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This diagram illustrates these five transmission steps, which computer performs each, and which steps involve the messaging system.

I am confused with the two "which clause"? Are they served as attributive clauses?

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  • Though I'm not sure about the term "attributive clauses", I think the sentence is better to be rewritten as "This diagram illustrates these five transmission steps, which steps computer performs, and which steps involving the messaging system." That should be easy enough to understand which as a determiner that determines which steps in the two noun phrases.
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Jun 16, 2014 at 3:46

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Which functions as an adjective here. This definition (from merriamwebsteronline.com) applies:

being what one or ones out of a group: kept a record of which employees took their vacations in July

Here is an elaboration of what the sentence is saying: you have five transmission steps. Each step is handled by one of a group of computers. Each step may or may not involve the messaging system. The diagram illustrates the transmission steps, the computer that performs each of them (i.e. which computer performs each step), and whether or not a given step involves (i.e. which steps involve) the messaging system.

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