49202 Communication Protocols
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Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 41092 Network Fundamentals
Description
Students completing this subject have a good understanding of the theory of communication protocols and its application to popular protocols, in particular TCP/IP, as well as the analysis of performance and troubleshooting protocol issues in large carrier-grade networks. A significant practice-oriented laboratory component allows students to gain deeper insights into the theory through the use of the Wireshark packet sniffing application.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify fundamental concepts of communication protocols such an encapsulation/decapsulation and overhead; switching, routing, fragmentation, IP addressing, transport layer, and IP/MPLS based services. (D.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Use the 'wireshark' packet sniffing program. (D.1) |
| 3. | Combine 1 and 2 above in the implementation, analysis, performance measurement and troubleshooting of networks. (C.1) |
| 4. | Recognise basic configuration and measurement procedures on an industry-standard service router platform. (D.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply theoretical, conceptual, software and physical tools and advanced discipline knowledge to research, evaluate and predict future performance of systems characterised by complexity. (D.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
Students enrolled in the Master of Professional Engineering should note that this subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 competencies:
- 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
- 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
- 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
Teaching and learning strategies
Students will learn in this subject through online lecture videos, interactive tutorial classes, individual and collaborative quizzes, lab classes, independent study and study for the final exam. Students are required to watch the online lectures and read the appropriate textbook chapters before coming to class. The textbook has more details and presents information from different viewpoints to the online lectures, thus providing students the opportunity for deeper understanding. Tutorial classes provide students with an opportunity to raise questions, discuss and clarify concepts from the online lectures. Some tutorial classes will involve collaborative quizzes. Collaborative lab classes are designed to reinforce the theory and allow students to learn practical skills as well as question their understanding. Regular quizzes ensure that students keep up-to-date throughout the session. A final exam ensures that students have understood the majority of the important concepts and are able to apply these to industry-standard problems. The assessment structure includes a quiz on IP addressing, with a weight of 20%, in which a mark of at least 80% must be attained after three attempts in order to receive credit for this component.
Content (topics)
- Introduction to protocols, evolution of the Internet
- Applications and Services
- Transport layer
- IP layer
- IP routing
- Data link layer and physical layer
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Review Quizzes
| Intent: | Regular quizzes are held each block to give students feedback on the progress in understanding key concepts and procedures. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
Assessment task 2: Laboratory Test
| Intent: | Lab activities allow students to link theory and practice using industry standard tools and techniques. Students will capture packets using the 'wireshark' software, and analyse the composition, flow and timing of packets and frames in a very similar way to what a professional telecommunication engineer would do in configuring and troubleshooting a real-world network. In the lab exam, students will demonstrate their capabilities to analyse traffic, identify faults and measure network performance in a simulated network environment. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Criteria: | Completeness (50%) - Did you complete all parts of the lab examination? Did you miss any important faults or significant deviations between the expected and actual network behaviour? Have you adequately interpreted each of your observations? Accuracy (50%) - How accurate and precise were your measurements and observations? Did you correctly calculate any required efficiencies, overheads, throughputs, latencies or other metrics? Did you correctly apply appropriate statistical methods (e.g. calculation of means, standard deviations etc.)? |
Assessment task 3: Final Exam
| Intent: | This provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their individual understanding of key concepts and procedures as would be used in an industrial setting |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Examination |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
Assessment task 4: IP Addressing Test
| Intent: | To assure that all students passing the subject have a minimum level of understanding of critically important concepts such as IP addressing, subnetting and supernetting. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Required texts
J. Kurose and K. Ross, Computer Networking A Top-Down Approach, 7th ed., Pearson Education.
Other resources
There is a wealth of information on communication protocols. The UTS library has a very large collection of books and electronic resources that you can use to assist your learning in this subject. There are also many internet sites that are of use. Use Google to find them.
All students enrolled in this subject must have a valid login for UTS Canvas. It can be accessed through any web browser using the URL https://canvas.uts.edu.au/. If you are properly enrolled in the subject in MyStudentAdmin, then you will be automatically enrolled in Canvas. If you are not, then you should check your current enrolment in MyStudentAdmin. If this is correct, then contact the IT Support Helpdesk.