13 hours lectures, 26 hours practicals, 26 hours flexible delivery. Semester 1 (Townsville campus); Semester 1 and 2 (Cairns campus).
Networks and layers, networking devices, IP addressing, ARP and RARP, media and design, topology, structured cabling, electronics, network management, OSI model, layers 1-7, WANs, routing, using the router, router components, router startup and setup, router configuration, IOS, TCP/IP, IP addressing, routing protocols.
use the OSI model to describe direct point to point data communications;
address a network, given a topology and starting IP address;
describe basic inter-network processes;
explain basic electrical and electronic issues in networks;
conduct basic network audits;
explain the function of network management tools;
build a simple network of hosts, cables, hubs and routers at layer 1 level;
troubleshoot typical physical problems in a small network;
compare and contrast the details of layers 1, 2 and 3 in the context of ethernet and IP;
compare and contrast the details of layers 4, 5, 6, 7 in context of TCP;
compare and contrast LANs and WANs layer by layer;
compare and contrast static versus dynamic routing, routed protocols versus routing protocols and distance vector versus link state routing;
describe the internal configuration components of a router, access the router and test network connectivity;
describe and perform a basic router configuration;
explain TCP (segment format, port #s, handshakes) and IP (IP datagrams, ICMP, ARP, RARP);
address and configure a network;
compare and contrast static and dynamic routing, routed and routing protocols, IGPs and EGPs and RIP and IGRP.
Assessment involves significant on-course assessment including laboratory assignments, tests and examinations. The full details of the assessment are handed out to students in the class in the first week of the semester in which the subject is offered and posted on the Web.
