Semester: S2 2026
Course Code: DE5408
Schedule: Tuesdays, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Duration: 15 weeks + Examination Period
| Week | Date | Lecture Topic | Practical Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 14/07/2026 | Cisco Packet Tracer Setup & Tutorial | Packet Tracer environment, tools, and basic network setup tutorial |
| Week 2 | 21/07/2026 | Overview and Benefits of Computer Networks | Practical 1: Wired Network Topologies |
| Week 3 | 28/07/2026 | Network Topologies & Devices | Practical 2: Creating a Basic Home Local Area Network |
| Week 4 | 04/08/2026 | Physical Layer & Network Cabling | Practical 3: Network Cabling Exercise |
| Week 5 | 11/08/2026 | The OSI Model and Understanding IPv4 & Binary Maths | Practical 4: Creating a Basic LAN with Static IP Addresses |
| Week 6 | 18/08/2026 | IP Address Classification and Subnet Mask | Practical 5: Subnetting Practice Assignment |
| Week 7 | 25/08/2026 | Lecture 6: IPv4 Subnetting in Depth Class C, B & A subnetting, custom subnet masks, calculating network ID, broadcast address, valid host ranges, CIDR prefix notation, and FLSM |
Practical 6: Advanced Subnetting Practice Hands-on subnetting calculations, VLSM concepts, and Packet Tracer multi-subnet configuration |
| Week 8 | 01/09/2026 | Lecture 7: IPv6 Fundamentals & Subnetting IPv6 structure, address simplification rules, unicast/multicast/anycast, SLAAC, NDP, and IPv6 subnetting with /48, /56, and /64 prefixes |
Packet Tracer: Subnetting 172.20.0.0/16 into 16 department subnets, Router-on-a-Stick, and Multi-VLAN DHCP configuration |
| Break | 08/09/2026 | Mid-Semester Break | No Classes |
| Break | 15/09/2026 | Mid-Semester Break | No Classes |
| Week 9 | 22/09/2026 | Lecture 8: Assigning IP Addresses & DNS Static vs dynamic IP allocation, DHCP DORA process, DHCP relay agents, APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing), DNS architecture and query resolution |
Practical 8: DHCP & FTP Configure DHCP server, DHCP relay agent, and FTP file transfer on Packet Tracer |
| TestWeek 10 | 29/09/2026 | Test | Test Assessment (10%) & Review Comprehensive test covering Weeks 1–9: OSI, IPv4, Subnetting, IPv6, DHCP & DNS |
| Week 11 | 06/10/2026 | Lecture 9: Understanding Switches & VLANs Switches vs hubs, MAC address table learning, collision vs broadcast domains, VLAN concept, 802.1Q trunking, Layer 3 switching vs Layer 2 switching |
Practical 10: Two Departmental VLANs Configure VLANs, trunk ports, and inter-VLAN routing for two departments |
| Week 12 | 13/10/2026 | Lecture 10: Understanding Routers & Routing Routing table lookup, static routing vs dynamic routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP), administrative distance (AD), default routes, configuring inter-VLAN routing (Router-on-a-Stick) |
Practical 11: Broken Office Network Rescue Diagnose and fix a multi-fault office network using sub-interfaces, VLANs, and static routing |
| Week 13 | 20/10/2026 | Lecture 11: Multi-Branch Networks & Capstone Integration End-to-end network architecture review, WAN connectivity, multi-branch network integration, and Skills Exam troubleshooting strategies |
Practical 12 & 13: Capstone Network Infrastructure Routed two-branch network configuration, serial links, fault diagnosis, and comprehensive practical exam prep |
| ExamWeek 14 | 27/10/2026 | Skills-based Exam | Practical Skills Assessment (40%) & |
| ExamWeek 15 | 03/11/2026 | Final Online Exam | Final Online Exam (10%) |
| ExamWeek 16 | 10/11/2026 | Examination Period | Examination Period |
| ExamWeek 17 | 17/11/2026 | Examination Period | Final Examination (40%) |
Key Deliverables & Assessments
| Week | Assessment | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 10 | Test | 29/09/2026 | 10% |
| Week 14 | Skills-based Exam | 27/10/2026 | 40% |
| Week 15 | Final Online Exam | 03/11/2026 | 10% |
| Week 17 | Final Examination | 17/11/2026 | 40% |