The primary role of a network engineer is to design, install, maintain and support communication networks within an organisation or between organisations. You will need to maintain high levels of network performance and availability for your users, such as staff, clients, customers and suppliers. You will understand network configuration, cloud, network administration and monitoring tools, and be able to give technical advice and guidance. As part of your role you will need to be proficient in technology solutions as they will analyse system requirements to ensure the network and its services operate to desired levels. You will need to understand the data traffic and transmission across the network as they have a major role to play in ensuring network security.

Pre-requisite ECM3436 Network Engineering 1

The aim of this module is to extend your skills and expertise in network engineering with a more detailed understanding of network protocols, methods of capacity planning, the design and construction of more complex distributed networks and the use of techniques to improve network performance.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge

1. Plan, design, build and test a simple network to a requirement specification that includes hubs, switches, routers and wireless user devices applying appropriate security products and processes

2. Identify the key characteristics of a new network service and develop estimates of the expected traffic intensity and traffic load that the network must support

3. Determine the minimum network capacity of planned networks to meet network requirements

4. Design, build, test, configure and optimise a distributed network (more than 1 sub-net), including switches, routers and firewalls to meet given requirements

5. Analyse network performance and troubleshoot typical problems in networks

6. Identify and evaluate network security risks and incorporate appropriate security products and processes into network designs to increase security, resilience and dependability

7. Install and configure network components, including switches, routers and firewalls

8. Optimise components in a computer network to meet a given requirement

9. Design a network system upgrade based on new and existing components 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge.

10. The fundamental building blocks (e.g. routers, switches, hubs, storage, transmission) and typical architectures (e.g. server/client, hub/spoke) of computers networks and the Internet

11. The main features of routing and Internet network protocols in use, their purpose and relationship to each other, including the physical and data link layer  (e.g. https, HTTP, SMTP, SNMP, TCP, IP, etc.).

12. The main factors that affect network performance (e.g. the relationship between bandwidth, number of users, nature of traffic, contention)

13. Failure modes in protocols (e.g. why a protocol may ‘hang’ and the effect of data communication errors).

14. The ways to improve performance (e.g. application of traffic shaping, changes to architecture to avoid bottlenecks, network policy that prohibit streaming protocols).

15. The issues that may arise in the day to day operation of networks and how to resolve them

16. Data formats and protocol and how they relate to each other

17. The different approaches to error control in a network.

18. The main routing protocols in use in computer networks and explain the differences between static and dynamic routing protocols and the pros and cons of each in different circumstances.

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge

19. Communicate orally and in writing

20. Solve problems creatively

21. Think analytically and critically

22. Organise your own work

23. Work to a deadline

24. Make decisions

Introduction (1 week)

•          Components, architectures, data formats, protocols (revision)

•          Approaches to error control in a network

•          Failure modes in protocols; why a protocol may ‘hang’; effect of communication errors

Capacity planning (3 weeks)

•          Developing estimates of the expected traffic intensity and load that the network must support

•          Determining the minimum network capacity to meet requirements

Designing and constructing distributed networks (5 weeks)

•          Designing, building, testing, configuring and optimising a distributed network (more than 1 sub-net) to meet given requirements

•          Using security products and processes in network design to increase security, resilience and dependability

           o          Identifying and evaluating network security risks

           o          Using switches, routers and firewalls

•          Optimising components in a network to meet a given requirement

•          Designing a network system upgrade based on new and existing components

Improving network performance (3 weeks)

•          Analysing network performance

•          Traffic shaping

•          Changes to architecture to avoid bottlenecks

•          Network policies to prohibit streaming protocols

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be deferred in the assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you may be required to sit a referral. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 40%.

ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Reading list for this module: