Telecommunications networks
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of the course is to understand the technological evolution and the architecture of telecommunication networks, as well as the problems that arise and the solutions that exist in the process of designing and exploiting them. Therefore, once the course is over, students must be able to:
Know the taxonomy, technological evolution and architecture of telecommunication networks
Know the mathematical tools that allow to model the operation of a system and how to apply them to the dimensioning of a telecommunication network
Describe the requirements of a telecommunication network regarding the quality of service and know the techniques used to implement it
Describe the problem of network congestion and know the operating principles of the mechanisms that exist to solve it
Describe the need of network interconnection and know the operation of the protocols that are used on the Internet
Describe the concept of network control and management, and know the operation of the protocols that are used on the Internet
Competences
Apply the necessary legislation in the exercise of the telecommunications engineer's profession and use the compulsory specifications, regulations and standards.
Communication
Design and dimension multiuser communication systems using the principles of communication theory under the restrictions imposed by the specifications and the need to provide a quality service.
Develop ethics and professionalism.
Develop personal attitude.
Develop personal work habits.
Develop thinking habits.
Direct the activities object of the projects in the field of telecommunication.
Draft, develop and sign projects in the field of telecommunications engineering that, depending on the speciality, are aimed at the conception, development or exploitation of telecommunication and electronic networks, services and applications.
Learn new methods and technologies, building on basic technological knowledge, to be able to adapt to new situations.
Perform measurements, calculations, estimations, valuations, analyses, studies, reports, task-scheduling and other similar work in the field of telecommunication systems.
Resolve problems with initiative and creativity. Make decisions. Communicate and transmit knowledge, skills and abilities, in awareness of the ethical and professional responsibilities involved in a telecommunications engineer's work.
Work in a team.
Learning Outcomes
Adapt to multidisciplinary environments.
Apply the techniques in networks, services, processes and telecom applications in both fixed and mobile environments, personal, local or long distance with different band widths, including telephony, radio, television and data are based from the point of view transmission systems.
Assume and respect the role of the different members of a team, as well as the different levels of dependency in the team.
Carry out management activities for the design and dimensioning of telecommunications networks considering classical and new generation methods.
Communicate efficiently, orally and in writing, knowledge, results and skills, both professionally and to non-expert audiences.
Construct, operate and manage networks, services, processes and telecom applications, understood these as systems of recruitment, transportation, representation, processing, storage, management and presentation of multimedia information, from the point of view of the transmission systems.
Critically evaluate the work done.
Develop critical thinking and reasoning.
Develop curiosity and creativity.
Develop independent learning strategies.
Develop scientific thinking.
Develop the capacity for analysis and synthesis.
Differentiate and classify the main algorithms dimensioning, traffic control and congestion.
Differentiate and understand the significance of measurements and assessments of telecommunications networks to Formenta and ensure their optimal design.
Discuss and apply cryptography systems aimed at improving the safety of a telecommunication network.
Distinguish the different nature of the problems of dimensioning and routing for each of the different types of networks and make decisions and initiatives to improve the operation and provision of telecommunications networks.
Efficiently use ICT for the communication and transmission of ideas and results.
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different conceptual and technological options for different telecommunication applications.
Manage available time and resources.
Manage networks, services, processes and telecom applications according to the laws and regulations both domestically and internationally.
Respect diversity in ideas, people and situations.
Use communication and computer applications (office automation, databases, advanced calculation, project management, display, etc.) to support the development and exploitation of telecommunication and electronic networks, services and applications.
Work autonomously.
Work cooperatively.
Content
PART I
I.1. Introduction to telecommunication networks
Taxonomy of telecommunications networks: telephony, broadcasting, television and data
Evolution of telecommunications networks: from analog to digital, from circuit switching to packet switching
Architecture of telecommunication networks: layer model and network operational plans
Telecommunication network design issues: network architecture and technology, network interconnection, quality of service, network management, and network modeling and sizing
I.2. Local area networks
Architecture and operation of Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) technology
Protection against loops (Spanning tree, 802.1d)
Link Aggregation (LAG/LACP, 802.3ad)
Virtual networks (VLAN, 802.1q)
I.3 Access and transport networks
Architecture and operation of access and transport networks
Access networks (digital): DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), HFC (Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial) and PON (PAssive Optical Network)
Transport networks (circuit): PDH (Plesiochronous Data Hierarchy) and SDH (Synchronous Data Hierarchy)
Transport networks (packet): ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching)
I.4. Interconnection of networks on the Internet
Principles of interconnection of networks on the Internet
Routing algorithms: Dijkstra and Bellman-Ford
Interior routing: distance vector (RIP, Routing Information Protocol) and link state (OSPF, Open Shortest Path First) protocols
Exterior routing: Autonomous Systems and routing policies, Path Vector Protocols (BGP, Border Gateway Protocol)
I.5. Internet service quality
Internet service quality principles
Integrated services (IntServ) and differentiated services (DiffServ) models
Traffic admission and shaping: policing (Token Bucket) andshaping (Leaky Bucket)
Management of queues at network nodes: tail drop, random early detection
End-to-end delivery management: Flow and congestion control in TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
I.6. Internet network management
Principles of network management on the Internet
Network control protocols on the Internet: ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)
Protocols for network management on the Internet: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
PART II
II.1. Modeling systems using queuing theory
General concepts: traffic, servers, queues, and service discipline
Traffic characterization: exponential distribution, Poisson processes and Markov chains (discrete and continuous)
Basic parameters and Kendall notation: number of servers, queue size, queue discipline, inter-arrival rate and time, service rate and time, response and waiting time, average server and queue occupancy, deadlock/wait/loss probability
Little's law: performance, utilization and stability conditions
II.2. Dimensioning of telecommunication networks
Introduction and requirements of network dimensioning: grade of service
Sizing of a packet switching node: M/M/1 and M/M/m models
Dimensioning of a fixed telephone network: M/M/c/c model (Erlang B, losses)
Dimensioning of a cellular network: M/M/c/inf model (Erlang C, delays)
LABORATORIES
Session 1: Local Area Networks (Ethernet: VLAN + LAG)
Session 2: Internet Network Interconnection I (OSPF)
Session 3: Internet Network Interconnection II (BGP)
Session 4: Access and transport networks (GPON + VXLAN)
Presential
TRUE
Telecommunications networks
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The statements made herein do not necessarily have the consent or agreement of the ASTRAIOS Consortium. These represent the opinion and findings of the author(s).
