Next Session Session 1
1 Communications technology
Principles of communication: analogue and digital signals (data bits, parity), amplitude,
frequency and modulation, multiplexing, carrier methods (broadband, baseband,
modulation and encoding techniques), bandwidth, advantages and disadvantages of
baseband and broadband transmissions, unicast, broadcast, multicast
2 Network cabling and interface cards
Network cabling: types, specifications, (thick and thin coaxial cable (PVC and Plenum),
UTP, STP and fibre-optic), connectors, terminators, industry standards, signal bounce,
consideration of installation logistics, shielding, cross talk, attenuation, transmission speed,
relative cost of cabling, cable troubleshooting tools
Network interface cards (NIC): role, installation, configuration (NOS tools, configuration
parameters, eg IRQ number, I/O port, memory address, setting protocols), selection,
performance factors, eg DMA, onboard RAM, system RAM, bus mastering, RAM
buffering, processor model; types, eg wireless, fibre optic, remote boot
Drivers: purpose, sources, NIC drivers (function, relationship to OSI layers),
implementation by NOS
3 Wireless communication
The increasing use of wireless networks in local area networks (LANs), access points,
infrared (line of sight, scatter and reflective), LASER, narrow band radio, spread-spectrum
radio, point to point and extended LANs with wireless bridges, the increasedavailability of
mobile computing
4 Data communications equipment
Modems: telephone lines, signals, modem standards and terms (baud rate, bps,
asynchronous and synchronous modes, channel speed, throughput, error control, data
compression), cable modems, dial-up remote access and virtual private networks (VPN)
ISDN: definition of ISDN, ISDN card, cabling, transmission rates, operation
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL): definition of ADSL concepts, ADSL card,
cabling, transmission rates, operation
| Week Number | 1st Session | 2nd Session |
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 12 | ||
| 13 | ||
| 14 | ||
| 15 | ||
| 16 | ||
| 17 |
Suggested Reading
Textbooks
Duck, M/Bishop, P and Read, R — Data Communications for Engineers — (Addison-
Wesley, 1996) ISBN: 0201427885