Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update
The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.
This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.
Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Damian Jurd
Tao Gu
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit has an online offering for S2 which is synchronous, meaning there will be set times to attend online lectures and tutorials. This unit introduces basic data communication concepts, theory and practice within the context of the use of communication networks in organisations. Topics include:
Practical work includes basic network configuration and protocol performance using specialised software. This unit does not presume any knowledge of programming nor is there any programming work in the unit. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
For all your assignments, and for your professional life in the future, you are encouraged to
Late work will not be accepted. Develop good working habits and manage your time well. If your contributions are seriously affected by illness or misadventure you do your utmost to submit a request for special consideration before the due date, do not email the unit convenor directly.
Due: Weekly (starting week 2) Weighting: 20%
The practical work in this unit makes up 20% of your mark. The practical work is divided up into twelve weekly practical classes.
To receive your marks you must attend the practical section and demonstrate your completion of the practical exercises to your practical supervisor. Earning the marks will require not only successful completion of the exercises, but submission of appropriate documentation, as outlined in the question sheets. You must complete the practical session in the week it is allocated.
We will take the best ten out of your twelve submissions to calculate your final mark for this section.
Practical classess will commence during week 2 of the semester. Students must attend their enrolled practical session.
Note that while the practical material is structured against the lecture material, you need to keep in mind that there will not always be a one to one mapping between the practical exercises and the lecture topics. This is because you need some practical sessions to get acquainted to new tools and devices thereby limiting the number of practical time slots available to experiment with technologies discussed in some lectures.
Assignment work must be written clearly, with good grammar, correct word usage, correct punctuation, and lack of spelling errors. Poor or bad expression will be penalised, Wherever required, all written work must be properly referenced and conform to standard stylistic conventions.
Due: Mid-semester break Weighting: 20%
The first assignment tests your understanding of local area networks, routing, and IP addressing.
Due: Week 12 Weighting: 20%
The second assignment tests your understanding of selected networking technologies.
Due: Final exam period Weighting: 40%
The final examination ask students to apply what they have learned during the semester to a provided scenario, which may involve the analysis, design, and troubleshooting of a network. In the case a student cannot attend the final exam, a request for special consideration must be made.
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled for a time in June 2021. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available to sit during the supplementary examination period and you will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification approximately one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of the supplementary examination.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Practical Workshops | 20% | No | Weekly |
Assignment 1 | 20% | No | Mid-semester break |
Assignment 2 | 20% | No | Week 12 |
Final Exam | 40% | No | Final exam period |
Assessment Type 1: Demonstration
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%
To receive marks students must attend the practical section and demonstrate completion of the section to their practical supervisor.
Earning the marks will require not only successful completion of the exercises, but presentation of appropriate documentation, as outlined in the questions.
You must complete the practical session in the week it is allocated.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Mid-semester break
Weighting: 20%
The first assignment tests students understanding of network stacks, layering, and addressing techniques.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%
The second assignment tests students understanding of selected networking technologies.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Final exam period
Weighting: 40%
The final exam asks students to apply the knowledge they have gained through the semester to one or more given network scenarios. Tasks to be completed may include elements of network design, troubleshooting, and the appropriate application of security controls.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Each week you should attend two hours of lectures, and a two hour practical workshop. For details of scheduled classes consult the timetables webpage.
Note that practicals workshops (lab sessions) commence in week 2. The week-by-week details of the practical (lab) classes will be available from iLearn.
You must attend the practical that you are enrolled in.
The textbooks for this semester are:
Additional reading that you may find useful for this unit:
Kurose, J. & Ross, K. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach 7th edn, Pearson, 2016
Comer, D. Internetworking With TCP/IP Volume 1: Principles Protocols, and Architecture, 6th edition, 2014. ISBN 978-0-136-08530-0.
BE CAREFUL to buy correct Comer book!
Web Resources
Unit Websites
Comp6250 is administered via iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/).
This unit outline can be found in the university's unit guides
Live Streaming
Digital recordings of lectures may be available. They will be linked from iLearn.
In this unit you will will be exposed to the following technology and tools:
In this unit, you should do the following:
Lecture notes will be made available each week but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or the recommended reading list.
Tentative teaching schedule, subject to change: |
Assessment Due |
Workshop |
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Week |
Module |
Lecture |
Reading |
Assessment |
Weight |
Practical |
1 |
Networking Fundamentals (NF) |
Introduction |
Ch 1 |
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Week 1 No Labs |
2 |
LANs |
Ch 7 |
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Wireshark |
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3 |
Layers and Stacks (LS) |
Network Layer |
Ch 5 |
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IP Headers |
4 |
Data-Link Layer |
Ch 4 |
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Subnetting |
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5 |
Transport Layer - TCP |
Ch’s 5 & 2 |
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TCP and FTP |
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6 |
Application Layer, Transport Layer - UDP |
Ch 5 |
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DNS |
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Mid-Semster Break |
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Break week 1 |
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Assignment 1 |
20% |
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Break week 2 |
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7 |
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Physical Layer |
Ch 3 |
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PacketTracer |
8 |
Network Security (NS) |
Network Security I |
Ch 11 |
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TBD |
9 |
Network Security II |
Ch 11 |
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NAT |
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10 |
Internetworking and Network Architecture (IA) |
IP Routing |
Tannenbaum Ch’s 18 & 22 |
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Dynamic Routing - RIP |
11 |
Backbone Networks |
Ch 8 |
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TBD |
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12 |
MAN and WAN |
Ch 9 |
Assignment 2 |
20% |
VLANs |
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13 |
Wireless Networks |
Ch 7 |
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WiFi |
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14 |
Formal Exam Period |
Exams week 1 |
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Final Exam |
40% |
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15 |
Exams week 2 |
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16 |
Exams week 3 |
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
The unit has been reconfigured for 100% online delivery.
Unit information based on version 2021.04 of the Handbook