Exam Topics - CS442 - Exam #1

The exam is closed book and closed notes, but you are allowed a one page 8.5 X 11 "cheat sheet" where you can put down whatever material you wish, both sides.  Calculators are also allowed if you feel that one is necessary.  The exam topics are listed below:

History of Networking, Internet

• ARPANET, original motivations
• WWW growth, commercialization

Network Classifications

• LAN, Backbone, Metropolitan, WAN
• Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching networks

Layered Model

• Why there are layers and what each does
• Physical
• Data Link / Data Access
• Addressing (MAC address)
• Network / IP
• Addressing (IP address)
• Routing
• Transport / TCP / UDP
• Addressing (ports)
• Segmentation
• Ordered Delivery
• Flow Control
• Application
• Relation to the Network Game (might use as an example)
• Don't worry about OSI Model

Protocols and Apps

• Importance of standards
• Workings of ping
• Workings of traceroute
• Workings of SMTP
• Connection Based vs. Connectionless
• TCP vs. UDP

Network Programming

• Be able to READ code in C using either the sockets API or Comer networking API, but you won't be asked to WRITE any code
• Includes understanding the sockaddr struct, using bind function call, the select call, etc.

Transmission Media

• Know major concepts only for this test, may need details for the next test
• Guided media
• Twisted Pair, Coax, Fiber
• Major characteristics of each media  (attenuation, distance, supoprted data rates)
• No unguided media questions for this test