COIT20246 Supplementary Assignment on Internet Technologies

This assignment, submitted for COIT20246, explores several key internet technologies and tools. Task 1 focuses on Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) technology, summarizing an article that explains its functionality and impact on internet speed. Task 2 delves into performance testing, specifically examining the Apache JMeter tool, its features, and its application in web application testing. The summary highlights the tool's open-source nature, user-friendliness, and adaptability. Task 3 investigates the Tor network, summarizing an article that explains its purpose, benefits, and drawbacks in providing online anonymity and security. The assignment demonstrates an understanding of these technologies and their significance in the digital landscape, providing detailed summaries of relevant online resources.

COIT20246 SUPPLEMETARY ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION
Due date: 22 November 2019 (Friday - 2PM AEST)
Part: Written Assessment
Weighting: 30% of total assessment.
Submission: Electronic (see course website for details)
Please fill in the following details:
Student Name
Student Number
Tutor’s Name
Instructions
It will be necessary to use 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.
Tasks
There are three (3) tasks, 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.
Each summary should briefly explain:
- What the resource is about
- Why you selected it
- What are the main points or key information covered in the resource
- Why the resource was useful.
1

Example
The “Internet of things” is an emerging trend towards smart interconnected embedded
technologies that allow us to monitor and control our environment. Collect and summarise
an online resource that describes ONE example or application of the Internet of things.
Title, Link and Reference:
Connected Medical Devices, Apps: Are They Leading the IoT Revolution — or Vice Versa?
https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/06/connected-medical-devices-apps-leading-iot-
revolution-vice-versa/
Lars, N 2014, ‘Connected Medical Devices, Apps: Are They Leading the IoT Revolution —
or Vice Versa?’, Wired, June 2014, viewed 1 February 2017,
https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/06/connected-medical-devices-apps-leading-iot-
revolution-vice-versa/
Note: You may use abbreviated URLs (to the website) in the reference, however you must
provide the FULL link above it that, when pasted into the Web Browser, will take the
marker directly to the resource. Using full URLs in the reference (as in this example) is fine
too.
Summary:
Connected Medical Devices, Apps: Are They Leading the IoT Revolution — or Vice Versa?
This article describes the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the context of
medical devices. I chose this article because it not only examines the applications of a
very useful class of IoT devices, but it also highlights the need for ways of collecting and
processing the data they produce.
In the article, the author describes how many medical monitoring devices are now capable
of connecting to the Internet and are becoming a normal part of patient care. These
devices allow remote monitoring of patient health wirelessly and can collect data on a wide
range of vital signs and indicators. Data can be collected from a range of sensors reading
everything from heart rate and blood pressure through to blood sugar levels and
temperature.
In addition to passive monitors, IoT medical devices provide the ability to proactively
prompt patients to do things, for example to warn them of their blood pressure or to alert
them that they need more medication. The article points out that many of these
notifications are the result of apps (software) interacting with both the devices and the
patients.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the article is the author’s discussion of what
happens to the data that the IoT medical devices produce. The author explains that many
devices can send data directly to the cloud for storage and analysis and that this data
constitutes a wealth of information that will potentially improve healthcare in the future.
I found this article useful because it not only highlighted the increasing ubiquity of Internet-
connected medical devices, but also made me think about how the data is collected, where
it is stored and how it could be used – both positively and negatively – in the future.
2

Task 1
The National Broadband Network (NBN) is currently being rolled-out across Australia
and there is a mix of technologies that are being used to deliver Internet services (for
example, FTTN, FTTC, FTTP, HFC, fixed wireless and satellite). Find and
summarise ONE resource that describes ONE of these delivery technologies. The
resource, and your summary, must focus on A SINGLE technology.
Title, Link and Reference:
FTTP: Are Your Devices Affecting Your Internet Speed?
https://www.otelco.com/fttp/
OTELCO. 2018. ‘FTTP: Are your Devices Affecting Your Internet Speed?’, OTELCO,
February 2018, viewed 21 November 2019.
Summary:
FTTP: Are Your Devices Affecting Your Internet Speed?
The article concentrates on explaining the meaning of FTTP and its working in varied
premises. It includes a comprehensive discussion on direct fiber and shared fiber.
Apart from this, the article also includes information on the related terms that are
required to be understood, in order to gain knowledge on the concept of FTTP.
The article also describes the different versions of FTTP and the ones that are
considered to be the most healthy for individuals accessing internet from home. It
gives a concentrated review of FTTP from the perspective of a normal user rather
than a professional and hence it was easier to understand and retaining of
knowledge was smooth as well.
The authors of the article share insight into the different types of devices and how
their accessibility can have an impact on the internet speed. Optimization of the
devices and their integration in the network was regarded as the most important
factor. The signal loss aspect is further explained in association with the FTTP.
I found the article to be very interesting to read and comprehend as the information
was relevant to the subject and explains the relationship of FTTP with the regular
devices that are used.
Task 2
Performance testing (or load testing) is a critical step in the information systems
development process. The purpose of this testing is to simulate the peak expected
load on a system to ensure both hardware and software can operate effectively and
meet key metrics. To do this, specialised performance testing tools are used. Find
and summarise ONE resource that describes ONE such tool. The resource (and
your summary) should include information on the principle uses and features of the
tool.
Title, Link and Reference:
Performance Test of Web Application Using Apache JMeter.
https://vmokshagroup.com/blog/performance-test-of-web-application-using-apache-
3

jmeter/
Narayanan, A. 2019. ‘Performance Test of Web Application Using Apache JMeter’,
Vmoksha, 2019, viewed 21 November 2019.
Summary:
Performance Test of Web Application Using Apache JMeter.
The article is relevant to the subject as it concentrates on the application of Apache
JMeter, its uses and features in an explicit manner. The article takes into account the
application of the tool in a real-life situation wherein the performance testing of an
online web application was done to analyse the effectiveness of the JMeter testing
tool. The authors have used illustrations and screenshots of the actual testing of the
web application through the performance testing tool.
The article states the varied features and benefits of the Apache JMeter specifically.
For example, it is an open source application that can be altered based on the
requirements of the tester and the software that is expected to be tested. It has a
user-friendly usability and it is an independent tool based on Java. JMeter is noted to
be a stable and popular means of testing the applications in an explicit way. It makes
available numerous plug ins that can integrated in the primary tool and used based
on the complexities of the system as a whole.
I found the article to be very interesting as it is written in a flow and explains all the
important aspects of testing. It shares important information on the need for testing
and how Apache JMeter is successful in helping the completion of the same. I had
little idea about the types of testing and their meaning. With this article, I got a fair
understanding of testing and the usability of a specific performance testing tool both.
The author explains the features of JMeter in a separate section and highlight the
fact that it has evolved over time. Given the varied types of applications that are
being developed on a regular basis, the adaptability of JMeter is surprising. I was
able to gain a lot of knowledge about testing and the tool specifically from the article.
4

Task 3
The Internet is made up of many interconnected servers and networks. Users are increasingly aware
and concerned that their Internet communications can be intercepted and monitored. Tor is one
technology that allows users to obscure or hide their online activities. Find and summarise ONE
resource that describes what Tor is and how it works. The resource, and your summary, must focus
purely on Tor.
Title, Link and Reference:
What is TOR and Should I Use It?
https://lifehacker.com/what-is-tor-and-should-i-use-it-1527891029
Klosowski, T. 2014. ‘What is TOR and Should I Use It?’, Life Hacker, February 2014, viewed 21
November 2019.
Summary:
What is TOR and Should I Use It?
I chose this article as it explains the TOR Network in depth. It shares information on the Onion Routing
and the conception of the TOR network which is now being perceived as the foremost platform being
used to secure the communication being done online. Tor offers a large number of benefits such as
encryption capabilities, ease of usage, protection against any cyber-attacks, non-trackability in some
cases, ability to increase anonymity, open source code, open design etc.
The article helped in gaining a thorough understanding of the functionality of nodes and their movement
in the TOR network. The author has used numerous diagrams to depict the traffic, tracks etc. to reveal
the benefits of the TOR and why it is being increasingly chosen as the primary source for remaining
anonymous.
I found this article to be very interesting as it takes into consideration the birth of TOR, its benefits, its
working and why it is being used. The nodes feature is the main highlight of the network that allows users
to secure their data and information while also reducing the impact of cyber-attacks. This is among the
primary reasons that is also being used by criminals to carry out illegal activities on a large account.
Researchers have highlighted the illegal use of the TOR network despite the benefits that it offers.
In addition to this, the article also specifies the drawbacks of the TOR network and how users can protect
themselves from the cyber-attackers that function through TOR. Overall, I found the article to be very
interesting to read. It has helped me in gaining a significant amount of knowledge about the system and
motivated me to research further on the use of TOR in the best interests of the users and the people.
5

MARKING SHEET - DO NOT DELETE
Criteria
0 No Response
<=1 Poor resource selection; resource is too broad or lacks relevance to the
task; summary fails to explain what the resource was about; the relevance
and/or usefulness of the resource has not been explained.
<=2 Good resource selection; resource is relevant to the task; summary is
adequate but may require either more detail or is too long; the relevance
and/or usefulness of the resource has been explained to some extent, but
needs additional information.
<=3 Excellent resource selection; resource is highly relevant to the task (the
resource is probably highly specialised); summary is detailed yet concise;
the relevance and usefulness of the resource selection has been clearly
explained.
Key
Deductions
-3
-2
-1
Reference/URL provided does not link to resource (and resource cannot
be located or determined from details provided) OR
Reference/URL provided does not relate to the summary (i.e. summary is
not of resource content/contains content not contained in the resource) OR
Multiple resources used for a single task
Resource is generic AND/OR covers multiple technologies/examples
rather than focuses on a single technology/example
Resource not referenced correctly/not in Harvard format
Week Marks Awarded
1
2
3
TOTAL
Comments:
6