Intro to Networks Syllabus & Assignments

General Course Information

Instructor: Ed Sloan

Office: Classroom

Office Hours:

E-Mail: esloan@hccfl.edu

Textbook: Dean, Tamara, Network +: A Guide to Networks, 4th Edition, Course Technology, Inc, 2006, ISBN 0-619-21743-x

Course Objectives

The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to networking technologies and prepare students to pass CompTIA's broad-based, vendor-independent networking certification exam, Network+. This course covers a wide range of materials about networking, from careers in networking to local area networks, protocols, topologies, transmission media, and security. It not only introduces a variety of concepts, but also discusses in-depth the most significant aspects of networking, such as the TCP/IP protocol suite. In addition to explaining concepts, the course uses a multitude of real world examples of networking issues from a professional's standpoint, making it a practical preparation for the real world.

E-Mail

Students are asked to communicate with the instructor through the use of WebCT or at esloan@hccfl.edu

WebCT will be used as a course management too, with tests, and other assignments available online.

Grading and Evaluation Criteria

40% of the grade is based on a 3 tests, each covering 5 chapters.

20% of the grade will come from a final exam, which will be cumulative.

20% of the grade is based on completing the end of Ch. projects assignments and Case Studies.

20% of the grade is based on completing and presenting the FINAL class project - documenting a LAN/WAN and preparing a power point presentation.

CGS 1550 Course Assignments

Topics	Chapter Lecture	Case Projects	Hands-on Projects	Exams
Week 1 - 01/11 Syllabus & Intro	Ch. 1	Project 1-3
Week 2- 01/18 Networking Standards/OSI Model	Ch. 2	Troubleshoot and explain OSI model problem due next week
Week 3 01/25 Network Protocols	Ch. 3	1st National Bank network consultation.
Week 4 02/01 Networking Media	Ch. 4	Design a cabling system
Week 5 02/08 Network Architecture	Ch. 5	Design and troubleshoot LANs		Exam, Ch 1- 5
Week 6 02/15 Networking Hardware	Ch. 6	Troubleshoot Network Hardware Problems
Week 7 02/22 WANS and Remote Connectivity	Ch. 7	Design a WAN and recommend remote connectivity technology
Week 8 03/01 Network Operating Systems and WinNT	Ch. 8	Design and troubleshoot a Win NT LAN
Week 9 03/08 NetWare Based Networking	Ch. 9	Design and troubleshoot a NetWare LAN
Spring Break 03/15	No Assignments
Week 10 03/22 Networking with UNIX and TCP/IP	Ch. 10 and 11	Design a UNIX LAN and troubleshoot TCP/IP problems		Exam Ch 6-10
Week 11 03/29 Troubleshooting and Maintaining a Network	Ch. 12 and 13	Recommend solutions for a problematic network and recommend network upgrades
Week 12 04/05 Ensuring Integrity and Availability	Ch. 14	Address fault tolerance and disaster recovery for a network
Week 13 04/12 Network Security	Ch. 15	Assess and improve security on a network
Week 14 04/19 Project Presentation		STUDENT PRESENTATIONS OF LANS - DOCUMENTATION AND POWERPOINT.
Week 15 04/26	Review for Final			Exam Ch 11- 15
Week 16 05/03 Final Exam

Final Project:

Each student shall fully document an existing LAN or WAN. Minimum size shall be 20 nodes. This will require you to locate a LAN/WAN and interview the network administrator. This can be one located where you work, by referral, or boldly pick up the phone and call an organization and explain what you are doing. Don't be surprised if some individuals you contact beg off as too busy. This is the case many times.

The end result of your project shall be a presentation prepared in MS PowerPoint or other presentation software.

This presentation will be given in class at the end of the semester.

Your presentation shall include:

Company Description and location

Topology Diagram including all components from the OSI model layers 1 - 4.

Diagram of the WAN connectivity including cabling and description of the carrier service.

Description of servers used

Software Implemented including protocols

Management tools

Common problems and what is done to correct them.