MIS 4477
Network and Security Infrastructure
JAKE MESSINGER (jake@uh.edu)
Exam 1 Notes

LAYOUT:

• 40 Multiple choice questions, 2 points each - BRING RED SCANTRON (available in bookstore)
  
• 2 essay questions, 10 points each
• Paper Test Packet
  

RULES:

• You may NOT bring the book or any printed documentation or electronic devices.
• You MAY bring up to 10 pages (front and back) of "HAND WRITTEN" notes - that I must approve (show me when you come to the front of the class to get the test packet). You must TURN IN any hand written notes with your scantron and test packet.
  
• Eyes on your own Test. This is not a group project. Please, no "excessive" head moving especially side to side.
• Write essay question answers directly on the test packet. Do not disassemble the test packet.
  
• Do not remove the test from classroom. Students caught with a copy of one of my tests outside the classroom will be dropped from the class with an “F" and are subject for academic review per the University Rules.
• No hats or baseball caps, notes, books, electronic translators, or any other extraneous/superfluous/covert items. A non-alchoholic beverage is okay. No food.
• You may NOT leave during the test so go to the bathroom, feed the meter, put on deodorant or pray to the deity of your choice first.

GRADING:

• You must put your full name and PeopleSoft ID on the test to receive a proper grade.
• Write your essay answers on the blank pages in the test packet. YOU MUST TURN IT BACK IN whether or not you complete the test.
• I will email grades within 72 hours. Please notify me if you do NOT want your grade available on the web, although no identifying information is given out, just your grades.
• Occasionally there are 1 or 2 questions are dropped from a test if they are determined to be not legitimate or appropriate after the fact.

AFTERMATH:

• We will discuss the test at the following class meeting, YOU SHOULD ATTEND. This is your chance to dispute any questions and humble me in front of the rest of the class.
• If you missed the test, you may make it up ONLY with a valid medical excuse OR if I have given you permission previous to the test day.
• If you perform poorly on the test (lower than 50%), I suggest you drop the course. I will assign a W for your grade; however, please note that I will give everyone that scored below a B but above an F a chance to essentially REDO the test for some credit. Details will be given only if this is necessary.

TEST CONTENT:
Questions will come MOSTLY from my notes, and the Power Point Presentations, although it would be a very good idea to Google the datapoints. There will be no SPECIFIC questions from any of the case studies in the book if you happened to have purcahsed it.

Please note that because of the brevity of the test, I am not able to ask questions over all the topics that I felt were important for you to know, otherwise the test would be 100+ questions. I placed less emphasis on physical technical issues and tried to ask more questions about the background and functions of different levels and protocols. I will ask questions about Netmasks but we will not do any subnet calculations until Exam 2

(The following datapoints possibly relate to at least one specific questions on the test, although not in this order. Not all of these topics will be on your test. There are multiple versions:

 

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Data Communications

 

·        Be familiar with the Federal Judge order in 1984 that broke up Ma Bell and also Telecommunications Act of 1996 and what impact it had on the industry.

·        What changed in 1983 with respect to the Internet? What 2 parts were created?

·        Describe the difference and relative scope of a LAN, BN, MAN and WAN.

·        How does the Internet model differ from the OSI model? What are the layer differences?

·        Know what each layer of the Internet model is responsible for. What are the functions and how do they communicate with the other layers.

·        Define a “protocol” and give some examples of protocols used at each layer, e.g. Twisted Pair, Ethernet, IP, TCP, HTTP.

·        What is the difference between de facto standards and official (de juro) standards and explain why standards are important in Networking.

·        Know these Standards making groups: ANSI, ISO, ITU-T, IEEE

 

Chapter 2 - Application Layer

 

·        Define “Application Architecture”

·        Define a “cluster”.

·        What is tiered architecture? Describe different levels and the advantages/disadvantages of each (think in terms of cost, complexity and scalability)What is “middleware”.

·        What is a “thin” client versus a fat or thick client?

·        What is a client/server architecture? What are the pro's and con's of it versus a Host based and also a PC based architecture?

·        Define “URL”.

·        What is the main difference between SMTP, POP(3) and IMAP email protocols?

 

Chapter 3 - Physical Layer

 

·        Give some physical layer protocols.

·        Understand the difference between analog and digital data.

·        What is the difference between point to point and multipoint (shared) circuits?

·        What is simplex transmission versus half and full duplex?

·        Pro’s and Con’s of using Fiber Optic cable versus twisted pair or Coax

·        Define Propagation Delay and understand why it is an issue with Satellite Transmission.

·        Know the important factors in choosing media

·        What is wave amplitude versus frequency?

·        Define “Modulation”

·        What is “DSL” and how is it similar and different from Cable Modem service.

 

Chapter 4 - Data Link Layer

 

·        What is Media Access control and on what are its responsibilities?

·        What is the difference between contention based and token passing and polled access control?

·        Which is better for large networks? Contention Based or Controlled approach?

·        Which types of media are more/less susceptible to “noise”?

·        What is the primary source of errors on data networks at this layer?

·        Define Attenuation.

·        Understand what error checking and error correcting is. (ACKs and NAKs)

 

 

Chapter 5 - Transport and Network Layer

 

·        What is the difference between the Transport and Network Layers?

·        What is TCP/IP? What does the TCP part do? What does the IP part do? Who invented it?

·        How are port address used to link the transport/network layer to the application layer. Give some standard port addresses for commonly used applications.

·        What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6 and why was IPv6 invented?

·        What is a Netmask? What is a Class A, B and C subnet network?

·        What is the difference between Unicast, Broadcast and Multicast?

 

POSSIBLE ESSAY QUESTIONS:

 

·        Be able to draw the Internet model with all the elements at each level and describe what goes on at each level

·        Be able to describe what happens to a web request as it pases from your application layer to a server's (reciever's) application layer.

·        Be able to do some “Netmask Math” to calculate IP address needs.

End of Exam 1 Notes

© 2014 Jake Messinger (all rights reserved)
Dept of Decision and Information Sciences (MIS)
Bauer College of Business
University Of Houston