FIT5034 Quality of service and network management - Semester 2, 2014

Enterprise networks consists of several highly complex devices that interconnect in likewise complex configurations and modes of operation. While todays network technology has come a long way in terms of high-speed data transmission, secure management components, and software-driven administration, QoS targets have come to the fore as converged technologies have taken over both enterprise and home users of network technologies. This unit will provide students with fundamentals and theoretical foundations of Quality of Service and management aspects of modern network infrastructures. On the basis of industry best practices, research- and experience-driven standardisation, this unit will cover topics pertinent to delivering quality, security, manageability and other targets that are relevant in large-scale networks. Students will also acquire practical skills needed to plan, install, configure and manage networks through laboratory activities and projects.

Mode of Delivery

Workload Requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

• Two hours of lectures
• One 2-hour laboratory

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

• A minimum of 8 hours independent study per week for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.

Unit Relationships

Prerequisites

((FIT5131 or FIT9017) and (FIT5134 or FIT9018) and (FIT5132 or FIT9003 or FIT9019) and (FIT5135 or FIT9020) and (FIT5136 or FIT4037) and (FIT5130 or FIT9030)) or equivalent

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Your feedback to Us

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

Based on previous student feedback this unit is considered to be appropriately structured and no changes have been made for this semester.

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

• explain key concepts of quality of service across a range of technologies, network protocols and standards;
• describe different management techniques;
• evaluate and use quality of service schemes and network management techniques.

Unit Schedule

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your learning system.

Teaching Approach

Assessment Summary

Examination (3 hours): 50%; In-semester assessment: 50%

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Assessment Tasks

Participation

• Assessment task 1

  Title:

  Tutorial Assessments

  Description:

  Two assessments with marking weights of 10% each will be administered during tutorials in the laboratory, covering theoretical and practical topics covered in previous weeks.
  
  Please refer to the specs for detail.

  Weighting:

  20%

  Criteria for assessment:

  The assessment requires that exercises are correctly accomplished by individual students.

  Due date:

  The assessments will be held during tutorials of Weeks 6 and 9.

• Assessment task 2

  Title:

  Network administration project (Tentative Specifications)

  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. More details will be made available to students in Moodle by Week 4, but will include the following:

  1. A practical demo of the installation, configuration and operation of the network and its services. 
  2. Students will be expected to answer questions during the demo. 
  3. 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 option is highly encouraged.
  
  Please refer to the spec for detail.

  Weighting:

  30%

  Criteria for assessment:

  The outcome of practical work will be assessed during demos, while reports will be assessed separately. Demonstrations must show correct configuration, operation and, in some cases, customization of network components, both hardware and software. Students will also be asked to answer questions to show an understanding of the components being demonstrated. The report will be assessed based on reasonable correctness of network design, choice of services and policies.

  Since this is a group assignment, students will receive equal marks, however every member of the group will be interviewed.

  Due date:

  Practical outcomes will be demonstrated during tutorials in Week 12. Reports will be due on the Friday of Week 12.

  Remarks:

  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.
  • University policies on plagiarism must be followed. Failure to do so may constitute grounds for exclusion of the submitted report and/or failure in this unit.
  • 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".

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting:

  50%

  Length:

  3 hours

  Type (open/closed book):

  Closed book

  Electronic devices allowed in the exam:

  None

Learning resources

Reading list

No particular textbook is required. Instead, several online and published materials are more than sufficient for this unit, including these primary references:

• Nemeth, E., Snyder, G., Hein, T., & Whaley, B., The UNIX and Linux Systems Administration Handbook (4th ed), Prentice-Hall (2010).
• Barreiros, M., Lundqvist, P., QOS-Enabled Networks: Tools and Foundations, Wiley (2010).
• Clemm, A., Network Management Fundamentals, Cisco Press (2007). 
• Stallings. W., Data and Computer Communications 8th Ed. Prentice Hall (2007).
• Limonchelli, T. A., Hogan, C. J., Chalup, S. R. The Practice of System and Network Administration (2nd Ed), Addison-Wesley (2007).
• Burgess, M., Principles of Network & System Administration 2nd Ed. Wiley (2004).
• Burke, J.R., NETWORK MANAGEMENT Concepts and Practice Pearson Prentice Hall (2004).
• Subramanian, M., Network management: Principles and Practice Addison-Wesley (2000).

Feedback to you

• Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
• Graded assignments with comments

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Referencing requirements

Reference sources used in the project, particularly in preparing the report, should be properly paraphrased as well as cited in the body of the report as well as in a separate Bibliography. In rare cases, the actual text from the source may be quoted and likewise cited in the body and the Bibliography. Failure to do so may be grounds for a case of plagiarism being brought up. This may result in the exclusion of the submitted assignment and/or failure in this unit.

Assignment submission

Online submission

If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the learning system for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal.

Required Resources

Students will be required to use Linux virtual machines via virtualization software in the labs. VMware Player (for Windows and Linux) and VirtualBox are free to download and use. Additionally, Linux itself is free to download, and pre-installed Linux virtual machines can be downloaded from various sources, including VMware marketplace.

Recommended Resources

Students should have Linux virtual machines via virtualization software available for working with at home.

Students should also have external storage devices for virtual machines that can be used in the labs and at home. A 4 GB USB pendrive is sufficient at the minimum.

Additional subject costs

Desktops and networking equipment are provided for use during tutorial-labs in the Caulfield School of IT network laboratory for on-campus students. However, students will shoulder the cost of downloading documents and software from home. Students should own USB sticks and similar external storage media in order to store intermediate work, including configuration files and scripts, partial reports or entire virtual machine images, although the latter would typically require 2 to 4 GB of free space.

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.

Other Information

Policies

Graduate Attributes Policy

Student Charter

Student services

Monash University Library

Disability Liaison Unit