Lecture 9,

IICT

WAN Technology
Physical and Data Link Layer
M Tanvir Irfan
mtirfan13@yahoo.com

To the memory of Moslehuddin Bhai

You still live in my heart

M Tanvir Irfan
 What is WAN?
 Basically, WAN is a networking technology.
Its full name is Wide Area Network.
 WAN spans a large geographical area, often
a country or even a continent.
 Example: the Internet
 WAN consists of a large number of
computers. Each computer is called Host.
 Hosts are connected by subnet.
 As you already know, a subnet consists of 2
elements – 1. Transmission
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lines (circuits/
channels/ trunks) and 2. Switching elements
 What is WAN?
Can you find the hosts, routers and subnet in the follow
Diagram? [You need spectacles if you can’t find ]
A simple overview of WAN

subnet
Host Host

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 WAN Standards
A WAN standard usually gives a description of
WAN physical layer and WAN data link layer.
A number of organizations have given their
standards:
 ITU–T – International Telecommunication Union –

Telecommunication Standardization Sector

 ISO – International Organization for Standardization
 IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force
 EIA – Electronic Industries Association
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 WAN Physical Layer
 WAN Physical Layer protocols describe how to
provide electrical, mechanical, operational and
functional connections for WAN services.
 The WAN physical layer describes the interface
between
 Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)

 Data Communicating Equipment (DCE)

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 WAN Physical Layer:
DTE & DCE
Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)
 Device at the user end of a user-network interface
that serves as a data source, destination, or both.
 Examples: computers, printers, faxes

Data Communicating Equipment (DCE)

 Device that helps DTE (user computer) to connect to
the network. DCE provides a physical connection to
the network
 DCE transmits and receives data in the form of an

analog or digital signal through a network

 Examples: Modems and Interface Cards
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 WAN Physical Layer:
DTE & DCE
Communication through DTE and DCE
 DTE (your computer) wants to get connected to
the WAN (the Internet) by using DCE (modem).
 DCE (modem) takes data generated by
DTE(computer), converts them to an appropriate
signal and sends that signal to another DCE
through the physical (telecom) link.
 The second DCE (modem) takes the signal off
the line, convert it to a form usable by its DTE
(computer)
 To make the communication possible, both the
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sending and the receiving DCEs must use the

 You didn’t understand so far if
you can’t answer these
questions:
1. True/False: WAN spreads over a large
geographical area.
2. True/False: WAN = Wiring And Networking
3. Real Life Example: Mr. T. I. connects to the
Internet using a US Robotics 56 Kbps modem
with his HP notebook computer. Identify the
following objects:
 WAN:
 DTE:
 DCE: M Tanvir Irfan
 WAN Data Link Layer
 WAN Data link Layer protocols describe how frames are
transmitted in the Data Link Layer.
 Several common Data Link Layer standards [only for
reference]:
 High Level Data Link Control (HDLC)
 Frame Relay
 Point to Point Protocol (PPP)
 Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN)
 Simple Data Link Control Protocol (SDLC) We will study
The star-marked
 Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP)
topics
 Link Access Procedure Balance (LAPB)
 Link Access Procedure D-channel (LAPD)
 Link Access Procedure Frame (LAPF)
 Asynchronous Transfer MMode (ATM)
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 WAN Data Link Layer:
PPP (Point-to-Point
Protocol)
 IETF took the initiative to design PPP as the data link layer
protocol for point-to-point lines. Their goal was to use it as
the official Internet Standard.
 Q: What’s Point-to-Point? A: A point-to-point network may
consist of more than one connection between two machines:
source and destination. A packet sent from source to
destination may have to visit one or more intermediate
machines. But the source and destination will think that they
are connected by a single wire.
 In future all the ISP’s
PPP (Internet
Frame Service Provider) will
Format
support PPP.

011111101111111100000011 variable 01111110

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 How it works:
PPP (Point-to-Point
Protocol)
The Story of Mr. T. I. Connecting to the Internet
1. Mr. TI calls the ISP using his telephone and modem.
2. The modem connected to the router of the ISP answers Mr. TI’s
call. This establishes a physical layer connection.
3. Now Mr. TI’s PC sends PPP frames to the ISP’s router.
4. The router sends back replies to Mr. TI’s PC.
5. Thus a PPP (data link layer) connection is established.
Second Part of the Story
1. Now a network layer connection is required. This is done by
sending & receiving NCP(Network Control Protocol) packets.
2. Mr. TI needs an IP address. The ISP has n IP addresses. It gives
Mr. TI an IP address dynamically.
3. Thus Mr. TI is connected to the Internet. He can browse (i.e.
send and receive IP packets) happily.
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 ISDN (Integrated Service
Digital Network)
 History: For more than 100 years, the international
telecommunication infrastructure has been public circuit-switched
telephone system. It can support only analog voice transmission.
Hence it is not enough for modern communication. So the
telephone companies of the world decided to design a new, fully
digital telephone system. The main goal was to integrate voice and
non-voice service. This new system is called ISDN.
 Features of ISDN:
1. Voice (the main service)
2. Intercom button for calling secretaries instantly
3. Multiple hotkeys for instantly calling (no
delay for call setup) anywhere in the world
4. Caller ID display
5. Telephone can be connected to computer
so that caller’s tel. no + name + address can be
displayed from database M Tanvir Irfan 6. Call forwarding
7. Conferencing
 How it works: ISDN
 Key Idea: Digital Bit Pipe means a conceptual
pipe between the customer and the carrier
through which bits flow. ISDN configuration for
home/small
ISDN telephone office is: -
Digital bit pipe
ISDN Terminal

ISDN
Exchange

NT

Customer’s office Km’s away

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Carrier’s office
 How it works: ISDN
 In the customer’s office up to 8 telephones,
computers and other devices can be connected.
Similar to LAN.
 NT: This is the Network Terminator placed in the
customer’s office. It is responsible to send signals
to the ISDN Exchange, in the carrier’s office, many
kilometers away.
 Digital signal is processed inside the carrier’s
office and then sent to the destination customer.
Now we would like to look inside the Digital Bit
Pipe
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 How it works: ISDN
The ISDN Interface
Inside the digital bit pipe: It’s a wonderful world!
 There is Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
inside the bit pipe. Don’t tell me you don’t
know what is TDM!
 Three types of bit pipes have been
standardized on the basis of TDM:
1. Basic Rate
2. Primary Rate
3. Hybrid
 The Basic Rate digital bit pipe is the replacement
for POTS (Plain Old Telephone
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Service). Let’s examine
it.
 How it works: ISDN
Basic Rate Digital Pipe

64 kbps digital PCM

channel for voice or data

16-kbps out-
of-band signal

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 ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer
Mode)
 This is a connection-oriented network. Hope you know
what’s connection-oriented and what’s connectionless.
 ATM: This strange name is due to the fact that most
transmission is synchronous (closely related to a clock) and
ATM is not.
 ATM Craze: During 1990s it was believed that ATM was
going to solve all the networking problems by merging –
voice, data, cable TV, telex, telegraph etc. etc.
 Did not work because of politics
 Internet (connectionless) versus Telephone companies
(connection-oriented)
 Don’t think ATM is dead. It is still alive deep inside the
telephone network, mostly Mused by carriers for internal
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transport.
 How it works: ATM
Virtual Circuits
 ATM is connection-oriented. So before sending
data a connection has to be set up.
 To set up a connection the source sends a
setup-packet to the destination.
 As this packet moves through the subnet, it sets
up the path from source to destination.
 Routers in subnet updates their routing table,
when they get this packet.
 This kind of connection is called virtual circuits,
similar to how electricity passes through an actual
circuit.
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 How it works: ATM
Virtual Circuits
 As you can see, the sending host sends a setup
packet to the receiving host through the subnet.
This packet sets up the connection. Then data can
be transmitted.
ATM Virtual
Circuit

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 You didn’t understand so far if
you can’t answer these
questions:
1. What protocol is used to connect to the Internet?
A. PPP
B. ISDN
C. ATM
D. I don’t care
• What is a digital bit pipe?
• True/False: There is no need for connection set
up in ATM.
• Who is Mr. T. I.?  M Tanvir Irfan
 That’s the end of
today’s stories
This presentation is prepared from the
following references:
 Computer Networks, A. S. Tanenbaum, 3rd
Edition
 Data and Computer Communications, W.
Stalling, 6th Edition
 Computer Networks, A. S. Tanenbaum, 4th
Edition

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