ELEC5740: Foundations of Data Comm & the Internet (2013 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | ELEC5740: Foundations of Data Comm & the Internet (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Postgraduate |
| Faculty/School: | School of Electrical and Information Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Professor Jamalipour, Abbas
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| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: | |
| Site(s) for this Unit: |
http://www.eelab.usyd.edu.au/ELEC3506 |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | None. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | Students undertaking this unit should be familiar with fundamental digital technologies and representations such as bit complement and internal word representation. Students should also have a basic understanding of the physical properties of communication channels, techniques and limitations. Furthermore, students should be able to apply fundamental mathematical skills. The unit will cover the following specific material: Communication reference models (TCP/IP, ATM and OSI). Circuit switched and packet switched communication. Network node functions and building blocks. LAN, MAN and WAN technologies. ATM systems. Protocols fundamental mechanisms. The TCP/IP core protocols (IP, ICMP, DHCP, ARP, TCP, UDP etc.). Applications and protocols (FTP, Telnet, SMTP, HTTP etc.). |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Lecturer/s: |
Dr Zhou, Zhendong
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| Timetable: | ELEC5740 Timetable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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| T&L Activities: | Laboratory: The labs are designed to greatly deepen students` understanding of network protocols by seeing them in action. The labs cover various layers of internet protocols and give students the opportunity to observe the sequence of messages exchanged between two protocol entities and even to try different parameters in some protocols and watch the effects. Tutorial: Tutorials are designed to help student understand the materials from the lectures as well as the textbook. Independent Study: The introductory nature of this UoS means that students will encounter various pieces of knowledge in networking areas. Therefore, independent study is essential for a success completion. |
Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| The tutorials and laboratories are prepared to encourage ability of problem formulation and solving. The examinations are also taking design and problem solving as one of the major assessment elements. | Design (Level 3) |
| Specialised skills in data communications will be developed during the T&L process. Key concepts in data communications and networking will be introduced and the state-of-art techniques studied. | Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 3) |
| Intermediate level of mathematics are involved in the T&L process of this UoS in order to understand different network protocols and algorithms. | Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3) |
| Different network analytical tools will be used in the laboratories and students need to conduct tests and experiments and perform analysis to the observations based on the theory learned from the text. | Information Seeking (Level 3) |
| Laboratory reports are assessed with clarity, conciseness, accuracy and persuasiveness as the main assessment elements. The open questions in the examinations also assess the ability of effective communications. | Communication (Level 3) |
| Team work in pairs in the laboratories. | Project Management and Teamwork (Level 1) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Design (Level 3)
1. Ability to solve ill-defined network problems by employing techniques and principles of protocol design, implementation and analysis.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 3)
2. Capacity to demonstrate an understanding of concepts in data communications and networking and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative protocols, algorithms and designs.
3. Proficiency in assessing and troubleshooting different networks using specific network tools such as packet sniffer to the extent presented in the course.
4. Ability to apply principles and concepts of communication and networking protocols, algorithms and designs to specific engineering problems and situations to the extent of the material presented.
Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3)
5. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of network protocols and algorithms using fundamental mathematical derivations.
Communication (Level 3)
6. Ability to write reports to communicate complex and technical material clearly and concisely, addressing a specific target audience.
Project Management and Teamwork (Level 1)
7. Ability to work in a team by drawing on the abilities and knowledge of others, emphasizing and fulfilling clear responsibilities and leading in the development of a consensus to the specific engineering problem at hand.
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Log Book: This logs the attendance of tutorial classes. Lab Report: Students need to submit an independent report for each laboratory. |
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| Grading: |
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| Faculty Policies & Procedures: | Academic Honesty in Coursework. All students must submit a cover sheet for all assessment work that declares that the work is original and not plagiarised from the work of others. Coursework assessment and examination policy. The faculty policy is to use standards based assessment for units where grades are returned and criteria based assessment for Pass/Fail only units. Norm referenced assessment will only be used in exceptional circumstances and its use will need to be justified to the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Special consideration for illness or misadventure may be considered when an assessment component is severely affected. This policy gives the details of the information that is required to be submitted along with the appropriate procedures and forms. Special Arrangements for Examination and Assessment. In exceptional circumstances alternate arrangements for exams or assessment can be made. However concessions for outside work arrangements, holidays and travel, sporting and entertainment events will not normally be given. Student Appeals against Academic Decisions. Students have the right to appeal any academic decision made by a school or the faculty. The appeal must follow the appropriate procedure so that a fair hearing is obtained. Note that policies regarding assessment submission, penalties and assessment feedback depend upon the individual unit of study. Details of these policies, where applicable, will be found above with other assessment details in this unit outline. All university policies can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/policy Various request forms for the Faculty of Engineering and IT can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/forms/ |
| Prescribed Text/s: |
Note: Students are expected to have a personal copy of all books listed.
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| Online Course Content: | http://www.eelab.usyd.edu.au/ELEC3506 |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Background and preview: an introduction to the Internet |
| Week 2 | Physical layer |
| Week 3 | Data link layer |
| Week 4 | Local area networks |
| Week 5 | Wireless networks |
| Week 6 | Wide area networks |
| Week 7 | IP networks |
| Week 8 | IPv6 and routing |
| Week 9 | Mid-semester examination |
| Assessment Due: Mid-Sem Exam | |
| Week 10 | Transport layer |
| Week 11 | Quality of service in IP networks |
| Week 12 | Application layer |
| Week 13 | Mobile IP, multimedia communications protocols |
| Exam Period | Assessment Due: Final Exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Design (Level 3) | Yes | 24.2% |
| Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 3) | Yes | 48.4% |
| Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3) | Yes | 21% |
| Information Seeking (Level 3) | Yes | 0% |
| Communication (Level 3) | Yes | 3.2% |
| Professional Conduct (Level 1) | No | 0% |
| Project Management and Teamwork (Level 1) | Yes | 3.2% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
