UGC NET Computer Science Data Communication and Computer Networks Syllabus

Data Communication and Computer Networks syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Data Communication and Computer Networks in UGC NET Computer Science, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Data Communication

   12 topics

   • Components of a Data Communication System
   • Simplex, Half-Duplex and Duplex Modes of Communication
   • Analog and Digital Signals
   • Noiseless and Noisy Channels
   • Bandwidth, Throughput and Latency
   • Digital and Analog Transmission
   • Data Encoding and Modulation Techniques
   • Broadband and Baseband Transmission
   • Multiplexing
   • Transmission Media
   • Transmission Errors
   • Error Handling Mechanisms
2. 2

   Computer Networks

   5 topics

   • Network Topologies
   • Local Area Networks
   • Metropolitan Area Networks
   • Wide Area Network
   • Wireless Networks
3. 3

   Network Models

   5 topics

   • Layered Architecture
   • OSI Reference Model and its Protocols
   • TCP/IP Protocol Suite
   • Physical, Logical, Port and Specific Addresses
   • Switching Techniques
4. 4

   Functions of OSI and TCP/IP Layers

   11 topics

   • Framing
   • Error Detection and Correction
   • Flow and Error Control
   • Sliding Window Protocol
   • HDLC
   • Multiple Access – CSMA/CD, CSMA/CA
   • Reservation, Polling, Token Passing
   • FDMA, CDMA, TDMA
   • Network Devices
   • Backbone Networks
   • Virtual LANs
5. 5

   IPv4 Structure and Address Space

   6 topics

   • Classful and Classless Addressing
   • Datagram, Fragmentation and Checksum
   • IPv6 Packet Format
   • Mapping Logical to Physical Address (ARP)
   • Direct and Indirect Network Layer Delivery
   • Routing Algorithms
6. 6

   TCP, UDP and SCTP Protocols

   3 topics

   • Flow Control
   • Error Control
   • Congestion Control in TCP and SCTP
7. 7

   World Wide Web (WWW)

   6 topics

   • Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
   • Domain Name Service (DNS)
   • Resolution - Mapping Names to Addresses and Addresses to Names
   • Electronic Mail Architecture
   • SMTP, POP and IMAP
   • TELNET and FTP
8. 8

   Network Security

   6 topics

   • Malwares, Cryptography and Steganography
   • Secret-Key Algorithms
   • Public-Key Algorithms
   • Digital Signature
   • Virtual Private Networks
   • Firewalls
9. 9

   Mobile Technology

   8 topics

   • GSM and CDMA
   • Services and Architecture of GSM and Mobile Computing
   • Middleware and Gateway for Mobile Computing
   • Mobile IP and Mobile Communication Protocol
   • Communication Satellites, Wireless Networks and Topologies
   • Cellular Topology, Mobile Adhoc Networks
   • Wireless Transmission and Wireless LANs
   • Wireless Geolocation Systems, GPRS and SMS
10. 10

    Cloud Computing and IoT

    8 topics

    • SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Public and Private Cloud
    • Virtualization
    • Virtual Server
    • Cloud Storage
    • Database Storage
    • Resource Management
    • Service Level Agreement
    • Basics of IoT

Data Communication and Computer Networks flashcards for UGC NET Computer Science

24 of 66 cards from the Data Communication and Computer Networks deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the five fundamental components of a data communication system?

   Message (the data), Sender (source device), Receiver (destination device), Transmission medium (physical path), and Protocol (set of rules governing communication).

2. Differentiate between simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex (duplex) transmission modes.

   Simplex: communication is one-directional only (e.g., keyboard, monitor). Half-duplex: both devices can transmit and receive but not simultaneously (e.g., walkie-talkie). Full-duplex: both can transmit and receive at the same time (e.g., telephone).

3. How does an analog signal differ from a digital signal?

   An analog signal has infinitely many continuous values over a range and varies smoothly; a digital signal has a limited number of discrete values (typically 0 and 1) and changes in abrupt steps.

4. State Nyquist's formula for the maximum bit rate of a noiseless channel.

   BitRate = 2 × B × log2(L), where B is the channel bandwidth in Hz and L is the number of discrete signal levels.

5. State Shannon's capacity formula for a noisy channel.

   Capacity = B × log2(1 + S/N) bits per second, where B is bandwidth and S/N is the signal-to-noise ratio (linear, not in dB).

6. Define bandwidth, throughput, and latency in networking.

   Bandwidth is the maximum theoretical data rate a channel can carry; throughput is the actual measured rate of successful data transfer; latency (delay) is the total time for a message to travel from source to destination.

7. What four components make up total latency (delay) in a network?

   Propagation time, transmission time, queuing time, and processing delay. (Propagation = distance/propagation speed; Transmission = message size/bandwidth.)

8. Contrast baseband and broadband transmission.

   Baseband uses the entire bandwidth of the medium as a single channel for one digital signal (e.g., Ethernet); broadband divides the medium into multiple channels using analog/frequency division so several signals travel simultaneously (e.g., cable TV).

9. Name the three basic digital-to-analog modulation techniques and the carrier property each varies.

   ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) varies amplitude; FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) varies frequency; PSK (Phase Shift Keying) varies phase. QAM combines amplitude and phase variation.

10. What is the difference between line coding and block coding?

    Line coding converts digital data into digital signals (e.g., NRZ, Manchester); block coding adds redundancy bits (e.g., 4B/5B) to ensure synchronization and error detection before line coding.

11. Describe Manchester encoding and its main advantage.

    In Manchester encoding each bit period has a mid-bit transition: low-to-high represents 1 (or 0 by convention) and high-to-low the opposite. The guaranteed transition provides self-synchronization (clock recovery).

12. List the three main multiplexing techniques.

    FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing) for analog signals over shared bandwidth, TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) allotting time slots, and WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) for optical fiber using different light wavelengths.

13. Differentiate synchronous and statistical (asynchronous) TDM.

    Synchronous TDM allocates a fixed time slot to each source even if it has no data (slots can be empty/wasted); statistical TDM dynamically allocates slots only to sources that have data, improving efficiency.

14. Classify transmission media into its two major categories with examples.

    Guided (wired) media: twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable. Unguided (wireless) media: radio waves, microwaves, infrared.

15. Why does optical fiber offer higher bandwidth and immunity compared to copper cables?

    Fiber transmits data as pulses of light through glass/plastic, giving very high bandwidth, very low attenuation over long distances, and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and eavesdropping.

16. Distinguish single-bit errors from burst errors.

    A single-bit error changes only one bit (0→1 or 1→0) in the data unit; a burst error changes two or more bits, where the length is measured from the first to the last corrupted bit (not all bits in between need be wrong).

17. How is CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) used for error detection?

    The data is treated as a polynomial and divided by a predetermined generator polynomial; the remainder (CRC bits) is appended to the data. The receiver divides the received frame by the same generator—a nonzero remainder indicates an error.

18. Define Hamming distance and how it relates to error detection and correction.

    Hamming distance is the number of differing bit positions between two codewords. To detect d errors a code needs minimum distance d+1; to correct d errors it needs minimum distance 2d+1.

19. Compare the four main network topologies (mesh, star, bus, ring).

    Mesh: every node connected to every other (robust, costly). Star: all nodes connect to a central hub. Bus: all nodes share a single backbone cable. Ring: each node connects to two neighbors forming a closed loop.

20. In a fully connected mesh topology with n nodes, how many duplex links and how many ports per node are required?

    Number of links = n(n-1)/2, and each node needs n-1 I/O ports.

21. Differentiate LAN, MAN, and WAN by their geographic scope.

    LAN (Local Area Network) covers a building/campus; MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a city; WAN (Wide Area Network) spans large areas like countries or continents (e.g., the Internet).

22. List the seven layers of the OSI reference model from bottom to top.

    Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application.

23. Which OSI layers handle routing, reliable end-to-end delivery, and framing respectively?

    Network layer handles routing/logical addressing; Transport layer handles reliable end-to-end (process-to-process) delivery; Data Link layer handles framing and node-to-node delivery.

24. What is the function of the OSI Presentation layer?

    It handles translation (data format conversion), encryption/decryption, and compression so that data is presented in a form usable by the Application layer regardless of system differences.

See more Data Communication and Computer Networks flashcards →

Planning Data Communication and Computer Networks for UGC NET Computer Science

Data Communication and Computer Networks (UGC NET Computer Science) FAQ