Explain the multimedia network architecture? When transmitting multimedia files through network the system must have special networking requirements because multimedia files are larger in size and resolution. Images, audio and video files in larger volumes and take more time to transfer via network. For example if a text file is transmitted in 0.002 sec then a one minute music file is transmitted in 84 seconds.

TO reduce the congestion in multimedia networks, We can use four types of networking standards.

Ethernet

This standard is described by IEEE. In this standard, files are sent as packet or frame consisting of 64 to 1536 bytes of information. 1500 bytes hold the data and the remaining bytes carry source and destination addresses. 100 Bage-X ethernet and 100 Base-VG Ethernet are the newer standards of Ethernet Specially designed for multimedia transmission.

Token Ring

This Standard is described by IEEE 802.5 group. It uses a three byte frame called a token and travels around the ring. When a computer has a message to send , then it sizes the token. The frame is then examined by each workstation in the network.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM)

The ATM topology is designed for broadband application in public networks. It is applicable to high-speed multimedia communication in local area networks. The data to be send is divided into equal and fixed length packets called cells. This process is know as cell switching. ATM can transfer multimedia data at speeds higher than 100 Mbits/sec in local area networks.

Fiber Distributed Data Interface(FDDI)

The FDDI uses fiber technology that provides high bandwidth required for workstation, PCs servers and other networks like LAN and WAN.

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