FIT3030 Network Performance and Modelling , Unit Information Guide (Semester 1, 2006)

A detailed understanding of the factors that influence the performance of computer networks and the tools used to measure and predict performance, are important skills required by professional network and application designers. This unit aims to provide this knowledge and associated skills for Information Technology students, and includes network performance studies, indicators of network performance and methods of measurment; SNMP and other Network monitoring tools; Predicting Network performance; Queueing theory and Modeling of networks; Overheads of network protocols including features of TCP/IP that influence network performance; Network performance in distributed systems.
ASCED Discipline Group Classification: 020113 Networks and communications.

At the completion of this subject students should be able to:

• understand various measures of data network performance
• be able to use various hardware and software tools to measure performance
• use simulation packages to construct models of computer networks
• use models for performance analysis and prediction
• make recommendations for network performance improvement

Required text(s)

This unit does not have a required text. However students are expected to make use of texts shown in the Recommended reading section below.

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Software requirements:

OPNET Academic Edition, Version 9.0 (build 1995), OPNET Corp, 2005.
Software may be downloaded from http://www.opnet.com/services/university/ (47MB) and requires individual student registration during the first use. NOTE: You must be logged in with Administrator privileges to install the software.

Software may be:

• downloaded from
• purchased at academic price at good software retailers

Hardware requirements:

OPNET Academic Edition
Operating Systems:

• Windows NT 4.0: Service Pack 3, 5, or 6a; Service Packs 4 and 6 are not supported.
• Windows 2000: Service Packs 1, 2, and 4 are supported but not required.
• Windows XP: Service Pack 1 or 2 is required.

Memory:

• 256MB required.

Disk space:

• 200MB required (additional 200MB required during installation).
• A minimum 20MB of additional disk space is also recommended to store model files created during labs and tutorials.

Display:

• 1024x768 or higher resolution, 256 or more colors.
  

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the PSIT Network Lab. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

Held G. Enhancing LAN Performance 4th.Ed Auerbach-CRC Press (2004) ISBN 0-8493-1942-0
Blommers J. Practical Planning for Network Growth Prentice Hall (1996) ISBN 0-13-206111-2
Nassar D.J. Network Performance Baselining Macmillan (2000) ISBN 1-57870-240-2
Lloyd-Evans R. Wide Area Network Performance and Optimization Addison-Wesley (1996), ISBN 0-201-42270-0
Jain R. The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis Wiley (1991) ISBN 0-471-50336-3
Hall E. Internet core protocols: the definitive guide O’Reilly (2000) ISBN 1-56592-572-6
Sloan J. Network Troubleshooting Tools O'Reilly (2001) ISBN:0-596-00186-X
Kesidis G. ATM Network Performance 2nd Ed, Kluwer Academic (2000) ISBN 0-7923-7710-9
Banks, Carson & Nelson, Discrete Event System Simulation Prentice-Hall (1999) ISBN 0-13-217449-9
Schwartz M. Telecommunication Networks: Protocols, Modelling and Analysis Addison-Wesley(1988) ISBN 0-201-16423-X

Study resources for FIT3030 are:

• This Unit Information outlining the administrative information for the unit
• The FIT3030 web site on MUSO, where lecture slides, weekly tutorial requirements, assignment specifications, sample solutions and supplementary material will be posted
• Newsgroups/discussion groups that can be linked to from the Unit Homepage
  

Teaching in this unit is conducted using Lecture, Tutorial, Laboratory tests, Assignment and Project work. The unit will have one 2-hour lecture and one 2-hour tutorial (in network Lab) each week for one semester. The topics dicussed in lectures will be supported by material from several relevant texts. The concepts introduced in the lectures will be reviewed during the tutorials with the aid of examples and exercise. Hands-on work is included in the tutorials to link the concepts discussed in lecture with practical experience in the corresponding problem domain, and to support the assignment and project work.

In addition to the time spent in lecture and tutorial, you will need to additionally allocate up to 8 hours per week for completion of Lab and project work, private study and revision. Much of this requires the use of a computer, including time for email, newsgroups/discussion groups.

The timetable for on-campus classes for this unit can be viewed in Allocate+

Assessment for the unit consists of lab tests and an assignment with a weighting of 40% and a 3-hour closed book formal examination with a weighting of 60%. Read this section VERY carefully.

To pass this unit you must:

• attempt all assignments and the examination
• attend at least 80% of tutorials
• score at least 50% of the possible marks for the entire unit
• achieve no less than 40% of the total available marks for the practical work
• achieve no less than 40% of the total available marks for the final examination

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

Prac% * 40/100 + Exam% * 60/100

Assessment Requirements

Assignment specifications will be made available on the FIT3030 website Assignments Page. Information about assignments will be published on the Unit's Notices Newsgroup.

Deliver the folder containing your assignment to the School's Assignment Collection mailbox on level 4 of the G building on Peninsula campus (outside room G4.34) by 4pm on the Friday of week 11, with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached.

Late submission of assignments

Assignments received after the due date will not be accepted unless extensions have been granted (see below).

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

Extensions

It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. 

Requests for extensions must be made by completing an Application for Extension form and forwarding this to the Lecturer for approval, at least 2 working days before the due date. The application form is available from the PSIT Administraion office or may be downloaded from the Students section of School homepage. Please note that your tutor cannot approve a request for extension. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary.

Grading of assessment

Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

We aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt. Assignments and other submitted work will normally be assessed by your tutor and will be returned during a subsequent tutorial session. Where this is not possible (eg. after end of semester) assignment work is forwarded to the lecturer and held for no more than 6 months. Work which has not been collected after this time will be discarded.

You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Preferred methods of communication for students is to initially attempt to discuss topics and raise questions with tutors before contacting the lecturer, but students may also use the discussion groups and mailing lists given on the unit web site. Students can also send email to the lecturer or ask questions during or at the end of lectures.

Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the Notices Newsgroup in the Unit Website. Check this regularly. Failure to read the Notices newsgroup is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

In addition to the scheduled class times, lecturers and tutors set aside other times for general consultations. Consulation times for Lecturer and Tutors are posted on the staff members own web sites and on personal staff timetables posted on staff office doors. Consultations occur in the staff member's office or the tutor helpdesk area (level 3 of G building at Peninsula campus). At other times, for direct communication with your unit lecturer or tutor, see the contact details shown below:

If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.