Week 1: Assignment 1

This assignment is intended to assess your understanding of the topics and theory covered in Chapters 1 and 2 of the
course textbook. Topics covered include, 1) Network Reference Models; 2) The necessity of protocol analysis; and
3) Addressing schemes for IPv4 and IPv6. For full credit, response to each short-answer question should between
75-150 words; include supporting references and parenthetical citations. Questions involving calculations must
clearly show how an answer was determined.

1. Describe a hypothetical situation where you can apply the OSI reference model in conjunction with
protocol analysis to solve a problem or think through a solution involving an information system or
network. Discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and limits of using the model and protocol analysis in that
situation.

2. Describe a real-world problem where you can apply the OSI reference model to solve a problem or to think
through a solution involving an information system or network. Discuss the advantages, disadvantages,
and limits of using the model in that situation. An example of a real-world problem could include but is not
limited to troubleshooting a home network or a connection to an internet service provider.

3. The table below partially depicts the data encapsulation/de-encapsulation process between two hosts on a
network using the OSI reference model. Completely fill out the table to accurately depict the entire
process. Discuss the reasoning behind data encapsulation/de-encapsulation as it applies to TCP/IP.

Encapsulation/De-Encapsulation
OSI Layer Host A PDU Type Data Exchange OSI Layer Host B PDU Type
Application Data <->
<->
<->
4 Transport Frames <-> 4 Transport
<->
<->
Bits <->

4. Complete the following table. Visit: http://www.arin.net/ and type the network address in the Whois Search
bar located in the top right corner of the page.

Network Address Class # Subnets Total Addresses Usable Addresses Company/Organization

65.183.128.0/19
2001:4860::/32
72.0.142.0/23
8.8.8.0/24
192.168.1.0/24
18.0.0.0/8

5. Explain the justification for the network block assignments referenced above and provide an example of
how each organization could deploy the block assignments.
Reference Example:

Chappell, L., Carrell, J. L., Tittel, E., & Pyles, J. (n.d.). Guide to TCP/IP.

Parenthetical Citation Example:

In TCP/IP networking, the transport layer has only two protocols, 1) Transmission Control Protocol; and 2) User
Datagram Protocol (Chappell, Carrell, Tittel, & Pyles, p. 19)