NETWORK PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT - 2025/6

Module Overview

Wireless networks (wide area cellular / satellite, local area residential / business, and ad-hoc / mesh) are an essential part of modern day communication / computing facilities. The network deployment, planning and management are the key issues ¿ all the network components must conform to the given hardware and software specifications in order that they can be interconnected and work successfully for the intended Quality of Service (QoS). This module introduces essential concepts about the network planning, network deployment and network management for a successful running of the network with a focus on software defined networking and virtualisation.

Module provider

Computer Science and Electronic Eng

Module Leader

SUN Zhili (CS & EE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative module content is as follows:
¿ Cellular communications overview and the generations
- Main Technical Challenges (Multipath propagation, Noise / Interference limited systems, limited energy, user mobility)
- Multiple Access Overview (FDMA / TDMA / CDMA / Packet Radio)
- Link Budget overview
- Overview of cellular / Wifi generations
¿ Cell planning and data management
- Cell Planning
- Reuse distance
- Cell shape
- HetNets deployments
- Coverage / Capacity optimisation
¿ Network and Performance Management Models
- Network Management System
- The TMN Reference Model
- TMN Components
- The generic functional areas
- Fault management
- Configuration management
- Accounting management
- Performance management
- Security management
* ntroduction to Traffic Engineering (TE)
- Intra-domain TE
- Intra-domain structure
- Limitations of shortest path routing
- MPLS-based TE
- IP-based TE
- TE extensions: robust TE and online TE
- Inter-domain TE
¿ Quality of Service, Queuing Theory and Erlang B
- Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Quality of Services (QoS)
- QoS parameters
- Qquantitative and qualitative parameters
- Quality of Services vs. Quality of Experiences (QoE)
- Arrival Processes,
- The Poisson process,.
- Erlang¿s loss system (B¿formula),
- Erlang¿s Delay Systems (C¿formula),
- Basic Queueing Theory,
- Pollaczek-Khintchine¿s formula for M/G/1,
- Priority Queueing.
¿ Software defined networks and network function virtualisation
- Separation of control plane from data Plane
- The SDN architecture and the OpenFlow Protocol
- SDN use cases
- Network function virtualisation (NFV)

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to:
¿ Provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their learning of the cellular concept, the advanced software based networking techniques that are required in modern communication systems.
¿ Demonstrate their ability to interact with networking through undertaking of laboratory experiments and problem solve.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
¿ Laboratory report (addresses learning outcomes 2 and 3)
¿ Examination (addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4)

Formative assessment:
Formative assessment will include questions or mini tests if knowledge in the seminars and tutorial to draw attention to what needs to be learned.

Feedback:
Formative feedback through the module will include:
¿ Feedback in the seminars and tutorials.
¿ Feedback in the revision tutorial.
¿ Feedback and interaction with laboratory instructors
¿ Feedback through office hours.

Module aims

• To provide a solid foundation of principles of network planning and deployment (specifically for cellular networks) taking into account the wireless propagation and interference environment as well as the constraints imposed by given spectrum / frequency band.
• To provide a working knowledge of the evolution of cellular systems and their main components from the early day (first generation) to modern present day systems.
• To provide students with the fundamental knowledge of network and performance management.
• To enable students to understand the important concepts of network QoS and to learn the skills of using queueing theory for network analysis.
• To enable students to learn important development in the modern networks in SDN and NFV.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
¿ Enable the student to develop fundamental learning of the cellular communications concept, how to plan its deployment and understand the network service management through the material delivered.
¿ Enable experimentation with networking methods through software programming in laboratories.
The learning and teaching methods include:
¿ Delivery of seminars and tutorials for learning about the context of the work and problem solving.
¿ Supporting online learning material to develop and deepen the work through the delivered online content to strengthen learning.
¿ Learning by doing in laboratory classes which will require both pre-preparation and writing up of work in a laboratory report to demonstrate learning.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: EEEM087

Other information

The school/department of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: Digital capabilities: The module covers the important part of the modern communications and networks, particularly the management aspects of networks and services. It enable students to understand of the digital technology and its capability in the business and society. Employability: As the module is covers the corrent technologies and future development of the technology, it will help the students to build up their employability in the future career. Global and cultural capabilities: The nature of the module is oriented toward to technology. It is recognised and accepted internationally. Resourcefulness and Resilience: The module will help students to build up their ability to be Resourcefulness and Resilience in their future career. Sustainability: The module represented the state of the art materials and will be continuously updated to keep up with the development.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.