La Trobe University, Bendigo

Department of Information Technology

INT21CN: Computer Networks

Assignment 1, 2002

Welcome to the first assignment for Computer Networks! This assignment is entirely on-line. There should be no need for anyone to print copies of the assignment sheet, and no need to hand paper copies of anything to the lecturer. Your task is simply to send an email message. However, it's not just any old email -- it has to meet certain requirements. These are:

1. Your email must contain two parts, in compliance with the MIME standard for "multipart/mixed" messages: a plain text part (with a MIME-type of "text/plain") and an image attachment in any one of GIF, JPEG or PNG formats, and whose MIME-type is correct for the filetype.

2. The plain text message part should identify who you are -- basically it should contain the information which would normally accompany any other assignment: your name, and your student number. You don't have to include the usual "Statement of Authorship" for this particular assignment.

3. As mentioned above, the MIME-type for the image attachment must be correct for the particular file that you send. Most modern email packages should be clever enough that if your file has (for example) a ".GIF" extension then it will send an "image/gif" attachment automagically, but there are no guarantees -- if in doubt, send a test message to yourself or a friend (particularly one who uses a different email client) before you use the package to submit your assignment.

4. The image part should, for preference, contain a picture of YOU. The reason for this is purely for your lecturer's convenience: we don't get photo-ID sheets with our classlists (we used to "once upon a time", but no more), so we never get to associate your name with your actual identity -- in other words, this assignment might help us to remember your name! However:
   • If you don't have such an image (or can't create one on, for example, one of the few remaining Indys with cameras), OR

   • If you do not wish to submit an image of yourself for some reason (which, by the way, I do not need to know)

   then you can submit some other interesting image with your assignment. If it's not an image of you, then perhaps you should mention the fact. Also, don't make your image too large: no more than a few hundred pixels in each dimension should be fine.

5. Finally, DO NOT submit your work to your lecturer's ordinary email address. Assignments must be sent to the special submission address:

   cnsubmit@ironbark.bendigo.latrobe.edu.au
   

   This address exists only for the submission of assignments for this subject.

Your assignment will be marked both on whether you have succeeded in the tasks above, not on (for example) the quality of the image: in other words, we are interested in process, not product. If you do not submit your assignment correctly, as outlined above, you will automatically fail. There is no provision for "re-submits" -- the point of this assignment is for you to understand what your email software is doing. When you submit your assignment, you should get an auto-generated reply telling you that your submission has been received. If you do not, please email me. Please don't submit your assignment multiple times if you don't get an auto-reply message.

This assignment carries 5% of your mark for Computer Networks.

Due Date:

Friday, 12th April 2002, 5pm, no extensions without medical certificate. If your submission is not in the cnsubmit mailbox by this time, it may not be assessed. Because this assignment will be marked "on-line", your should have your mark returned by email within a few days.

Lecturer

Phil Scott, 5444 7277