Students

COMP6250 – Data Communications

2024 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor/Lecturer
Tao Gu
tao.gu@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Lecturer
Frances Louise
frances.louise@mq.edu.au
Contact via During consultation
By appointment only (booking available on iLearn)
Tutor
Tarasa Bell
tarasa.bell@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces basic data communication concepts, theory and practice within the context of the use of communication networks in organisations.

Topics include:

  • protocols and standards, including the OSI model
  • in-depth understanding of key protocols of the TCP/IP protocol suite
  • network switching and routing, including both intra-domain and inter-domain routing protocols
  • LAN and WAN topologies
  • wireless networking
  • network hardware, such as routers, modems, repeaters, switches and hubs
  • public telecommunication-based data services
  • the effect of telecommunications on society
  • the role of telecommunications within organisations
  • introduction to security and network management
  • organisational management of telecommunications
  • introduction to network design
  • regulatory frameworks

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.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Explain the importance and the role of network protocols including why they are organised into protocol stacks and how protocol stacks function.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate an understanding of network addressing, routing of traffic between networks and the mechanisms that allow applications to co-exist and interact.
  • ULO3: Differentiate among LAN components, describe addressing schemes at various layers and how they interact, techniques to resolve them, and in particular instances calculate addresses.
  • ULO4: Critically reflect on different major network technologies including wireless, backbone, wide area networks, and the Internet and, being aware of their properties, be able to evaluate different network designs.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate technical networking proficiency including demonstrated ability to configure, construct, and document, and in simple cases, design networks, as well as the ability to perform traffic analysis on local area networks.
  • ULO6: Demonstrate an understanding of, and have an ability to develop plans for dealing with, issues regarding network security and management.

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit, you must:

  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%

Late Assessment Submission

Late assessments are not accepted in this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved.

  • Assignment 1 - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted
  • Assignment 2 - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted
  • Practical Workshop - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted (only applicable if you have missed more than two practicals)

Special Considerations

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Additional Information

  • Assignment 1 and Assignment 2
    • Submission via iLearn
    • Feedback will be provided via rubrics
  • Practical Workshops
    • Submission via iLearn and TA check in class
    • Feedback will be provided verbally by TA
  • Final Exam
    • On-campus invigilated

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assignment 1 20% No 11:55 PM on Sunday, 22/09/2024
Assignment 2 20% No 11:55 pm on Sunday, 25/10/2024
Practical Workshops 20% No Weekly in practical class
Final Exam 40% No During Exam Period

Assignment 1

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 11:55 PM on Sunday, 22/09/2024
Weighting: 20%

 

The first assignment tests students understanding of network stacks, layering, and addressing techniques.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the importance and the role of network protocols including why they are organised into protocol stacks and how protocol stacks function.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of network addressing, routing of traffic between networks and the mechanisms that allow applications to co-exist and interact.
  • Differentiate among LAN components, describe addressing schemes at various layers and how they interact, techniques to resolve them, and in particular instances calculate addresses.

Assignment 2

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 11:55 pm on Sunday, 25/10/2024
Weighting: 20%

 

The second assignment tests students understanding of selected networking technologies.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of network addressing, routing of traffic between networks and the mechanisms that allow applications to co-exist and interact.
  • Differentiate among LAN components, describe addressing schemes at various layers and how they interact, techniques to resolve them, and in particular instances calculate addresses.
  • Critically reflect on different major network technologies including wireless, backbone, wide area networks, and the Internet and, being aware of their properties, be able to evaluate different network designs.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of, and have an ability to develop plans for dealing with, issues regarding network security and management.

Practical Workshops

Assessment Type 1: Demonstration
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly in practical class
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.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the importance and the role of network protocols including why they are organised into protocol stacks and how protocol stacks function.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of network addressing, routing of traffic between networks and the mechanisms that allow applications to co-exist and interact.
  • Differentiate among LAN components, describe addressing schemes at various layers and how they interact, techniques to resolve them, and in particular instances calculate addresses.
  • Demonstrate technical networking proficiency including demonstrated ability to configure, construct, and document, and in simple cases, design networks, as well as the ability to perform traffic analysis on local area networks.

Final Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: During 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.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the importance and the role of network protocols including why they are organised into protocol stacks and how protocol stacks function.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of network addressing, routing of traffic between networks and the mechanisms that allow applications to co-exist and interact.
  • Differentiate among LAN components, describe addressing schemes at various layers and how they interact, techniques to resolve them, and in particular instances calculate addresses.
  • Critically reflect on different major network technologies including wireless, backbone, wide area networks, and the Internet and, being aware of their properties, be able to evaluate different network designs.
  • Demonstrate technical networking proficiency including demonstrated ability to configure, construct, and document, and in simple cases, design networks, as well as the ability to perform traffic analysis on local area networks.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of, and have an ability to develop plans for dealing with, issues regarding network security and management.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Classes

Each week, you have a two-hour lecture and a two-hour practical workshop. For details of scheduled classes, consult the timetables webpage.

Note that lectures start in week 1, while the practical workshops (lab sessions) commence in week 2. The week-by-week details of the practical (lab) classes will be available on iLearn.

You must complete the weekly workshop task within the practical class that you are enrolled in.

Textbook and Reading Materials The textbooks for this session are:

  • FitzGerald, J, Dennis, A, & Durcikova, A, 2021, Business data communications and networking, 14th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
    • Print:    ISBN 978-1-119-70284-9
    • E-Text: ISBN 978-1-119-70266-5
  • Comer, D, 2015, Computer networks and internets, 6th Global edn, Pearson, Harlow, Essex.
    • Print:    ISBN 978-1-292-06117-7
    • E-Text: ISBN 978-1-292-06182-5
  • Additional reading that you may find useful for this unit:
    • Kurose, JF & Ross, KW, 2013, Computer networking : a top-down approach, 8th Global edn, Pearson, Harlow, Essex.
      • Print:    ISBN 978-1-292-40546-9
      • E-Text: ISBN 978-1-292-41997-8
    • Comer, D, 2014, Internetworking with TCP/IP. Volume one, 6th International edn, Harlow, Essex.
      • Print:    ISBN 978-0-136-08530-0
    • Tanenbaum, AS & Wetherall, DJ, 2014, Computer networks, 5th Global edn, Pearson, Harlow.
      • Print:    ISBN 978-0-132-12695-3
      • E-Text: ISBN 978-0-133-07262-4

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.

Technologies Used and Required

In this unit, you will be exposed to the following technology and tools:

  • Cisco Packet Tracer software.
  • Wireshark Packet Analyzer software.

General Notes

In this unit, you should do the following:

  • Review the lectures, take notes, and ask questions.
  • Work on your weekly practical exercises during your chosen weekly practical class.
  • Read appropriate sections of the text, add to your notes and prepare questions for the teaching staff.
  • Work on any assignments that have been released.
  • Lecture notes will be made available each week, but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture and are not a substitute for your own notes or the recommended reading list.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to the convenor can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

COVID Information

For the latest information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the Coronavirus infection page on the Macquarie website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs. Remember to check this page regularly in case the information and requirements change during semester. If there are any changes to this unit in relation to COVID, these will be communicated via iLearn.  

Unit Schedule

Tentative teaching schedule, subject to change:

Assessment Due

Practical

Week

Lecture

Reading

Assessment

Weight

 

1

Introduction

Ch 1

 

 

Week 1

No Labs

2

LANs

Ch 7

Weekly Practicals

(Week 2 onwards)

20%

Wireshark

3

Network Layer

Ch 5

 

 

IP Headers

4

Application Layer, Transport Layer - UDP

Ch 5

 

 

Subnetting

5

Transport Layer - TCP

Ch’s 5 & 2

 

 

PacketTracer

6

Data-Link Layer

Ch 4

Assignment 1

20%

TCP and FTP

7

Physical Layer

Ch 3

 

 

DNS

8

Wireless Networks

Ch 7

 

 

Switches, MAC, and ARP
  Mid-semester Break        

9

Network Security I

Ch 11

 

 

WiFi

10

Network Security II

Ch 11

 

 

NAT

11

Backbone Networks

Ch 8

 

 

VLANs

12

MAN and WAN

Ch 9

Assignment 2

20%

RIP

13

The Internet

Ch 10

 

 

Single Area OSPF

14-16

During final exam period - TBA

 

Final Exam (120 min)

 

Policies and Procedures

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.

Student Code of Conduct

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

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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such, we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link on the iLearn page.

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from the teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned. However, we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/07/2024 Add a tutor, please approve it.

Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook