FIT5034 Network administration and management - Semester 1, 2010

Caulfield

The best opportunity for discussing unit topics is through tutorials and face to face consultations. These are scheduled regularly during the semester. Additional consultation is possible, but please e-mail the lecturer or tutor in order to make an appointment.

The online discussion tool (forum) is another option. In some situations, this will be more appropriate, particularly where the question may be relevant not only to the student posing the question, but potentially to others who are also reading the forum The response time, however, may vary. Lecturers and tutors will endeavor to reply in a timely fashion, but there is no guarantee of immediate electronic replies after hours, whether by e-mail or Blackboard/Moodle.

Prohibitions

Teaching approach

• On campus Lecture
• On campus Tutorial/Laboratory

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Prescribed text(s) and readings

There are no required texts for this unit. Students are advised to refer to the recommended reading list shown below as specified for each lecture in the notes provided in MUSO.

Recommended text(s) and readings

• Burgess M Principles of Network & System Administration 2nd Ed. Wiley (2004) ISBN 0-470-86807-4. (http://library.monash.edu.au/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=2017671)
• Limonchelli, T. A., Hogan, C. J., Chalup, S. R. The Practice of System and Network
  Administration (2nd Ed), Addison-Wesley, 2007, ISBN 0-321-49266-8. (http://library.monash.edu.au/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=2253326)
• Subramanian M. Network management: Principles and Practice Addison-Wesley (2000) ISBN 0-201-35742-9.
• Burke J.R. NETWORK MANAGEMENT Concepts and Practice Pearson Prentice Hall (2004) ISBN 0-13-032950-9.
• Stallings W. SNMP, SNMPv2, SNMPv3 & RMON I and II 3rd Ed. Addison Wesley (1998) ISBN 0-201-48534-6.
• Stallings W. Data and Computer Communications 8th Ed. Prentice Hall (2007) ISBN 0-13-100681-9.
• Mikalsen A., Borgesen P. Local Area Network Management, Design and Security Wiley (2002) ISBN 0-471-49769-X.
• Cernick P., Degner M., Kruepke K. Cisco IP Routing Handbook M&T,IDG Books (2000) ISBN 0-7645-4695-3.

Required software and/or hardware

You will need access to the following software:

• A Freeware Unix of some recent flavor, preferably on a virtual machine platform such as VMware
• Web browser for online reading references
• A word processor for writing up assignments, e.g., Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.
• A vector graphics tool for creating diagrams, e.g., Microsoft Powerpoint or OpenOffice.
• software for generating PDF output (Adobe Acrobat file)

PDFCreator and freeware Unix flavors such as Linux or FreeBSD can be downloaded from the Internet. Information on how to download and install them will be made available via the unit website. Note that alternatives for the above may all exist from different sources, e.g., Adobe Acrobat Professional instead of PDFCreator, although the former is a commercial product (and is therefore not free). 

VMware Player and Server for Microsoft Windows and Linux may still be free to download but it appears that only a commercial version (VMware Fusion) exists for Mac OS X. Free Linux-based "appliances" can be downloaded from the VMware marketplace. However, Mac OS X does have an underlying UNIX flavor beneath, and may be sufficient in itself. But care must be taken to retain regular backups in case experiments with Unix services go awry.

Using VMs is preferred over installing directly onto your hard disk, as it avoids risks to your hard disk's existing platform and partition table. On the other hand, more adventurous users may wish to try direct installation of Linux as a second boot option, but great care must be taken to prepare backups of all data or Windows images, in case something goes wrong.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Desktops and networking equipment are provided for use during tutorials and projects in the Caulfield School of IT network laboratory for on-campus students. However, students will have to provide their own CDs for burning KNOPPIX Linux images into if live CD is what they prefer. The KNOPPIX CD must be brought along for lab work for all tutorials. Students are also encouraged to carry USB pen drives in order to store intermediate work, such as configuration files and scripts, or partial reports. USB pen drives of 1 GB or more may also be installed with Linux, and students may do their work on those devices instead.

Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 8 hours per week for reading and private study, including time for the use of a computer to access web-based discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

The FIT5034 web site where unit outline, lecture slides, weekly tutorial exercises, assignment specifications, sample solutions and supplementary resource material will be available to registered students.

Web-based Notices and Discussion forum can also be accessed on the unit site.

Overview

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

• 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
• 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
• an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

Students are encouraged to attend all their lectures and tutorials. While failure to do so does not impose penalties to their grades, consistently being present in class has been proven to positively affect student performance in assessments. 

Please note as well that three quizzes in this unit will be held during tutorials. Unless a Special Consideration application is successful, the Faculty is not obliged to provide the absentee with another quiz to make up for the one that was missed. Information about Special Consideration matters can be found below under Due Dates and Extensions.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

• Assignment task 1

  Title:

  Laboratory Quizzes

  Description:

  Three (3) assessments with marking weights of 10% each will be administered during tutorials in the laboratory, covering theoretical and practical topics covered in previous weeks.

  Weighting:

  30%

  Due date:

  The assessments will be held during tutorials of Weeks 4, 7 and 10.

  Remarks:

  Due to the assessment requirements above, it is crucial for students to complete all quizzes. Missing one or more quizzes may bring the assessment average below 40%, violating the hurdle requirement and bringing about a failure for this unit.

• Assignment task 2

  Title:

  Network administration project

  Description:

  This project will entail both practical and theoretical aspects of the unit. Students in groups of at most three members each will be required to build a small network, configured with a few basic network services. Concise documentation will also be required for submission. Specific requirements will be made available to students in Week 8, but assessment of this project will require the following:

  1. A practical demo of the installation, configuration and operation of the network and its services. Students will be expected to answer questions during the demo. 
  2. A concise report that documents the network will be submitted on the Friday of Week 12.

  Students will be given time to work on their project during some tutorial hours using lab equipment.
  
  Note that the network to be built may consist of physical or virtual machines, or a combination of both. There are obvious advantages to using virtual machines, and so that avenue is highly encouraged.

  Weighting:

  70%

  Due date:

  Practical outcomes will be demonstrated during tutorials from Week 10. Reports will be due on the Friday of that week.

  Remarks:

  In order to be a valid submission, the report component of this project must be submitted electronically via Damocles: http://viper.infotech.monash.edu.au/damocles/submit/. Note the following:

  • Damocles is not simply a submission system: it detects and rates plagiarism based on matches between assignments, across semesters, as well as with online sources.
  • Electronically submitted documents must be in the following formats: Word 97/XP .doc (not .docx), RTF (rich text format) or non-scanned PDF (Adobe Acrobat).
  • Multiple submissions are possible, with previous submissions to be overwritten, but only the latest submission will be marked.
  • Non-compliant submissions will be rejected, and deadlines may not be extended accordingly, so students must verify that their documents are readable and compliant with one of the formats listed above.
  • The Faculty cover sheet for assignments must be submitted separately: printed, filled out and signed, and dropped into a box labelled for this unit in Bldg H, Level 6, near the School's reception desk. It may alternatively be scanned and e-mailed to the lecturer with the subject heading "FIT5034 assignment cover sheet".

Due dates and extensions

Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.