary form before it is stored inside the computer the process of converting data into a binary form is known as encoding.
Data can be converted into binary form by using different encoding techniques. The most common set of encoding characters is called ASCII.
ASCII
ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It is a standardized set of encoding characters. It was published in 1968 by ANSI (American National Standard Institute). It can represent 256 characters.
