Homework 1

 

Both of these problems should be done in a small group with a maximum of two people, though you can do these by yourself.  You want your write ups to be a couple pages for each problem.  Succinctness is important, and you're likely to want to number your responses to coincide with the questions.  But try to use complete sentences when reasonable.

(40 PTS) 1.  Consider the SB classroom portion of the Quinnipiac network and describe the following.  You cannot go to any of the Central IS&T staff and expect them to help you. Consider either a wired or wireless approaches but not both.

  1. Classify the network by
    1. physical scope
    2. interaction type
    3. operating system
    4. protocol
    5. topology
    6. architecture
  2. Determine the types of media.
  3. If you send an e-mail to someone else in the group describe how it gets to them.
  4. Describe why many academic network administrators are uncomfortable with something like AOL Instant Messenger
  5. Describe how the classroom wing is connected to the rest of the campus.
  6. Draw a diagram of this portion of the network and how it connects.
  7. Discuss some of the major strengths and weaknesses of the network.

(40 PTS) 2.  Find a computer network outside the QU campus that has at least 15 users and has Internet capabilities.

  1. Classify the network by
    1. physical scope
    2. interaction type
    3. operating system
    4. protocol
    5. topology
    6. architecture
  2. Determine the types of media.
  3. If they send you an e-mail how it gets to you.
  4. Describe the major services this network provides to users.
  5. Describe their policies associated with using work computers and connections for other uses.
  6. Draw a diagram of the  network at the level of routers and switches containing at least one LAN segment.
  7. Discuss some of the major strengths and weaknesses of the network.

(20 PTS) 3.  Find an example of each of the following.

  1. A contiguous administrative domain
  2. A non-contiguous administrative domain
  3. A peer-to-peer network

Take a paragraph to describe the basic overall organization and why each of these types of operation is appropriate.