MIS 64081 Spring 2013 Bakes

BAD 64081-001

DATA COMMUNICATIONS

SPRING 2013

W 6:35-9:20 pm

A404 BSA

INSTRUCTOR:              Dr. Catherine M. Bakes

OFFICE:                       A-405 BSA

OFFICE HOURS:           Mon 2:30-4:30 pm, Tues/Thurs 3:30-5 pm, and by appointment

OFFICE PHONE:           (330) 672‑1162                          

E-MAIL:                        cbakes@kent.edu

TEXT:                           Data Communications and Computer Networks: A Business User's Approach, Seventh Edition, Curt M. White, Course Technology Cengage Learning, 2013, http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/isbn/9781133626466

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts underlying local and wide area networks and their applications. It includes an overview of data communications protocols, transmission media, wireless technologies, and network hardware, topologies, architectures, and standards. Modulation, error control, multiplexing, and switching techniques are also discussed. In addition, students are to complete a project focusing on some topic from the field of data communications.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course students should:

·         Understand data communications concepts, technology, applications, and terminology.

·         Have the knowledge to participate in, and contribute to, discussions about data communications with co-workers, consultants, and vendors.

·         Have the ability to evaluate existing data communications technologies.

·         Have the skills needed to analyze future data communications technologies and assess their usefulness in meeting current and future business needs.

·         Have an awareness of the implications of data communications standards and regulations.

·         Have the communication skills needed to write clearly and give effective presentations.

·         Have strong analytical and problem solving skills.

GRADING POLICY

On their respective due dates, course assignments requiring hard copy submission are to be turned in during class and those requiring electronic submission are to be completed before 11 pm. No assignment will be accepted for credit after its deadline unless you have a legitimate excuse with supporting documentation and obtain my permission prior to the due date (or, if that’s impossible, at the first opportunity after the due date). Otherwise you will receive a zero for a missed or late assignment.

If you have questions concerning a grade you receive on any course assignment, it is your responsibility to inform me within 1 week of the graded assignment being returned. Grades will not be discussed after that time. Also, to protect your privacy, any issues related to your performance in the course will only be discussed in my office or via e-mail.

After rounding your numeric score to the nearest integer, your course letter grade will be assigned according to the scale:  A = 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 60-66; and F = 0-59.

COURSE SCHEDULE

⁺ The dates for the project presentations and guest lectures (GL) and the due dates for the PPT files, project presentation forms, and GL forms are all subject to change and will be announced in class as they are confirmed.  

COURSE WEB SITE

Access to the course website is through Blackboard, the University’s course management system. To log on, go to http://learn.kent.edu and enter your username and password.

COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING EXERCISES

The textbook author has posted 11 sets of interactive computer-based training (CBT) exercises in a zipped folder at http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/cwhite/cbts.htm. At appropriate times throughout the semester you are to complete 10 sets of these exercises, in a series of 5 batches totaling 48 questions:

To install the CBTs on your own computer (which only needs to be done once), download the zipped folder and open it. After the installation is complete, you can access the CBTs anytime you wish by executing the Animate.exe program. To complete each CBT assignment, run the appropriate module(s) on your computer, note the answers to the questions, and then go to Blackboard to submit them.

You will be allowed 2 attempts until the deadline to submit the assignment on Blackboard, and your best attempt will count towards your course grade. Each correctly answered question will be worth 0.1 points and, if you answer all 48 questions correctly, you will receive a bonus of 0.2 points.

*For the Packet Encapsulation Module, you only need to record the layers being added to the transmitted packet, not the layers being removed from the packet.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Each homework assignment will cover material from the corresponding course module and be available on Blackboard for at least 5 days. You will be allowed 2 attempts until the deadline, and your best attempt will count towards your course grade.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be 3 take home exams emphasizing the material discussed in class. Each exam will cover 2 course modules, and you will have at least 1 week to complete it.

While taking an exam, you may refer to one 1-sided 8 ½ x 11” page of notes.  I strongly recommend being very selective in deciding what to include on the page. This should help you to prepare better for the exam and save you time while taking the exam. Except for your page of notes, each exam will be closed book and closed notes.

NETWORK TOOLS EXERCISE

A network tools exercise will be assigned during the semester, for which a stapled hard copy is to be submitted at the start of class on the due date.

GUEST LECTURES

You are required to attend both guest lectures (GL) and complete a GL form for each one. Download the form from Blackboard, carefully follow all the instructions provided, and submit a hard copy at the start of class on the due date.

COURSE PROJECTS

Each student is to complete 2 projects on data communications related topics and present them in class. You will have the option of selecting your topics (which must be relevant to the course and add new information beyond the material I cover) or having me assign them for you. If you choose the former option, you must obtain my approval by the project topic due date. You may do this during office hours or by e-mail. If you do not obtain my approval by the due date, I will assign topics for you.

For ideas on possible project topics, I suggest that you browse through the text, explore the Internet, and/or consult the following list:

Cloud computing

Data, audio, and video compression

Directory services and protocols 

Domain name system

Fiber optic networks (PONs, SONET, WDM)

IPv6

Messaging and collaboration tools

Multiprotocol label switching

Near field communications

Network security

Peer to peer networking

Radio-frequency identification  

Routing algorithms and protocols

Telecom regulation and deregulation (telecom legislation, net neutrality)

Unified communications

Video communications (IPTV, videoconferencing)

Virtualization

Voice over IP

Wireless communications (WLANs, Bluetooth, WiMax, cellular, wireless sensor networks)

Note that your topics do not have to be on this list, nor is it guaranteed that I will approve topics that are on the list.

PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Each student is to present their projects in class during the semester. Each presentation should give a clear, complete, and concise summary of the project and address the following items as they relate to the topic:

(1)   Background and overview (i.e., what it is, what it does, and how)

(2)   Types and options

(3)   Strengths and limitations versus alternatives

(4)   Business applications

(5)   Future trends and conclusion 

You are to use PowerPoint to develop the presentations, submit each PPT file via e-mail the night before that presentation, and name the file “64081 Presentation” where “x” is the project title.

When giving your presentation, you are strongly encouraged to (1) not read the information you present, (2) begin the presentation by introducing yourself and your topic and providing an outline of the subtopics to be addressed, (3) include illustrative figures and tables (and a hands-on demonstration if appropriate), (4) conclude the presentation with a summary of the key findings, and (5) rehearse your presentation to ensure that it fits the allotted time (20 minutes will be available for each presentation, followed by 10 minutes for Q&A).

You may assume that a computer and projector will be provided, although I strongly recommend that you have a backup plan in case of equipment failures.

PROJECT PRESENTATION FORMS

You are required to attend all of the project presentations and to submit a project presentation form (available on Blackboard) for every presentation except your own!  Forms for presentations given during finals week will be due via e-mail by 11 pm the following night. All other project presentation forms will be due in hard copy format at the start of the following class period. 

ATTENDANCE AND CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Attendance is not mandatory but is highly recommended if you wish to do well in the course. You are responsible for all material presented in class and should not expect any special consideration if you miss material due to being absent.

You are expected to be respectful of our guest speakers, other students, and the instructor at all times during the semester. It is not fair to others to cause a disruption by the noise and disturbance of a late arrival or early departure. Therefore, unless you have a legitimate reason for doing so, do not come to class late or leave early. Also, if you must leave the classroom temporarily, please do so quietly.

Any time you have questions please ask them, in class, during office hours, or via e-mail. This is likely to benefit other students as well as yourself. Also, any time you have relevant comments, please share them.

Use of cell phones or pagers is not permitted during class. They must be turned off before class begins, stored somewhere they are not in view, and not taken out or turned back on until after class has ended.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Prerequisites: Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.   In addition, it is considered to cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

Course Withdrawal: For Spring 2013, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, March 24, 2013.

Students with Disabilities:  University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.registrars.kent.edu/sas  for more information on registration procedures).

Course Registration: Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, January 27, 2013 to correct the error.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

COURSE MODULES

Module 1: Data & Signal Fundamentals

Refer to Ch. 1-2 & pgs 312-318 & 326-327

Analog & digital data & signals

Digital coding schemes (NRZ-L, NRZI, Manchester, bipolar-AMI, 4B/5B)

Modulation schemes (AM, FM, PM, QAM, PCM)

Internet access alternatives (cable modem, DSL)

Module 2: Conducted & Wireless Communications Media

Refer to Ch. 3 & pgs 116, 264-265, 307-312, 318-319, & 327-330

Transmission media (twisted-pair, coaxial cable, optical fiber, microwave, satellite)

Telephone system, PBXs, Centrex, & unified communications

Wireless communications (cellular, WiMax, WLANs, Bluetooth, ZigBee)

Module 3: Polling, Multiplexing, & Switching

Refer to Ch. 5 & pgs 113-115, 247-252, 261-265, 318-327, & 330-333

Multipoint lines & polling  

Multiplexing (FDM, DMT, TDM, T carrier system, ISDN, SONET/SDH, STDM, WDM)

Inverse multiplexing

Circuit & packet (datagram, virtual circuit) switching

Frame relay & ATM (congestion control, QoS, SLAs)

Module 4: Transmission Alternatives, Error Control, & Flow Control

Refer to Ch. 6 & pgs 37-39, 51-57, 64-68, 106, 110-113, & 232-233

HDX, FDX, & simplex transmission

Synchronous transmission & throughput

Noise (white noise, impulse noise, crosstalk, echoes, attenuation, dBs)

Error prevention & detection (parity, checksum, CRC)

Error correction & flow control (stop-and-wait, sliding window)

Data codes (ASCII, EBCDIC, Unicode)

Module 5: LANs & Internetworking

Refer to Ch. 7 & pgs 67-68, 88, 134-136, 208-214, 242-246, 282-283, & 359-368

LAN topologies (bus, tree, star, ring)

Structured cabling systems

CSMA/CD protocol

Ethernet LANs (IEEE 802.3 frame format, shared & switched, VLANs, PoE, standards)

Internetworking devices (repeaters, switches, routers, firewalls, MPLS)

Wireless LANs (IEEE 802.11, spread spectrum)

Module 6: Network Architectures, Protocols, & Services

Refer to Ch. 10 & pgs 14-24, 197-198, 252-261, 325-328, & 392-393

IPv4 addressing (classful & CIDR)

OSI & Internet reference models

Internet protocols & services (IPv4, IPv6, TCP, ICMP, UDP, ARP, DHCP, NAT, VPNs, HTTP, DNS, E-mail, FTP, telnet, VoIP, RTP, SNMP, OSPF, RIP, BGP)

Internet2

NOTE:  I will make every effort to follow the schedule on page 2 and to cover topics in the order listed above. However, depending on the pace of the class, we may cover some topics earlier or later than planned. Any schedule changes will be announced in class, or you will be notified by e-mail.