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Bucks County Community College
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Academics

CISC143 Essentials of Networking

Department of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics: Computer/Information Science

I. Course Number and Title
CISC143 Essentials of Networking
II. Number of Credits
4 credits
III. Number of Instructional Minutes
3000
IV. Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
CISC128 or permission of the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
V. Other Pertinent Information

This course meets the General Education requirement for Scientific Literacy.

A proctored departmental final exam will be administered is included in this course.

VI. Catalog Course Description
This lecture and laboratory course introduces the fundamental properties of data transmission and computer networks. Topics include: data transfer, the OSI and TCP/IP models, protocols, WAN and LAN topologies, devices and media, security and troubleshooting. This course provides basic background for other networking courses and industry certifications.
VII. Required Course Content and Direction
  1. Course Learning Goals

    Students will:

    1. explain the OSI (Open Standards Interface) and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) models and how they define data transmission;
    2. describe and configure important network protocols and implement logical addressing schemes;
    3. configure, maintain, and troubleshoot network connectivity devices and transmission media;
    4. implement network architecture with basic network security, including encryption;
    5. explain the scientific method of analysis and apply it in a variety of situations to solve networking problems, including data transmissions errors, hardware faults, malware, and configuration errors [Scientific Literacy]; and
    6. given a scenario, plan and implement a basic SOHO (small office/home office).
  2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities

    Course Outline:

    1. Standards and the OSI and TCP/IP Models
      1. OSI (Open Standards Interface) seven layer model
        1. Data encapsulation
        2. Packets and frames
      2. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) model
      3. 802.X standards and transmission methods
        1. 802.3 Ethernet
        2. 802.11 wireless
        3. 802.16 mobile
      4. Standards organizations
    2. Addressing
      1. Logical vs. Physical addressing
      2. Binary and hexadecimal number systems
      3. Subnetting, supernetting, and classless inter-domain routing (CIDR)
      4. IPv4 and IPv6
      5. Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) vs. Automatic private IP addressing (APIPA)
      6. Purpose and implementation of DNS (Domain Name System)
      7. TCP and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) ports and sockets
    3. Transmission and Media
      1. Media types and characteristics
        1. Copper
        2. Fiber
        3. Wireless
      2. Data transmission concepts
        1. Digital vs. analog transmission
        2. Electromagnetic light and radio waves
        3. Duplexing
        4. Attenuation, latency, and noise
      3. Structured cabling
        1. Wiring standards
        2. Backbone structures
    4. Topologies
      1. Logical
      2. Physical
    5. Connectivity Devices
      1. Network interface cards
      2. Repeaters/hubs
      3. Bridges/switches
      4. Routers/gateways
      5. Modems
    6. WANs (Wide Area Networks) and Remote Connectivity
      1. Packet vs. circuit switching
      2. WAN transmission systems
        1. Phone lines - PSTN, ISDN, DSL
        2. Fiber optic - FTTP
        3. Frame relay, x-25
        4. ATM
        5. SONET
      3. Remote access and VPNs (virtual private networks)
    7. Routing and Switching
      1. Routers and other layer-3 devices
        1. Routing tables
        2. NAT (network addressing translation)
        3. Routing protocols
        4. Filtering
      2. Switches
        1. VLAN (virtual LAN) and trunking
        2. Store-and-forward vs. cut-through switching modes
      3. Broadcast domain vs. collision domain
    8. Wireless network
      1. WLAN (wireless LAN) architecture
      2. Obstacles including interference and reflection
      3. Wireless access points and encryption (WEP, WPA)
    9. Virtualization
      1. Virtual network components
      2. Virtual servers
      3. Virtual desktops and thin clients
      4. Cloud computing and NaaS (Network as a Service)
    10. Converged networks
      1. VoIP (voice over IP)
      2. Video-over-IP
      3. QoS (quality of service) assurance methods
    11. Network Security
      1. User authentication protocols (PKI, RADIUS, TACACS+, Kerberos, CHAP, MS-CHAP, and EAP)
      2. Firewalls
      3. Protocols
      4. Wireless encryption
      5. Honeypots
      6. Common threats
        1. Social engineering
        2. Malware - viruses, worms, Trojans
        3. DoS (Denial-of-service) attacks
        4. Botnets and zombies
        5. Policies, procedures, and incident response
    12. Network Design, Implementation and Maintenance
      1. Protocol analyzers and packer sniffers
      2. Fault tolerance
      3. Monitoring performance
      4. Disaster recovery
    13. Network troubleshooting methodology
      1. Systematic troubleshooting process
      2. Documentation
      3. Software and hardware tools
  3. Assessment Methods for Course Learning Goals

    The assessment of Course Learning Goals is based on written tests, labs, and other assignments, as well as performance-based tasks as appropriate, and a departmental final exam.
  4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Student:

    Departmentally-selected textbook. Details provided by the instructor of each course section. See course syllabus.

Review/Approval Date - 11/05; Revised 6/09; Revised 5/2011;Dept name change, 8/21/2012; New Core 8/2015

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