The University of Texas at Dallas

School of Management

MIS 6316 Syam Menon

Data Communications Spring 2009
Syllabus

Office SOM 3.421

Phone (972) 883–4779
E-mail syam@utdallas.edu

Class Hours Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. (SOM 2.102)

Office Hours Tuesdays, 5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m., and by appointment

Text Book Business Data Communications, 6e, by William Stallings.

Prentice Hall, ISBN-10: 0136067417, ISBN-13: 9780136067412

Outline Advances in networking and communication technologies have made the network inseparable
from the computers it links together. Information Systems managers need to have an in-
depth understanding of a multitude of issues related to data communications ranging from
the technical to the managerial in order to make educated decisions regarding them. This
course is an introduction to the basic concepts underlying voice/data communications, local
area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet. It is intended to make you aware of
various data communications technologies, and to enable you to make informed decisions
regarding them.

Handouts WebCT. You are responsible for all handout related material irrespective of attendance.

Examinations Two closed-book, closed-notes examinations will be given in class; the first will be on
February 24, 2008, while the second will be on April 14, 2008. Each will be worth 25%
of the final grade. Only a pen or pencil is allowed during examinations. If you miss
the first examination, its weight will be added to that of the second examination.
Make-up examinations will not be available.

Homework There will be five homework assignments in this course, each worth 5% of the final grade.
You will have one week to work on each.

Term Paper 25% of the final grade will be determined by your performance on a term paper. Term papers
can be undertaken in groups of up to three students. The topic for the paper is flexible,
but has to involve some form of new technology (related to telecommunications). A 1-page
proposal is due on or before February 24, 2008 and must be approved by the instructor;
failure to submit a proposal by this date will result in a grade of zero for the paper.
Topics will be approved on a first-come-first-served basis, and no two groups can work on the
same topic. The final paper is due on or before April 21, 2008. The paper should be in 12-
point font, double-spaced, and between 10-12 pages in length. It should include a minimum
of five appropriate references and citations (Wikipedia is not an appropriate research source).
Each group is required to make a 20-minute presentation of their work; these presentations
will be on April 21, April 28 and May 12 (if necessary). A professional paper in terms of
style and mechanics (spelling, etc.) is expected. The grade for the project will be determined
primarily on the ideas put forward in the paper, the evidence and logical thought provided
to support these ideas, the organization of the write-up, and on the presentation itself. 50%
of the project grade will depend on the quality of the presentation, 50% on the submitted
paper. All students are required to attend class on these two days; failure to do
so will result in a deduction of 10% for each day.
MIS 6316 — Data Communications Spring 2009
Syam Menon page 2

Grades The default schedule for grade assignment will be: (≥ 90%) ⇒ A, (≥ 80% & < 90%) ⇒ B, (≥
70% & < 80%) ⇒ C, (≥ 60% & < 70%) ⇒ D, (< 60%) ⇒ F . I may adjust the final cut-offs
downward based on the degree of difficulty of the graded material.

Comments You are responsible for any announcements made in class. This includes any alterations to
the tentative schedule. You are also responsible for material distributed in class and through
WebCT.
Only a pen or pencil is allowed during examinations and quizzes.
Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary proceedings as noted in the student catalog at
http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/graddean/CAT2006/appendices/Appendix1.htm

Objectives Module I: FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATIONS

Lecture 1: Describe the layers of the important network models
Explain the need for standards, and the process of standardization
Lecture 2: Describe the fundamentals of transmission, including the types of signaling
and transmission, signal impairments.
Calculate channel capacity in noiseless and noisy channels.
Lecture 3: Describe the fundamentals of transmission, including the types of signaling
and transmission, signal impairments.
Calculate channel capacity in noiseless and noisy channels.
Lecture 4: Identify and describe different types of signal encoding schemes.
Lecture 5: Explain processes of transmission, error detection, and flow control.
Analyze the efficiency of transmission.
Module II: SWITCHING & NETWORKING
Lecture 6: Explain various forms of multiplexing and switching.
Analyze the effect of packet size on transmission time.
Lecture 7: Describe and analyze routing in circuit and packet switched networks.
Identify least cost routes using Dijkstra’s algorithm.
Lecture 8: Describe and classify LANS; describe LAN components.
Explain the functioning of various types of technologies related to LANs.
Lecture 9: Describe various cellular concepts and technologies.
Module III: SECURITY
Lecture 6: Describe various threats, and the major requirements to ensure security.
Describe and analyze symmetric and public-key encryption schemes, and
related operations.

Tentative Course Outline

Dates Jan 13 Jan 20 Jan 27 Feb 03 Feb 10 Feb 17 Feb 24

Lecture 01 02 03 04 05 05 exam
01

Dates March 03 Mar 10 Mar 17 Mar 24 Mar 31 Apr 07 Apr 14

Lecture 06 07 Spring 08 09 10 exam
Break 02

Dates Apr 21 Apr 28 May 05 May 12

Lecture Present- Present- Dead Present-
ations ations Week ations