Volume 3

9 pages 902 K bytes

Reconciling Principle and Practice in a LAN Course: A Simulation and Lab Mixed Approach Tao Li Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA 91702, USA Samuel E. Sambasivam Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA 91702, USA

Abstract: Teaching Local Area Network (LAN) may need a balance between LAN principle and LAN practice. The important principles of LAN are mostly embedded in the physical (PHY) layer and the MAC layer. MAC and PHY protocols are integrated in VLSI chips and are not accessible to ordinary users. Without a good understanding of the principle, students may not learn much about LAN. So it is crucial that a LAN course strike a balance between principle and lab practice. We present such an approach to teaching LAN, using a combination of lectures, simulation tools and lab experiments. This approach gives students both a good understanding of the LAN protocols and the use of LAN in today's data networking.

Keywords: local area network, LAN, protocols, physical layer, PHY, media access control, MAC, simulation, lab experiments

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Recommended Citation: Li and Sambasivam (2005). Reconciling Principle and Practice in a LAN Course: A Simulation and Lab Mixed Approach. Information Systems Education Journal, 3 (27). http://isedj.org/3/27/. ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2004: §3235. ISSN: 1542-7382.)