Desklib Assignment Submission Template

COIT 20246 ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION
Due date: Thursday Week 11 (2PM AEST)
Part: Written Assessment
Weighting: 30% of total assessment.
Submission: Electronic (see course website for details)
Instructions
It will be necessary to use literature/online resources to complete this
assignment, please ensure you cite and reference any such materials using
the Harvard format.
DO NOT copy content directly from either the text or Internet resources: this
assignment is to be in your own words. You will lose marks if you do not
use your own words!
Please complete your assignment using this submission template file,
inserting your responses where indicated.
DO NOT delete the marking criteria page – changes are permitted to the
formatting of other pages including the headers and footers.
Please fill in the following details:
Student Name
Student Number
Tutor’s Name

Tasks
There are ten (10) tasks, one for each week: the tasks are detailed below. There is a
table to complete for each task. Please fill in the information required.
Note: Each resource summary should be around 200-300 words.
Week 1
The text discusses how modern CPUs function. Recently a critical flaw in microprocessor
design has been discovered that allows two extremely serious security exploits: Spectre and
Meltdown. Find and summarise ONE resource that describes how either of these exploits
work. The resource (and your summary) should focus on what is occurring in the CPU that
allows these exploits to occur.
Title and Reference:
Meltdown and Spectre: How chip hacks work’
BBC News., 2018, ‘Meltdown and Spectre: How chip hacks work’. [online] Available
at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42564461 [Accessed 22 May 2018].
Summary:
The article has discussed about the vulnerabilities named spectra and meltdown.
The main reason for choosing this paper is that the paper gives a broad description
about the security threats and the workings of these security threats. Apart from that
it also discusses about the impacts of these threats on the system and the precention
methods.
The shuffling of the data in the computer CPU is done between the various parts of
the memory chip, and this operation is controlled by the kernel of the computer. The
main objective of the CPU is to present the data to the users when it is needed. The
cache memory performs the operation. The mentioned vulnerability works on the
data when the data is in cache and is controlled by the processor. The min working
of the Spectra vulnerability is to make the programs to execute the unnecessary
functions which can leak the important information regarding the system. The
manipulation of the kernel is used by the meltdown vulnerabilities in order to get the
necessary information regarding the system
The both vulnerabilities are of “speculative execution: in nature. This feature of the
threats allows the generation of the result for a instruction before the execution of
that instruction. This feature can allow the hackers to take the control over the
system.
The companies those are giving services to other companies can be affected from
these types of vulnerabilities. The release of the patches are made available in order
to mitigate the impact of these vulnerabilities. However, it has been seen that the use
of the patches is slowing down the working speed of the CPU.
The information I got from this discussion helps me to get an overview about these
two security vulnerabilities. However, it has been found out that many chips were
affected with these vulnerabilities. The mitigation plan and its effectiuveness are also
discussed in this paper which is helpful for indicating the future development of the
mitigation plan of these vulnerabilities.

Week 2
Prior to 1985, there were very fewOperating Systems (OSes) that used Graphical User
Interfaces (GUIs). Find and summarise ONE resource that describes ONE of these GUI
operating systems. The OS must have been release prior to 1985 so cannot be Microsoft
Windows.
Title and Reference:
History of Computers and Computing, Birth of the modern computer, Personal
computer, Xerox Alto
History-computer.com., 2018, ‘History of Computers and Computing, Birth of the
modern computer, Personal computer, Xerox Alto’. [online] Available at:
http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/Alto.html [Accessed 22 May
2018].
Summary:
This paper gives the details about the Xerox Alto the first operating system that was
operated the graphical user interface. The reason for choosing this paper is that ,
the article contributes in understanding the working principal of the Xerox Alto along
with that it also provides the necessary information regarding g the hardware and the
software configuration of the system which helps the readers to understand the
system clearly.
The development of the Xerox Alto was done by the Xerox PARC i 1972. The
speciality about this operating system is that the operating system used the graphical
user interface. The system was the first noticed operating system which used the
GUI. However, the use of this operating system was not commercial. This operating
system was used in the universities and the libraries for the research purpose.
The design of the operating system was influenced by the on-line –system (NLS).
Some of the features of the Xerox Alto are-
Memory- 128 KB
Hard drive- Cartridge hard drive of 2.5 MB which was removable.
Three button mouse
5.8 MHz CPU.
The display used in the operating system was black and white in nature.
The connect between the various operating system can be made through using the
local area network(LAN). The use of the BCPL code was done in order to write the
code for the user interface in this operating system. Texas Instruments made the
hardware and infrastructure needed to implement the system.
From this article I have found out about the working and the configuration of the
Xerox Alto which is considered as the first operating system using the GUI. Moreover
this article has provided the information about the software and hardware
configuration of the system and the working principal of the system.
Week 3

Low-Powered Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs) are wireless communication networks that are
characterised by linking devices over large distances. Devices (including simple sensors)
typically can only communicate at very low bit rates, however, the communication and
associated electronics consume very little power. As such, LPWAN devices can be battery
powered and operateindependently for many months or even years. Find and summarise
ONE resource that describes ONE platform or technology that implements a LPWAN.
Title and Reference:
LPWA network technologies and standards: LPWAN wireless IoT guide’
i-SCOOP,2018., ‘LPWA network technologies and standards: LPWAN wireless IoT
guide’. [online] Available at:
https://www.i-scoop.eu/internet-of-things-guide/lpwan/ [Accessed 22 May 2018].
Summary:
The article discuss about the application of the Low power wide area network which
is widely used in the field of the IoT. The main reason for choosing this paper is that
it describe sthe application and other issues regarding the use of the LPWAN in the
field of IoT.
There is a difference between the LPWA and LPWAN. The LPWAN is a network
standard which provides the network connectivity and consumes the low power.
The main disadvantage of LPWAN is that there is no standardization of using it.
However there are various non cellular band which provides the service using the
LPWAN.
I have found out some useful information regarding the use of LPWAN from this
article which helps me to understand its significance.
Week 4
Voice over IP (VoIP) is a group of hardware and software technologies that allow users to
communicate via voice and video over the Internet. VoIP uses a number of different software
protocols, depending on the application. Find and summarise ONE resource that describes
ONE of these VoIP protocols.
Title and Reference:
The Session Initiation Protocol - The Internet Protocol Journal
Cisco, 2018, ‘The Session Initiation Protocol - The Internet Protocol Journal - Volume 6,
Number 1’. [online] Available at:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/press/internet-protocol-journal/back-issues/table-
contents-23/sip.html [Accessed 22 May 2018].
Summary:
The article provides information about the session initiation protocol which is one of
the VoIP protocol. The main reason for choosing this article is that the article tells