IS530026A (CIS 339)

Enterprise Networking

Aims and Objectives

This course provides an introduction to enterprise networking, its associated technologies, protocols and standards and the design and management of these networks.

Learning Outcomes

After taking this course a student should be able to:

  • Analyse marketing strategies used by companies offering network products and services.
  • Describe the technologies deployed in enterprise networks and make informed choices among the competing technologies.
  • Explain how enterprise networks are managed with particular emphasis on performance and security management.
  • Design and cost simple enterprise networks that meet specified requirements.
  • Demonstrate transferable skills in spreadsheet modeling.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed either CIS221 (Data Communications and Website Design) or CIS223 (Data Communications and Algorithms).

Assessment

One 21/4 hour examination 80%

Two equally weighted coursework assignments 20%

The exam will test the students’ understanding of the various technologies that can be used to build enterprise networks and their ability to apply this knowledge to the design of enterprise networks. It will also test the students’ ability to apply their understanding of the management and security issues involved with enterprise networking issues alongside the technical issues.

The coursework assignments will afford the opportunity for students to analyse the marketing strategies of some companies offering network products and services and to turn incomplete and vague simple user requirements into a costed network design. Students will be able to develop and demonstrate skills in spreadsheet modeling.

Extended Syllabus

  • Network markets and the use of marketing models to analyse generic, growth, product and partnership strategies for gaining competitive advantage. Market studies of fixed and mobile network operators, Internet Service Providers, network equipment manufacturers and Global Distribution Systems.
  • Network technologies used to support Personal Area Networks (Universal Serial Bus, FireWire, Infra-red Data Association and Bluetooth), Storage Area Networks (Fibre Channel) and Local Area Networks (the different types of Ethernet, including VLANs, Token Ring networks, FDDI and Wireless LANs).
  • Network technologies used to support Metropolitan Area Networks (Switched Multi-megabit Data Service and Cable TV networks) and Wide Area Networks (private circuit networks, satellite networks, PSTN, ISDN, Intelligent Networks, Mobile Networks, Public Packet Switched Data Networks and Frame Relay Networks).
  • Network integration by means of internetworking, using bridges, routers and gateways and the associated bridging and routing protocols, Dijkstra’s algorithm, Intranets (including Network Address Translation), Extranets, Virtual Private Networks and multicasting.
  • Network integration techniques and protocols to support the transmission of live, stored and interactive multimedia over IP and ATM networks, including Multi-Protocol Label Switching.
  • Network design of enterprise networks. Determining user requirements, specification and design of enterprise networks including choice of technology, subnetwork addressing schemes, Classless Inter-Domain Routing and costing.
  • Network management of enterprise networks: configuration, performance, fault, accounting and security management, plus risk analysis and disaster recovery.

Learning Activities

Labs and workshops will enable students to develop skills in:

  • Calculating availability, MTBF and MTTR.
  • Computing the shortest path through a network using Djikstra’s algorithm.
  • Designing subnetwork addressing schemes.
  • Designing and costing simple enterprise networks.
  • Using spreadsheet modeling to support the above activities

Indicative Reading List

Carr and Snyder, The Management of Telecommunications, McGraw-Hill, 2nd Edition, 2003.

Fitzgerald & Dennis, Business Data Communications and Networking, John Wiley & Sons, 8th Edition, 2005.

Forouzan, Data Communications and Networking, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Edition, 2003.

Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, Prentice Hall, 7th Edition, 2004.

Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, Prentice Hall, 4th Edition, 2003.