Office Use Only
Monash University
Faculty of Information Technology
Sample Exam Paper
EXAM CODES:
FIT1005
TITLE OF PAPER:
Networks and Data Communications
EXAM DURATION:
180 minutes writing time
READING TIME:
10 minutes
THIS PAPER IS FOR STUDENTS STUDYING AT: ( tick where applicable)
 Berwick
 Clayton
 Malaysia  South Africa
 Caulfield  Peninsula
Candidates must complete this section
STUDENT ID ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
DESK NUMBER ___ ___ ___ ___
During an exam, you must not have in your possession, a book, notes, paper, calculator, pencil case, or other
material/item which has not been authorised for the exam or specifically permitted as noted below. Any material
or item on your desk, chair or person will be deemed to be in your possession. You are reminded that possession
of unauthorised materials in an exam is a discipline offence under Monash Statute 4.1.
Candidates are reminded that they should have no material on their desks unless its use has been specifically
permitted by the following instructions.
AUTHORISED MATERIALS
CALCULATORS
 YES
 NO
OPEN BOOK
 YES
 NO
SPECIFICALLY PERMITTED ITEMS
 YES
 NO
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
1.
This Exam consists of:
Part A – 20 Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark per question is 20 marks)
Part B – 7 Questions (70 marks)
Part C – 2 Scenario Questions (30 marks)
Total 120 marks.
2.
Write your ID number and Desk number in the section above.
3.
Attempt all parts. Multiple choice answers must be circled on the exam paper.
4.
This Examination Paper MUST NOT be taken from the Examination Room. It must be placed in the front
of your exam script book.
Part A – Multiple Choice Questions (20marks)
There is only one correct answer for each question; no marks are deducted for incorrect answers.
Please circle your answers on this sheet
Q1.
Which OSI Model layer is the fourth layer above the physical layer?
a)
Session
b)
Transport
c)
Application
d)
Physical
e)
None of the above
Q2.
Rank the following transmission media (optical fibre, coaxial cable and twisted pair) according
to their channel capacity from the highest to the lowest.
a)
Optical Fibre, Coaxial Cable, Twisted Pair.
b)
Optical Fibre, Twisted Pair, Coaxial cable.
c)
Twisted Pair, Coaxial Cable, Optical Fibre.
d)
Coaxial cable, Optic fibre, Twisted Pair.
e)
None of the above
Q3
As a user’s message moves from the lowest layer to the top layer of the OSI Model,
protocol headers are:
a)
Added
b)
Removed
c)
Rearranged
d)
Modified
e)
None of the above
Q4.
Which of the following transmission impairments adds unwanted signals to a transmitted
signal?
a)
Attenuation
b)
Delay Distortion
c)
Crosstalk
d)
Attenuation Distortion
e)
None of the above
Q5.
What is the bandwidth of a signal that ranges from 35 kHz to 95 kHz?
a)
130 kHz
b)
60 kHz
c)
35 kHz
d)
95 kHz
e)
None of the above
Q6.
A television (TV) transmission is an example of which type of transmission?
a)
Simplex
b)
Half duplex
c)
Full duplex
d)
Automatic
e)
None of the above
Part A – Multiple Choice Questions (20marks)
There is only one correct answer for each question; no marks are deducted for incorrect answers.
Please circle your answers on this sheet
Q7.
According to Nyquist’s theorem, the maximum transmission rate (in bps) on a noiseless
channel for a given bandwidth is:
a) Half the bandwidth
b) Equal to the highest signal frequency
c) Twice highest signal frequency
d) Twice the bandwidth
e) None of the above
Q8.
In asynchronous transmission:
a)
a start bit is needed before the transmission of a byte
b)
no stop bit is required
c)
a character consists of 5 bits
d)
a stop bit returns the line to the non-idle state
e)
None of the above
Q9.
In the “Go-Back-N” ARQ mechanism, the maximum window size for a k-bit sequence number
field in information frames is:
a)
k
b)
k+1
c)
2k
d)
2k-1
e)
None of the above
Q10.
What topology is illustrated in the diagram below?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Star
Bus
Tree
Ring
None of the above
Part A – Multiple Choice Questions (20marks)
There is only one correct answer for each question; no marks are deducted for incorrect answers.
Please circle your answers on this sheet
Q11.
Which of the following Ethernet standards does not utilize the CSMA/CD access method?
a)
1000 Mbps Ethernet
b)
500 Mbps Ethernet
c)
100 Mbps Ethernet
d)
10 Mbps Ethernet
e)
None of the above
Q12.
Which LAN standard has the highest data rate?
a)
10Base5
b)
10Base-T
c)
Twisted Pair Token Ring
d)
FDDI
e)
None of the above
Q13.
Which of the following IP Network addresses is a reserved address?
a)
127.0.0.0
b)
130.50.0.0
c)
197.65.10.0
d)
4.0.0.0
e)
None of the above
Q14.
When installing an Ethernet 10BASE-T network, what type of cable is used?
a)
Fiber Optic
b)
Coaxial Cable
c)
Twisted Pair
d)
Wireless
e)
None of the above
Q15.
The key requirement/s for a routing function in packet-switching networks is/are:
a)
Efficiency
b)
Correctness, Simplicity and Fairness
c)
Optimality, Robustness and Stability
d)
All of the above
e)
None of the above
Q16.
In alternate routing scheme (circuit-switched networks), the responsibility to select the
appropriate route for each call rests on the:
a)
End station
b)
Routing station or switch at mid-point
c)
Originating switch
d)
End station and the originating switch
e)
None of the above
Part A – Multiple Choice Questions (20marks)
There is only one correct answer for each question; no marks are deducted for incorrect answers.
Please circle your answers on this sheet
Q17.
In packet switched networks that use distributed routing:
a)
The central node typically makes use of information obtained from all nodes for the
purpose of forwarding packets
b)
Each node has the responsibility of selecting an output link for routing packets as they
arrive, based on a routing table
c)
A routing decision is made by source only
d)
A routing decision is made by the central node based on best performance criteria
e)
None of the above
Q18.
Which of the following sequences best describes the establishment, communication and
termination of a communication session using a packet switched network?
a)
Setup, Data transfer, Disconnect
b)
Data Transfer, Disconnect
c)
Dial, Data Transfer, Disconnect
d)
Dial, Setup, Data Transfer
e)
None of the above
Q19.
A typical digital telephone channel in TDM circuits is allocated a speed of
a)
4 kbps
b)
8 kbps
c)
64 kbps
d)
1.544 Mbps
e)
None of the above
Q20.
Which of the following is not a WAN technology?
a)
X.25
b)
Frame Relay
c)
ATM
d)
TCP/IP
e)
None of the above
Part B – Questions (70marks)
Q1.
Discuss in detail, the reasons why a layered Network Architecture Model is used to construct a
communications network.
(10 marks)
Q2.
In relation to modulation and data encoding:
a)
Define the term modulation.
b)
Given a bit string, 001110101, show via a diagram how it can be encoded on to a sine
wave analog signal using Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK).
c)
Define and discuss in detail, using an example to illustrate each, the following
transmission modes:
i)
Simplex
ii)
Half-Duplex
ii)
Full-Duplex
d)
Define the following characteristics in relation to the simple sine wave model for an
analog signal:
i)
Amplitude
ii)
Frequency
iii)
Phase
(2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 10 marks)
Q3.
In relation to Local Area Networks:
a)
What is the main downfall of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) method?
How do Collision Detection (CD) methods help alleviate this problem?
b)
What fields are contained in a Medium Access Control (MAC) frame?
Describe three of these.
c)
What are the differences between half and full duplex Ethernet? What happens to the
theoretical transfer rate when a full duplex transmission mode is used?
(3 + 4 + 3 = 10 marks)
Q4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Identify the disadvantages of fragmenting data. Discuss two of these disadvantages.
What is the role of sequencing in a connection-oriented data transfer?
Why are global and device-level addressing systems necessary?
In what scenarios are priority and QoS (Quality of Service) protocol services useful
(3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10 marks)
Q5.
In relation to routing in switched networks:
a)
Explain the routing technique known as “flooding.”
b)
What are the main advantages of this technique?
c)
What are the main disadvantages?
(4 + 3 + 3 = 10 marks)
Q6.
Discuss in detail and compare the following modes of data transmission on a communication
link. Use diagrams to help illustrate your answers.
a)
Asynchronous transmission.
b)
Synchronous transmission.
(5 + 5 = 10 marks)
Q7.
a)
b)
List three advantages of the packet switching technique compared with that of circuit
switching.
Define the following terms in the context of message delivery over a network, and link
utilization.
i.
Propagation delay.
ii.
Transmission time.
iii.
Node delay.
(4 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10 marks)
Part C – Scenario Question (30marks)
Q1.
You have been asked to configure the hardware for a LAN to provide office automation
capabilities for a factory. The Factory Manager has asked you to provide a LAN that will make
use of four IBM compatibles with 128 MB of memory, two IBM compatibles with 256 MB of
memory, two IBM compatibles with 512 MB of memory, a photocopier, a laser printer and two
ink jet printers. In addition, some employees will need to access the LAN from home to
transfer files and to do remote printing.
There are currently no network facilities installed in the factory. Each of the printers is attached
to one particular desktop, and the photocopier is not attached to any computers.
Using a physical star topology, draw a network diagram of your proposed LAN. Label all
hardware components in your diagram. Support your network diagram, by providing an
explanation of the following:
i.
ii.
Q2.
equipment, software, and cabling that will be needed to connect each device to the LAN
details of configuration of the hardware, software, and communications capabilities
required at the LAN and home user ends of the connection.
A company has two large computers connected by a synchronous communication line having a
speed of 56kbps. These computers are 300 kilometres apart. Each location also has a LAN. The
company wants to allow all computer users, those connected to the LANs as well as those
connected to the large computers, to be able to communicate. Is the current connection
sufficient for the proposed configuration? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
(20 + 10 = 30 marks)
- END OF EXAM -