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This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of network technology necessary to make informed selections for particular scenarios, and an in-depth understanding of network performance and the factors that influence it.
The course builds upon students’ level 4 and level 5 knowledge of networking concepts.
The aims are:
To instil a thorough and practical understanding of network technologies, their operational characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.
To be able to critically evaluate technologies and to compare and contrast amongst alternatives.
To enable the student to choose the appropriate technologies and configuration to meet an organisation's needs.

On successful completion of this course a student will be able to:

1 To enable students to investigate network technology through simulation.
2 To enable students to investigate the effects of various network traffic conditions on network performance.
3 To enable students to gain experience of carrying out an experiment, to collect and process experimental data, and to present and analyze results with clarity and depth.
4 To enable students to appreciate the role and value of simulation tools when designing and analysing networks.
5 To allow students to gain practical experience of using a network modelling tool.

Brief refresh of material already covered in levels 4 and 5 {communication basics, network types, data transmission, switching, multiplexing, routing, addressing, error recovery, congestion control}.
Layered architectures and encapsulation (OSI, TCP/IP, IEEE 802.x), standards and bodies.
LANs, Ethernet, FDDI, IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP. Wide Area Networks.
Wireless networks, Wireless PANs (ZigBee).
Application-specific network technologies (e.g. CAN).
Network models and their use to evaluate network performance.

Concepts will be introduced in lectures. Practical work will be through supervised laboratory sessions. Unsupervised, guided self-study will extend the amount of time students spend doing practical laboratory activities.

Learning Time (1 credit = 10 hours).
Scheduled contact hours: Lectures 24, Supervised practical sessions 12.
Guided independent study: Coursework 50, Independent laboratory work 40.
Other non-scheduled time 24 (e.g. reading).
Total hours 150.

Coursework: 100% weighting, 40% pass mark.
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5.
Outline Details: Develop and use a network model to examine the performance (and factors that affect the performance of) a given network.

Formative Assessment:

In this semester 1 course you will learn about a variety of network technologies and the underlying operating principles and mechanisms, including protocol operation, layering and encapsulation of protocols, connection and congestion management. You will learn how to build simulation models of networks.

You will also learn how traffic loading on networks impacts on their behaviour, and ways to measure and simulate traffic for network performance.