Part 1:

A. On the page xxx of our text book "Telecommunication Essential", the author, Lillian Goleniewski explains the three areas of remarkable development that drive our networking evolution. The author says,

There are three main measurements of the digital world:

¦ Processing power, measured in the number of transistors and operations per second
¦ Storage, measured in the number of bytes
¦ Bandwidth, or digital data transmission, measured in bits per second

At the end, she concludes, "As with CPUs (cost per MIPS) and storage (cost per KB), the cost per Kbps of bandwidth is rapidly approaching $0".

Do you agree with the author of the trend (Cost) rapidly approaching $0? If you don't, why?

If you do, then do you believe that the cost of Processing Power, Storage Power and Networking speed, will eventually be zero and we (normal people) will get these things for free.

B. There are two kinds of switching technologies in telecommunication: Circuit Switching and Packet Switching. Which one comes first? Which one is more complicated? Which Switching Technology is easy to implement for voice communication?
Please see the attachment. Is it appropriate to use the analogy of train track vs. free way system to explain Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching?

Part 2:

A. Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP). What is VoIP and how is it different from the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)? What are some issues an organization (not individuals) should analyze when evaluating the move from a traditional phone system to VoIP? Explain the impact (positive and negative) on an organization when moving to and using VoIP.

B. Write a 200- to 300-word response to the following: What is the nature of digital signals, binary, and other multilevel signal types? What are the advantages of digital signals over analog signals? Cover noise suppression in your explanation.

C. Explain digital multiplexing, the digital T(X), and SONET hierarchy. Explain the differences between the American and European systems.

D. Explain digital services such as Integrated Services Digital Network, Switched Multimegabit Data System, and Switch 56.

Part 3:

A. What is a packet? What is packet switching? How would you explain the concept of packet switching? What are the advantages and disadvantages of packet switching over circuit switching?

B. How would you describe "what is the internet?" How does it work? What makes the internet the same/different (technology wise) from other packet networks? (You may need to do additional research on different WAN technologies). What's the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web?

C. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your selection? What type of media is typically used for connectivity? What are the performance specs in terms of reliability, speed capabilities, and nominal distance for reliable spans with the typical media? Provide an example of how the selected network processor is used in the network.

Part 5:

A. Briefly describing the benefits of the physical media type you chose. Briefly compare and contrast the media you chose with the others covered in the chapter. Describe why a business would choose this media. Be specific.

B. Check out these websites on WiMax (http://www.wimax.com/, http://www.wimaxforum.org/). Combined the readings in Telecom Essentials, do additional research (such as the ERR, library and internet research), and answer the following questions:
Briefly describe WiMax. What was the original intent of WiMax? How has it evolved? What are some of the upcoming visions for WiMax? Would you consider WiMax as a WAN alternative? Why/why not?

C. What is a LAN subnet? What are some of the strategies for a network administrator to consider use subnetting (why do it)? What, if any, equipment is needed? Are there other alternatives that can accomplish similar results?

Part 5:

A. Write a 200- to 300-word response to the following question: What are the predominant electronic and physical threats to communications networks?

B. What is the importance of explicit enterprise security policies and procedures?

C. Many LAN administrators require frequent password changes. Why? What do you think is the purpose for this practice? Is this a valid process for strong security? Or could it be a weakness?