ITECH1003/5003 Research Assignment
Semester 2 - 2014
Worth 25% of ITECH1003/5003 assessment
This document shows some challenging questions about networking that can be answered by means of research in libraries or on the Web.
You need to select one question from this list or discuss your own idea of a topic with your Lecturer or Tutor.
The object of the assignment is to introduce you to the process of researching a technical subject. Through this you will take a more detailed look at a particular aspect of networking.
Submission Procedure
You are required to submit your assignment in both soft and hard formats. The electronic version should be submitted as a single word or pdf document. Your submission must be received before the due time/date as indicated in the course description.
• The hard copy should be submitted to your lecturer’s assignment box.
• The electronic copy must be submitted through Moodle. This copy may be used to check for plagiarism.
Students should read the section at the foot of this document regarding plagiarism carefully.
Marking
During the lab session of week 8 your lecturer or tutor will review your progress on this assignment. You will be expected to show some first steps in your work, including:
• Your topic
• Some broad headings within your topic (minimum of 4 headings)
• Some of the sources that you have referred to
• Some sample, non-introductory, paragraphs of your text (minimum of 3 paragraphs)
The purpose of this review is to make certain that you are clear about your topic and that you have a reasonable plan and know the plagiarism rules.
This requirement is worth 10% of the mark for the research assignment.

Final Submission Marking Criteria
Criteria Details Marks
Week 8 Lab Review Lab session review, incorporating at a minimum:
• Your topic
• Some broad headings within your topic (minimum of 4 headings)
• Some of the sources that you have referred to
• Some sample, non-introductory, paragraphs of your text (minimum of 3 paragraphs) /10
Clarity Overall clarity of expression. Does this piece of writing really help the reader to better understand the area? /20
Completeness How well has the chosen area been covered? Were significant aspects ignored? Were the descriptions accurate? Submissions that make excessive use of quotations rather than the student’s own words will not receive many marks in this section. /40
Originality Was this convincingly the student’s own work? Marginal cases (say 10% copied) will not get this mark. Those who write effectively in what is obviously their own words will get this mark. /10
Reference quality A good selection of sources from print and electronic media. At least one should be from print and another from electronic.
The document must contain a references section where you list the sources to which you have referred, and you must indicate in your text where you have cited these references. These may be electronic and / or paper based sources. You are required to use APA style referencing. /5
Reference use The references have been cited in the body of the work using APA referencing style. /5
Extra Not specific – some extra marks for some aspect which makes this piece really outstanding. Or, if you could use Analyzer to do captures to support your arguments in your assignment. This mark will usually only be given to an assignment that is excellent in most other regards. /10
Size of submission
The results of your research are to be written up as a 2000 - 4000 word document.

Research Assignment Questions
Local Delivery
1. The Local Delivery error checking that has been described is based on the CRC field in the frame. If the CRC field indicates an error then the receiving NIC discards the packet - however there is no mechanism for requesting a re-send. Describe a local delivery technique that provides a more complete error recovery mechanism.
2. Local delivery has been carefully described a not being restricted to local delivery in the geographical sense. In some cases the Data Link layer may extend over a great distance as, for example, with satellite links. Describe the operation of one such extended “local” network. Possible choices include the ADSL connection between your home and the Internet; Under sea links that connect separate countries Internet connections.
Address Resolution
3. Windows 7 makes extensive use of DNS to propagate configuration information between computers. Describe the way this is done and particularly the role played by -Dynamic- DNS (DDNS) in this architecture.
4. The Microsoft Browser Service is responsible for gathering the Microsoft computer names into the Windows Workgroups. If you have set up a network at home you will by now know that this information is often out of date. Describe the way the Browser Service functions and explain why the information is often out of date.
5. ARP poisoning is a technique that can be used to subvert the normal operation of network traffic. Investigate how ARP poisoning works, tools associated with it, methods of detection or other related aspects.
Remote Delivery
6. The TRACERT command in Windows/Unix will display a list of the routers between your computer and a remote host on the Internet. Explain the protocols used to achieve this.
7. Routing tables entries have associated field that associate a route with a cost to help the router make logical decisions for the routing of Internet traffic. Investigate such cost fields in routers.
8. One technique of hacking into networks involves the -spoofing- of IP addresses. Write a report on how this is done and how networks can be protected against this type of attack. Make sure that you describe the way in which manipulation of certain protocols forms the basis for such attacks.
9. The routing protocol used on the Internet is BGP. Write a report that describes how the protocol works, its origins and its advantages over other routing protocols.
Reliability
10. The standards on which TCPIP networking is based have largely been evolved using the -Request For Comment- mechanism. A person proposing a new protocol would describe it in an RFC and the rest of the networking community would comment.
The TCP protocol was first described in RFC 793 (http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/computing/internet/rfc/rfc793.txt)
Write a -laypersons guide- to the part played by sequence numbers in TCP based on this RFC.

11. Write a report that proposes a suitable reliable protocol for communication with the Jupiter atmospheric probe mentioned in lectures. The protocol can be an existing protocol or else one of your own design. If you choose to design a protocol then you should show how your design relates to existing protocols.
Protocol Stacks & FTP
12. Write a history of the FTP protocol. Explain how and when it was first developed, what additional features and abilities have been added since then, and what the possible future is for this protocol. Include clear explanations of all networking concepts involved.
General
13. Australia is currently rolling out a National Broadband Network (NBN) using three technologies, Fibre, Fixed Wireless and Satellite. Investigate one such NBN technology.
14. Bluetooth is a standard for short-range -ad-hoc- networks. Although Bluetooth is used for many simple applications, such as the Bluetooth headset for a mobile phone, these do not involve networking. Describe the way (the various layers and their purposes) that TCPIP networking can be done through Bluetooth.
15. Wireless networks are becoming increasingly popular but many organisations fear that they are a large security risk. Describe an approach used to make wireless networks secure.
16. Describe and compare a number of protocols used for Skype, Google chat or Facebook chat services. Elaborate your study with the help of practical examples and scenarios. You may like to use Wireshark to capture and decode such traffic for inclusion in your report.
17. The RFC (Request For Comment) mechanism has been the main way in which Internet standards have developed. Describe the process by which this works.
18. In the world of Mobile phones acronyms abound to describe the different technologies. Early networks were described as 1G networks, technologies following were 2G, 3G and 4G.
Describe the history of these technologies and in doing so choose one element of mobile telephony and describe how that particular technology works.
19. We have been using Analyzer through this course for capturing packets, however other packet capturing software is also available. One of these tools is Wireshark. Write a user manual documenting how to use Wireshark, covering both the basic features such as display and capture filters, and the advanced features, such as statistics.
Your choice
You could suggest your own topic related to this course, then discuss with your tutor. You have to have your tutor’s permission to do your own topic.
Plagiarism
Note the section of the Course Description relating to plagiarism.
The work that you submit must be written in your own words. If you feel that it would help to use other people’s words at certain points you must show clearly that these are quotations and you must attribute them (say where they came from- reference them).
Quotations should only make up a small proportion of any work – you will lose marks if you make excessive use of quotations.
Your work will be checked for originality by your Lecturer/Tutor using Turnitin.