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Week 1 discussions
Networking in Society (graded) |
Explain ways that networking has changed society in
the past 10 years. Do you feel that computer networking has impacted your life?
Please explain.
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Peer-to-Peer and Client-Server |
What kind of network does your current or former
workplace have: peer to peer or client-server? What problems does it have? What
are some ideas to improve it? If you don’t know which, explain what you think
would have worked best and describe the circumstances.
Week 2 discussion
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Transmission Basics (graded) |
The lecture covers several standards. Which ones
are most common? Which ones are more or less obsolete? What can you find out
about the future of transmission and media types? What is happening with 10
Gbps? What about 100 Gbps?
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Networking Hardware and Topologies |
Let’s figure out what kind of networking equipment
an organization would need to buy. You can make assumptions on size and budget.
What do we need to purchase? Why do we need to purchase it? That is, what will
it do for us? How do we hook them together? That is, how do we cable them (or
not cable them) together? Why is there such a big difference in price with the
brands? How do network topologies figure into our selections and designs?
Week 3 discussion
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TCP/IP (graded) |
There is an alphabet soup of protocols in TCP/IP:
HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, TCP, UDP, IP, ARP, ICMP, and others. What are the
characteristics of these protocols? What are they used for? Has there been an
evolution in any of these protocols? Are there any weaknesses or disadvantages?
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Network Servers (graded) |
Search the Internet for Windows servers by Dell,
IBM, HP, and others. What are the features and prices? Which ones do you think
would be appropriate for the various Windows Server 2008 editions? It is okay
not to understand all of the specifications. When you find something you don’t
know, ask the class.
week 4 discussion
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Active Directory (AD) is arguably the most critical
component of Windows Server 2008, certainly for larger organizations. It
enables corporations to manage and secure their resources from a single
directory service and with a common interface—a very powerful tool. Because it
is so powerful and offers so many features and capabilities, it sometimes can
be complex to those looking at it for the first time. This week, we are going
to learn about AD in detail, starting with the fundamentals. As we progress during
the week, you will begin to see it’s not that intimidating after all. First,
though, let’s get the fundamentals down. What exactly is a directory service
and what are some examples in industry? Next, let’s get the definition of
Active Directory down—what exactly is it and what benefits does it provide?
After this, we’ll look at the details on how it is implemented in the business
environment.
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Linux Versus Windows Administration |
In what ways do you think administering Linux is
better than Windows? In what ways is Windows better than Linux? This can be
with regard to having to manage a single server or multiple servers.
Week 5 discussion
Week 5 discussion
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Today, wireless transmission media are commonplace
in business as well as residential applications, and their application is
growing. This week, we will learn about wireless technology by starting with
the fundamentals. How are wireless signals carried? What are the obstacles to
successful transmissions and their repercussions? What standards govern
wireless transmissions? How do we secure our wireless networks?
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VoIP (graded) |
Traditionally, packet-switched networks carried
primarily data and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) carried
telephone calls and fax transmissions. Convergence is the use of one network to
carry data, voice, and video communications simultaneously. Let’s begin this
discussion by identifying and discussing key terms such as IP telephony or
VoIP, VoATM, VoDSL, Internet telephony, FoIP, and video over IP.
Week 6 discussion
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Network Security (graded) |
In this topic please discuss security measures you
see in everyday life that you could adopt in a network environment. You can
also include security implementations of places you have worked.
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Network Integrity and Availability |
In this topic, we will discuss measures that can be
taken to ensure that a network’s programs, data, services, devices, and
connections are sound and protected from anything that might render them
unusable. What situations can compromise integrity and availability and what,
specifically, can we do to protect our networks?
