Module Content

Indicative syllabus content:

• Network communications overview
• Network Design
  • Methods
  • Characterising existing network and traffic
  • Designing a network topology
• Simulation
  • Simulation Methodologies e.g. discreet event simulation, monte-carlo
• Network measurement
  • Application performance
  • Network load patterns
• Evaluation
  • Importance of comparison
  • Metrics
• Current network design research
• Operating systems
  • Concepts e.g. kernel, memory management, scheduler, filesystems
  • Deployment e.g. PXE, imaging, WSUS
  • Patch management
  • Change management e.g. puppet or chef
• User management
  • Creation, deletion, updating
  • Single sign on
  • Federated identity management
• Directory services
  • Active directory, LDAP, nis, DNS
• Network Services
  • Email, Web, File, DNS, VoIP
  • Monitoring, restarting
  • Virtualisation and Cloud
• Network monitoring
  • Desktop/server/service monitoring
  • Network packet/flow monitoring
  • QoS

Teaching Methods

The module will be delivered as a set of lectures and laboratory sessions. The lectures will introduce the theoretical content for the module whilst the labs will allow the students to consolidate the theory in a practical setting.

During the module students will implement small experimental testbeds in order to learn how to configure components as well as assessing performance and component interaction. They will also engage in a network design task where they have to design a network for a medium sized organisation.

As a highly practical module – the teaching is by example and by doing. Lectures are collaborative with class input and practical components are often part of the lectures themselves as well as the workshops. This is a research-informed class, i.e. the teaching strategy includes research components, which are also evident in the practical aspects of the class.

As this is a skills based course, the assessment is both focused on knowledge content and skills. The content component of the module is mainly assessed in the module examination, whereas the skills and practical understanding of the module content is assessed in the coursework component. Therefore, the coursework assessment component for this module requires that students do work in between taught classes and that this is reviewed before the examination component of the assessment – to that end the students can get feedback on the coursework assessment to contribute to their preparation for the examination assessment component.

Assessment Methods

This module is assessed through an examination and a report.