UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT2311 NETWORK SYSTEMS DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT
FULL TIME/PART TIME/DISTANCE LEARNING
DATE: DECEMBER 2018 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer Question ONE (Compulsory) and Any Other Two Questions.
Question One (30 Marks) – Compulsory
(a) Define the following terminologies as used in computer networks:
(i) Routing [1 Mark]
(ii) Logical addressing [1 Mark]
(iii) Routing protocol [1 Mark]
(iv) Distortion [1 Mark]
(v) Attenuation [1 Mark]
(b) (i) When is it necessary to use a public IP address on a routing interface? [1 Mark]
(ii) The network administrator has asked you to check the status of the workstation’s IP stack by
pinging the loopback address. Which address would you ping to perform this task?
[1 Mark]
(iii) Which command is used to see the path taken by packets across an IP network? [1 Mark]
(c) Discuss the stages involved when gathering symptoms for a network problem. [5 Marks]
(d) Discuss the following software troubleshooting tools:
(i) NMS tools [3 Marks]
(ii) Protocol Analyzers [2 Marks]
(iii) Wireshark [2 Marks]
(e) List four motivations for using VLANs in a switched LAN. [4 Marks]
(f) State the functions of any six of the most widely known and implemented TCP/IP application layer
protocols. [6 Marks]
Question Two Total – 20 Marks
(a) In what ways can network managers enhance availability and reliability of their networks?
[6 Marks]
(b) Explain the following :
(i) Storage Area Networks (SAN). [2 Marks]
(ii) Virtual Private Network (VPN). [2 Marks]
(iii) 10BASE5. [2 Marks]
(iv) 10BASE-T [2 Marks]
(c) You can segment a network using three devices. List these devices and explain the merits and
demerits of using each. [6 Marks]
Question Three Total – 20 Marks
(a) As a network designer, you need to identify and plan for three main domains in a network. List and
briefly discuss these domains. [6 Marks]
(b) Availability of a network is a measure that focuses on the usefulness of the network. Explain the
issues that affect availability of a network. [6 Marks]
(c) An operating system that provides the connectivity among a number of autonomous computers is
called a network operating system. Compare a Windows-based Server OS and UNIX/Linux-based
OS in terms of security. [3 Marks]
(d) (i) Define the term convergences used in Computer networks [1 Mark]
(ii) Converged networks have existed for a while now, but were only feasible in large
enterprise organizations. Why? [4 Marks]
Question Four Total – 20 Marks
(a) Explain three functions that CSMA/CD uses in Ethernet [3 Marks]
(b) You are performing network troubleshooting and you notice that there are a high number of FCS
errors from a single station. Explain what this indicates [4 Marks]
(c) State any four functions of a Web browser [4 Marks]
(d) List five major components that make up a LAN [5 Marks]
(e) Explain briefly what WANs are designed to do [4 Marks]
Question Five Total – 20 Marks
(a) Which of the following are private IP addresses? 10.1.1.1, 172.32.20.55, 192.167.10.10,
172.25.197.250, 224.6.6.6, 192.168.5.5 [3 Marks]
(b) State the classes to which IP addresses can be grouped and give the ranges for the first octet decimal
values. [5 Marks]
(c) Calculate the number of networks that can be found in Class A, Class B and Class C. [3 Marks]
(d) Calculate the number of hosts in each Class A network, Class B network. [4 Marks]
(e) Write the network and broadcast addresses for the IP Address 210.189.137.100 with Subnet Mask –
255.255.255.240 [2 Marks]
(f) State the ranges of private addresses for Class A, Class B and Class C. [3 Marks]
