INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKS CIS 135 Course Syllabus

Transcription

1 HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, MD INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKS CIS 135 Course Syllabus DIVISION: Business, Computing & Applied Technology SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS: 3 CIS 135 Online Class COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course presents the principles of data communications and computer networks. The student examines network hardware, topologies, communications protocols and network operating systems, emphasizing TCP/IP networks for the microcomputer environment. The course provides a foundation for those preparing for the Computing Technology Industry Association's (CompTIA) Network+ Certification exam. Prerequisite: CIS 102 or permission of instructor. PROGRAM GOALS: Computer Information Systems is a career-oriented program focusing on the use of computers in business. Students who successfully complete the Computer Information Systems degree will: 1. Analyze the use of commercial software applications, hardware, networks, programming, and other technologies in information systems at a level of competence appropriate to joining the workforce. 2. Use, maintain and modify existing information systems. 3. Design and implement new information systems. 4. Demonstrate the skills to work in a business environment including working in teams, project management, and professional and effective communication with a wider audience. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES & ACADEMIC OUTCOMES: 1. Discuss current issues in Networking, including ethics, security, standards, and applications. [Program Goal 4] 2. Explain data communications concepts, including protocols, media, and types of networks. [Program Goal 1] 3. Explain the types of and purpose for using various network topologies. [Program Goal 1] 4. Analyze the types of hardware that are required by different kinds of networks. [Program Goal 1] 5. Examine network functionality and operations including wireless technologies. [Program Goal 1] 6. Examine TCP/IP networking by exploring packet specifications, subnet design, security, and routing. [Program Goal 1] 7. Design a network by planning for the most appropriate network to solve a given problem. [Program Goal 3] 8. Formulate solutions to network problems by examining network management issues and monitoring network activities. [Program Goal 2] 1

2 COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Wallace, Kevin. CompTIA Network+ N Authorized Cert Guide (2012 edition). published by Pearson Education in November, 2011; with the required "MyITcertificationLabs" Student Access Kit, bundle packaged together. ISBN: applies to this bundle. The "MyITcertificationLabs" Student Access Kit provides the student with a unique student code number that allows the student to access the Pearson MyITCertificationLab website. In this CIS 135 course, there will be weekly assignments required to be completed on this website. This unique student access code number will only be active for the semester registered. (Because of this required unique Student Access Kit, used textbooks are not recommended, as the student access code will have expired if used in a previous semester by another student). ADDITIONAL REQUIRED LEARNING AID: This semester, we will also be utilizing a simulator software package (NetworkPro LabSim) in addition to the above textbook package. This simulator software is accessible from any web browser and does not require you to load any software onto your computer. Because of this flexibility, the simulator software will be accessible from your home computer, your classroom computer, a library computer, or any other location from which you can login to the company s web site server. Each week, a specific list of study areas will be assigned from the NetworkPro LabSim website. These study exercises include instructional videos, simulated network equipment wiring, configuration exercises, and short quizzes. These exercises should be a very valuable addition to your learning and comprehension of the textbook topics. You will need to purchase a student login account from the software company in order to gain access and to allow your class instructor to monitor your progress. The cost is $89 if ordered directly from TestOut. For those students who require purchases through the HCC Bookstore (for example, financial aid requirements), the Bookstore can special order this same access for you at a slightly higher cost. Following is the info you need to order direct at the discounted student rate: 1 - Visit Enter Promotion Code TA at the bottom right of the page: 3 Find N TestOut NetworkPro and click the adjacent Add to Cart. 4 - Follow shopping cart directions to place your order. 5 - When prompted enter school name exactly as Harford Community College 6 - Follow instructions on the order confirmation screen and /or your ed invoice for accessing LabSim. 2

3 COURSE GOAL: This course provides an excellent opportunity to learn the fundamentals of modern computer networking and prepares the student to pass the CompTIA Network+ exam and achieve that valuable career certification. COURSE POLICIES: HCC students are bound by the academic policies outlined in the most current HCC Catalog*. It is the student s responsibility to review these policies prior to the start of each semester. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Regular and punctual participation is required of all students. In the case of absence due to emergency (e.g., illness, death in the family, accident), religious holiday, or participation in official College functions, it is the student's responsibility to confer with the instructor about the absence and missed course work. Completion of class assignments on-time is the key component to success in this course. Students must log-in to the course in Blackboard several days each week to read the latest Class Announcements. GRADING STANDARDS: The final course grade is comprised of the student s mastery of course requirements. Course grades are based upon the following total mastery level: A = % B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = 59% and below STUDENT ASSESSMENTS: (a) Midterm Exam = 25% of final grade (b) Final Exam = 25% of final grade (c) Weekly Textbook and MyITCertificationLab Assignments = 25% of final grade Each week s Chapter Question assignment is worth 10 points (maximum of 9 points if submitted late) Each week s MyITcertificationLab assignment is worth 10 points (maximum of 9 points if submitted late) (d) Weekly NetworkPro LabSim Assignments =25% of final grade Each week s combined LabSim assignment is worth 20 points (maximum of 18 points if submitted late) (e) Extra credit points are awarded for each relevant content posting in the Current Events Discussion Forum CLASS PREPARATION: It is incredibly important to stay up with the schedule and not fall behind. Each week's chapter builds heavily on an understanding of the previous chapters. 3

4 Weekly assignments are due at end of the assigned week CIS 135 Online Class Schedule Week Dates Assignments Week 1 9/2 9/7 Course Introduction, Syllabus Review, Binary and Hexadecimal Conversions, LabSim sign-up, Week 1 Problem Set assignment Week 2 9/8 9/14 Chapter 1, Chapter Questions and Week 3 9/15 9/21 Chapter 2, Chapter Questions and Week 4 9/22 9/28 Chapter 3, Chapter Questions and Week 5 9/29 10/5 Chapter 4, Chapter Questions and Week 6 10/6 10/12 Chapter 5, Chapter Questions and Week 7 10/13 10/19 Chapter 6, Chapter Questions and Week 8 10/20 10/26 Chapter 7, Chapter Questions and Saturday, 10/ Last Day to take MidTerm Exam Week 9 10/27 11/2 Chapter 8, Chapter Questions and Week 10 11/3 11/9 Chapter 9, Chapter Questions and Week 11 11/10 11/16 Chapter 10, Chapter Questions and Week 12 11/17 11/23 Chapter 11, Chapter Questions and Week 13 11/24 11/30 Chapter 12, Chapter Questions and /27 11/ HCC Closed for Thanksgiving Week 14 12/1 12/7 Chapter 13, Chapter Questions and Week 15 12/8 12/14 Final Exam Review Class plus MyITcertificationLabs Practice Exam A Saturday, 12/ Last Day to take Final Exam

5 COURSE OUTLINE Topics and textbook reading assignments I. Course Objectives and Introduction to Networking (Chapter 1) a. Introduction to this course b. How to become a certified Network Professional - The CompTIA Network+ Certification c. Review of binary numbers, bits, bytes, and hexadecimal numbers d. Networks defined by geography e. Networks defined by topology f. Networks defined by resource sharing II. The OSI Reference Model (Chapter 2) - DVD Videos support this topic a. Networking Standards Organizations ISO, IEEE, etc. b. The OSI Model c. The TCP/IP Stack d. TCP port numbers ranges and well-known port associations III. Networking Components (Chapter 3) a. Transmission Basics b. Different Types of Media Coaxial, Twisted Pair, Fiber-Optic c. Infrastructure Devices Hubs, Bridges, Switches, Routers d. Specialized Network Devices Firewalls, etc. e. Virtual Network Devices IV. Understanding Ethernet (Chapter 4) a. Principles of Ethernet CSMA/CD b. Ethernet Switch Features c. VLANs and STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) d. Switch Port Monitoring and Security V. IP Addresses (Chapter 5) - DVD Videos support this topic a. Binary Numbering and Conversions b. IPv4 Addressing c. Subnetting Networks d. IPv6 Addressing VI. Routing Network Traffic (Chapter 6) a. Sources of Routing Information Static and Dynamic Routes b. Routing Protocols c. Address Translation d. Multicast Routing 5

6 VII. Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Connectivity (Chapter 7) a. WAN Properties, WAN Technologies Dedicated Leased Lines, PPP b. POTS, ISDN, DSL, Cable and FIOS Broadband Services c. ATM, SONET, Frame Relay definitions d. WAN Technologies Compared VIII. Wireless Networking (Chapter 8) a. WLAN Characteristics and WLAN Standards a, b, g, n b. WLAN Deployment c. WLAN Security WEP, WPA, WPA2 IX. Optimizing Network Performance (Chapter 9) a. High Availability Redundancy and Fault-Tolerance b. Quality of Service (QoS) Technologies c. Case Study Network Design X. Command-Line Utilities (Chapter 10) a. Windows Commands b. UNIX Commands XI. Managing a Network (Chapter 11) a. Maintenance and Troubleshooting Tools b. Configuration Management c. Monitoring Resources SNMP and Logs XII. Network Security (Chapter 12) a. Security Fundamentals and Goals b. Categories of Network Attacks, Defending Against Attacks c. Firewalls d. Remote Access Security e. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) f. Intrusion Detection and Prevention g. Network-Based and Host-Based Solutions XIII. Troubleshooting Network Issues (Chapter 13) a. Troubleshooting Basics b. Physical Layer Troubleshooting c. Data Link Layer Troubleshooting d. Network Layer Troubleshooting e. Wireless Troubleshooting XIV. Preparing to take the CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam (Chapter 14) 6

7 IMPORTANT TEXTBOOK DVD INFORMATION 1. All new textbooks for this course include an important DVD inserted inside the back cover of the book. 2. Insert the DVD into the optical drive of your Windows computer. If the DVD does not autorun (automatically launch), then double click the Computer or My Computer icon, view the contents of the DVD, then double click start.exe. 3. At the Main Menu screen, click Product Support, Registration to activate your practice exam. You will need to register and then use the activation code that came in the envelope with the DVD. 4. Install the Pearson IT Certification Test Engine from the main menu. 5. Note the Video Library available on the DVD. 6. Note the Printable Appendixes for the Appendix C and D Memory Tables. These are valuable for drilling memorization of key tables. Blackboard Online Learning System and Assistance This course uses Blackboard. You can access it via Owlnet. To login to your account, visit and use your HCC Network username and password. If you do not know your HCC Network username, contact the Technology Help Desk at , option 3. After logging in to OwlNet, click the tab titled "My Courses". You will see a list of your courses organized by semester. Click the title of the course you want to access, and your course will launch in a new window. Courses using Blackboard will launch the Blackboard website and take you directly to your course. Please note that you will not be able to access Blackboard course content until the semester start date. You must log on to this site regularly to view class announcements, assignments, text corrections, etc. Note: If you have never taken a course via Blackboard, you need to complete the Online/Blackboard tutorial. Blackboard tutorials are accessed by clicking on "Blackboard Support" under the My Courses tab in OwlNet. Blackboard Problems and Assistance: If you have technical questions regarding OwlNet, please call the Technology Help Desk at , option 3. If you have technical questions regarding Blackboard, please contact the elearning Help Desk at You may also visit the HCC Distance Learning site Help is also available at Digital Help Line during library hours or online@harford.edu. 7

8 NETIQUETTE Particularly true for online and hybrid classes, courteous behavior in your writing includes netiquette. The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. For further explanation, go to and click on each rule for elaboration. Abusive writing in either Blackboard discussions or will not be tolerated. Rule 1: Remember the human on the other end. (Would you say it to the person's face?) Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life. Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace. Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth. Rule 5: Make yourself look good online. Rule 6: Share expert knowledge. Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control. Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy. Rule 9: Don't abuse your power. Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes. COMPUTER ETHICS: Each student is responsible for knowing the college's policy relating to ethical behavior regarding all intellectual property and in using the computer. Copying or using another's work, including computer files, is both illegal and unethical. See the Student Handbook. 8

9 SYLLABUS MODIFICATION: The instructor reserves the right to modify and/or change the course syllabus with reasonable notification to students. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Weekly submission of answers to textbook Chapter Questions, online MyITcertificationLabs Assignments, online NetworkPro LabSim Assignments, Midterm Exam, and Final Exam. Participation in online discussions in Blackboard is encouraged. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Students are responsible for completing all reading and writing assignments by the scheduled due dates. Students are responsible for recognizing and accepting that when they put their name on any piece of work they are taking a vow that the work is theirs alone. Academic dishonesty or plagiarism of any form is unacceptable. Student participation, timely submission of assignments, and postings in on-line discussions will be evaluated as part of your grade. MAKE-UP POLICY: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! Midterm and Final Exams: Because this course has only Online and Hybrid sections, there will be no make-up exams. All exams will be given online with a week for completion. CLASS PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS: All of the reading assignments must be completed before the class in which the material is to be discussed. Assignments will be given to review the text; chapter questions in the text must be completed each week and answers submitted in Blackboard. The MyITCertificationLabs assignments must be completed each week on the Pearson website. INCLEMENT WEATHER: Online progression of assignments should continue uninterrupted despite inclement weather, assuming the HCC Blackboard servers are functional. For access to on-campus resources, the College Weather Number is:

10 GENERAL STATEMENTS: A. Disability Support Services: HCC is committed to serving students who have documented physical, learning, psychological, or other disabilities. Students who have a disability are responsible for contacting Disability Support Services at to discuss their needs and establish eligibility for services and reasonable accommodations. Because accommodations can take time to implement, if you have not already contacted DSS you should do so immediately. All information shared with Disability Support is kept in accordance with relevant state and federal laws. B. Academic Dishonesty: Students will be familiar with and adhere to the policy governing academic dishonesty and its sanctions as outlined in the Code for Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct, which can be found on OwlNet under the My Academic Life Tab or in the HCC online catalog. Students who commit acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism) will be subject to formal disciplinary action and will receive a grade of F on the test, quiz, or assignment involved and, at the discretion of the instructor; the student may receive an F for the course. This includes incidents that occur in the Test and Assessment Center. In addition, the student will be referred to the Associate Vice President for Student Development for a Student Code Violation. C. Student Conduct: Students will be familiar with and adhere to the Code for Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct, which can be found on OwlNet under the My Academic Life Tab or in the HCC online catalog. The Code outlines prohibited conduct, the disciplinary process, and possible sanctions. Students found responsible for violating the Code will have a disciplinary record that will remain in the Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Development for three years. D. Federal Credit Hour Definition Statement: For a 15 week semester, each credit hour represents one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of outside class-work per week. For terms that are less than 15 weeks, students should also spend a minimum of two hours outside of class for every hour in class. Academic activities include, but are not limited to reading, writing, studying, research, and completing worksheets. In addition, at least an equivalent amount of out-of-class work is required for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, etc. At Harford Community College, for all credit courses, students are expected to spend a minimum of 37.5 combined hours of direct instructional time and related coursework time per credit hour. This course is a 3 credit course. This online course achieves the minimum of hours of combined instructional time by requiring 120 hours of student work outside of direct instructional time. * The Harford Community College Catalog may be accessed online at: 10