COS2626
Computer Networks I

Data Communications & Computer Networks: A Business User's Approach

(9th edition)

by Jill West, Curt M. White

1. Introduction to Data Communications and Computer Networks
1.1. The Language of Computer Networking
1.2. The Big Picture of Networks
1.3. Common Network Examples
1.3.1. The Desktop Computer and the Internet
1.3.2. A Laptop Computer and a Wireless Connection
1.3.3. Cellular Network
1.3.4. Other Common Network Systems
1.3.5. Sensor Networks
1.3.6. Business Mainframe Network
1.3.7. Satellite Networks
1.3.8. Cloud Networks
1.4. Network Architectures
1.4.1. The TCP/IP Protocol Suite
1.4.2. Application Layer
1.4.3. Transport Layer
1.4.4. Network Layer
1.4.5. Data Link Layer
1.4.6. Physical Layer
1.4.7. The OSI Model
1.4.8. Logical and Physical Connections
1.4.9. The TCP/IP Protocol Suite in Action
1.5. Cloud Computing
1.5.1. Cloud Computing Characteristics
1.5.2. Cloud Service Models
2. Conducted and Radiated Media
2.1. Cabling Standards
2.1.1. Personal Area Network (PAN) Connection Standards
2.1.2. Universal Serial Bus (USB)
2.1.3. Thunderbolt
2.1.4. Lightning
2.2. Conducted Media
2.2.1. Twisted Pair Cable
2.2.2. Types of Twisted Pair Cable
2.2.3. Unshielded and Shielded Twisted Pair
2.2.4. Coaxial Cable
2.2.5. Fiber-Optic Cable
2.2.6. Cable Connectors
2.2.7. Summary of Wired LAN Technologies
2.3. Radiated Media on LANs
2.3.1. Wi-Fi
2.3.2. Wireless LAN Standards
2.3.3. Bluetooth
2.3.4. Zigbee
2.3.5. Other Wireless Technologies in a LAN Environment
2.3.6. Summary of Wireless LAN Technologies
2.4. Media Selection Criteria
2.4.1. Cost
2.4.2. Speed
2.4.3. Expandability and Distance
2.4.4. Environment
2.4.5. Security
3. Fundamentals of Data and Signals
3.1. Data and Signals
3.1.1. Analog vs. Digital
3.1.2. Analog Data and Signals
3.1.3. Digital Data and Signals
3.1.4. Fundamentals of Signals
3.2. Converting Data into Signals
3.2.1. Transmitting Analog Data with Analog Signals
3.2.2. Transmitting Digital Data with Square-Wave Digital Signals: Digital Encoding Schemes
3.2.3. Transmitting Digital Data with Discrete Analog Signals
3.2.4. Transmitting Analog Data with Digital Signals
3.3. Characters and Codes
3.3.1. ASCII
3.3.2. Unicode
4. Frames and Errors
4.1. Data Link Frames
4.1.1. Data Link Responsibilities
4.1.2. Frame Components
4.2. Noise and Errors
4.2.1. Gaussian Noise
4.2.2. Impulse Noise
4.2.3. Crosstalk
4.2.4. Echo
4.2.5. Jitter
4.2.6. Attenuation
4.2.7. Error Prevention
4.3. Error Detection
4.3.1. Parity Checks
4.3.2. Arithmetic Checksum
4.3.3. Cyclic Redundancy Check
4.4. Error Control
4.4.1. Toss the Frame or Packet
4.4.2. Return the Message
4.4.3. Stop-and-Wait Error Control
4.4.4. Sliding Window Error Control
4.4.5. Correct the Error
5. Wired and Wireless Local Area Networks
5.1. Using LANs
5.1.1. Putting LANs to Work
5.1.2. Advantages and Disadvantages of LANs
5.2. Evolution of LAN Technologies
5.2.1. Bus Topology
5.2.2. Star-Wired Bus Topology
5.2.3. Contention-Based Protocols
5.2.4. Star Topology
5.3. Switches
5.3.1. MAC (Medium Access Control) Addresses
5.3.2. Virtual LANs
5.3.3. Link Aggregation
5.3.4. Spanning Tree Algorithm
5.3.5. Quality of Service
5.4. Wired LANs
5.4.1. Ethernet Standards
5.4.2. Wired Ethernet Frame Format
5.5. Wireless LANs
5.5.1. Wireless CSMA/CA
5.5.2. CSMA/CA Frame Format
6. Network Systems and Software
6.1. Network Servers and Software
6.1.1. RAID Configurations
6.1.2. Storage Types
6.1.3. Utilities
6.1.4. Software Licensing Models
6.2. Server Operating Systems
6.2.1. Unix
6.2.2. Linux
6.2.3. Microsoft Windows Server
6.3. Network Devices
6.3.1. Command Modes
6.3.2. Configuring with Commands
6.4. Virtualization
6.4.1. Hypervisors
6.4.2. Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtualization
6.4.3. Virtualizing Network Devices
6.4.4. Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
6.5. Cloud Computing
6.5.1. Popular Cloud Platforms
6.5.2. Service Categories
6.5.3. Pricing Strategies
6.5.4. Cloud Storage
6.5.5. Cloud-Native Computing
6.5.6. Containerization
6.5.7. Serverless Computing
7. The Internet
7.1. Internet Protocol (IP)
7.1.1. IP Packets
7.1.2. Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4)
7.1.3. IPv4 Addresses
7.1.4. Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
7.1.5. IPv6 Addresses
7.2. Locating a Resource on the Internet
7.2.1. Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
7.2.2. Domain Name System (DNS)
7.2.3. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
7.2.4. Network Address Translation (NAT)
7.3. Protocols of the Internet
7.3.1. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
7.3.2. User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
7.3.3. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
7.3.4. Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
7.4. Internet Services
7.4.1. Email
7.4.2. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
7.4.3. Intranets and Extranets
7.4.4. Remote Login
7.4.5. Voice over IP (VoIP)
7.4.6. Media Streaming
7.4.7. The Internet of Things (IoT)
7.4.8. Data Analytics
8. Risk, Security, and Compliance
8.1. Network Security Risks
8.1.1. Common Vulnerabilities and Attack Types
8.1.2. Risk and Security Assessments
8.1.3. Risk Response
8.1.4. Security Policies
8.1.5. Incident Response
8.2. Network Security Technologies
8.2.1. Physical Security
8.2.2. Prevention Methods
8.2.3. Detection Methods
8.2.4. Anti-Malware
8.2.5. Proxy Server
8.2.6. Access Control Lists (ACLs)
8.2.7. Firewalls
8.2.8. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
8.3. Data Security Technologies
8.3.1. CIA Triad
8.3.2. Data Security Regulations and Compliance
8.3.3. Encryption
8.3.4. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
8.3.5. Technologies That Use Encryption
8.4. IAM (Identity and Access Management)
8.4.1. Access Rights
8.4.2. Authentication
8.4.3. Hashing
8.4.4. Blockchain
8.4.5. Single Sign-On (SSO) and Federated Identity Management (FIM)
8.4.6. Authorization
8.4.7. Accounting
8.5. Wireless Security
8.5.1. Securing Wireless LANs
8.5.2. Spread Spectrum Technology
9. Wide Area Networks
9.1. Networks That Connect LANs
9.1.1. Campus Area Networks (CANs)
9.1.2. Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
9.1.3. WAN Topology
9.2. Routing
9.2.1. Best Paths
9.2.2. Dynamic Versus Static Routing
9.2.3. Routing Protocols
9.3. Multiplexing
9.3.1. Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
9.3.2. Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM)
9.3.3. Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)
9.3.4. Wi-Fi Multiplexing
9.3.5. Cellular Network Multiplexing
9.4. Compression
9.4.1. Lossless Compression
9.4.2. Lossy Compression
10. Connecting Networks and Resources
10.1. Small Business and Consumer-Grade WAN Services
10.1.1. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
10.1.2. Cable Modems
10.1.3. Fiber Internet
10.1.4. Satellite
10.1.5. Cellular Networks
10.2. Enterprise-Grade WAN Services
10.2.1. Legacy WAN Technologies
10.2.2. MPLS
10.2.3. Ethernet
10.2.4. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
10.2.5. Cloud Connectivity
10.3. WAN Virtualization
10.3.1. Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN)
10.3.2. Software-Defined Branch (SD-Branch)
10.3.3. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
10.4. Cloud-Supported Technologies
10.4.1. Digital Marketing
10.4.2. Remote Workers
10.4.3. Edge Computing
11. Network Design and Management
11.1. Planning for Changes
11.1.1. Project Management
11.1.2. Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
11.1.3. Change Management
11.2. Analyzing Design
11.2.1. Network Modeling
11.2.2. Gap Analysis
11.2.3. Feasibility Studies
11.2.4. Capacity Planning
11.2.5. Testing Environments
11.3. Network Monitoring and Management
11.3.1. Network Monitoring Tools
11.3.2. Alerts and Logs
11.3.3. Creating a Baseline
11.4. Cloud Deployment and Management
11.4.1. Cloud Migration
11.4.2. Cloud Provisioning and Configuration Management
11.4.3. Cloud Monitoring and Optimization
12. Business Principles in IT
12.1. People Resources
12.1.1. Network Administrator Skills and Certifications
12.1.2. Professional Development
12.1.3. Training Users
12.1.4. Policies and Procedures
12.2. Vendor Relations
12.2.1. Vendor Services
12.2.2. Support Plans
12.2.3. Time to Market
12.2.4. Managed Services
12.2.5. Vendor Lock-In
12.2.6. Vendor Documentation
12.2.7. Project Evaluations
12.3. Financial Aspects of Cloud
12.3.1. CapEx vs. OpEx
12.3.2. Tracking Cloud Expenses
12.3.3. Cloud Cost Optimization
12.3.4. Instance Pricing Options
12.3.5. Data Replication Cost vs. Benefit
12.3.6. Licensing in the Cloud
12.4. Continuity and Recovery
12.4.1. Business Continuity
12.4.2. Disaster Recovery
12.4.3. MTBF and MTTR
12.4.4. Backups
12.4.5. RTO and RPO
A. Business Cases
B. Answers to Review Questions