Created as part of the Master of information Technology and Master of Applied Information Technology Units - 2009

This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

This unit is one of four core units in the Digital Communications Specialisation in the MIT and MAIT and an elective in all FIT masters. It is a level 4 specified elective unit in the MDC (offered by FIT) and MTC (offered by Engineering). It looks at programming and software issues for various aspects of digital communications, and hence is related to the other specified electives for the MDC.

FIT5162 replaces CSE4883 in the Master of Digital Communications, a cognate degree offered by the Faculty of IT. It builds upon assumed prerequisite knowledge at the level of an undergraduate introductory unit in Networks and Data Communications (such as the FIT common core unit FIT1005 or FIT2008 or equivalent study) and undergraduate programming competency. This unit provides MDC graduates with detailed knowledge about programming and software which underpin all aspects of digital communications. Such technical knowledge and skills are essential for IT professionals working in digital communications software development or software support. In addition, Digital communications is an active area of research within the Faculty, and this unit (and the other MDC courseware units) contribute to the Faculty's research-teaching nexus.

At the completion of this unit students will have

A knowledge and understanding of:

• design, role of software and implementation of communication protocols;
• description and implementation of finite state machines.

Developed the ability to:

• implement protocol data unit encoders, decoders and circular buffers in software;
• handle polling and interrupt dispatch mechanisms and real time constraints on communications software performance;
• structure multithreaded and multiprocess communications software;
• analyse real-time and resource demands of communications protocols to determine appropriate implementation structures;
• evaluate communications software to determine that it meets the protocol and specifications;
• use the UNIX/C operating system environment for programming simple communication protocols using a finite state machine implementation;
• use operating system kernel facilities in their programs to ensure real-time protocol constraints are met by their communications software;
• test and verify that their software implementation meets the protocol specifications.

020103

This unit will introduce communication protocol engineering and the software implementation of communication protocols using finite state machines as a communications protocol specification and their software implementation. Students will also learn software implementation of protocol data unit encoders and decoders using the Unix/C programming environment to manage buffer space, handle real-time communications protocol constraints and manage interrupts and polling of communications hardware.

On-campus

Examination (2 hours): 30%; In-semester assessment: 70%

6

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

FIT

For MAIT students, FIT9017, FIT9018, FIT9019, FIT9030, FIT9020 and FIT4037.