COT4350

Data communications

P Granville

6 points
* 4 hours per week
* First semester
* Caulfield

Objectives At the completion of this subject, students should be able to understand the functions of the various items of data communications hardware and their appropriate use; understand the rules that govern how computers communicate with each other and the problems that affect this communication in relation to Wide Area and Local Area networks.

Synopsis Signals and their control: analog and digital signals, codes, carrier modulation, switched and leased lines, message, circuit and packet switching, line control protocols, error control, network types and topologies. Hardware issues: terminals, modems, multiplexors, concentrators, line splitters, interfacing equipment, eg gateways, routers, bridges. Common carrier services: options and implications. Standards and standards bodies. Security and reliability: a network perspective. Networking in the 1990s: EDI, messaging, database servers, distributed systems. Introduction to queuing theory and its applications in data communications.

Assessment Examination (2 hours): 50%
* Practical work: 50%