Module Identifier | COM5720 | ||||||||||||||
Module Title | THE INTERNET AND HOW IT REALLY WORKS | ||||||||||||||
Academic Year | 2006/2007 | ||||||||||||||
Co-ordinator | Mr Christopher W Loftus | ||||||||||||||
Semester | Available all semesters | ||||||||||||||
Other staff | Mr Christopher W Loftus | ||||||||||||||
Pre-Requisite | Available only to students taking the Diploma/MSc in Internet and Distributed Systems (Advanced) scheme. COM5820. | ||||||||||||||
Course delivery | Workload Breakdown | 55 hours of contact time; lectures, practicals, workshops. | |||||||||||||
Workload Breakdown | 145 hours of private study, practical work and assessment. | ||||||||||||||
Assessment |
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Further details | http://www.aber.ac.uk/compsci/ModuleInfo/COM5720 |
2. Revision of basic issues in Data Communication.
3. Local Area Networks. A detailed study of variants of the technologies collectively known as Ethernet.
4. Other Network Technologies. A brief look at fast and wireless network technolgies.
5. Standards. The ISO OSI Model.
6. Unicast Network Level Protocols in use in today'r Internet. Including further study of protocols such as IPv4, ICMP, ARP, RARP used in unicast applications and IPv4 and IGMP used in multicast applications.
7. Unicast Routing in the Internet. Example routing 'rroblems?. Interior and exterior routing protocols. Protocols covered will include RIP, OSPF and BGP.
8. Multicast Routing in the Internet. Example routing 'rroblems?. Protocols covered will include PIM-DM, PIM-SM and MSDP. We will also cover the role of the Rendezvous Point, Anycast IP, and issues still under debate in the technical community.
9. Transport Level Protocols. An in-depth study addressing the behaviour of TCP and UDP. Connection establishment and termination, flow control under various load conditions, timeouts and retransmission, newer features and performance.
10. Naming and Directory Services. Including the DNS and LDAP and their use.
11. Quality of Service. The need for and the provision of Quality of Service (QoS) within packet based networks such as the Internet which are inherently best efforts at heart.
12. Security Issues. The inherent risks within networks such as the Internet, hacking, viruses, trojans, worms and denial of service attacks. The role of the Firewall and the problems it can bring.
13. Current and Future Issues. The (still) emerging IPv6 protocol and other active issues.
Problem_solving | The assignment addresses challenging issues concerned with Internet applications and networks | ||
Research skills | On-line web exploration and synthesis and application of relevant materials is required both by the assignment and the examination | ||
Communication | Not significant | ||
Improving own Learning and Performance | The assessed coursework requires students to develop their understanding of issues associated with the module | ||
Team work | No | ||
Information Technology | Entire content of module | ||
Application of Number | Significant mathematical application is needed for Internet traffic analysis | ||
Personal Development and Career planning | No | ||
Subject Specific Skills | See learning outcomes |
This module is at CQFW Level 7