FIT1047 Introduction to computer systems, networks and security
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · S2 2026FIT1047 Overview
- Undergraduate
- Semester 2, 2026
- Monash University
- Four assessment components
FIT1047 introduces the representations, machine structures, networks and security ideas that make modern computing possible. The learning path starts with binary, decimal and hexadecimal, signed values, character encoding, Boolean algebra and digital logic.
- Assessment weights 15% Written · 30% Demonstration · 30% Quiz / Test · 25% Project
- Core path Represent → execute → transmit → protect
- Practice style Fresh traces, conversions, protocol stories and control choices
- Evidence boundary Week 1 detail plus clearly fenced standard canon for later topics
What you get in the full FIT1047 Study & Assessment Guide
- 14 chapters, 160 pages — every assessed topic, week by week
- 46 original practice questions, each with a model answer
- 14 worked examples, solved the way FIT1047 marks
- 28 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Before-you-submit checklist for the Demonstration (30%) — what markers reward, what costs marks
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full study & assessment guide.
How FIT1047 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 15% | Published purpose includes Boolean reasoning, circuits, testing and reflection. The live task prohibits generative-AI-produced assessment content; use this guide only to learn the underlying concepts. |
| Demonstration | 30% | Published purpose: analyse and write MARIE programs, then demonstrate understanding of the process and memory during an in-class activity. |
| Quiz / Test | 30% | Published purpose: reflections, a real-world networking practical activity, and an in-class networking test. |
| Project | 25% | Published purpose: investigate real-world vulnerabilities and attacks, then propose security controls for a medium enterprise. |
What other students are asking about FIT1047
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for FIT1047 at Monash?
- The FIT1047 study guide in AskSia Library covers Introduction to computer systems, networks and security in 14 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in FIT1047?
- No final exam is listed in the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from; FIT1047 is assessed by Written 15%, Demonstration 30%, Quiz / Test 30%, Project 25%.
- What does FIT1047 cover on signed numbers, floating point and character encoding?
- In AskSia Library's FIT1047 guide, the Signed Numbers, Floating Point and Character Encoding chapter explains unsigned and signed interpretations · two's complement · floating-point fields · text representation.
- What does FIT1047 cover on boolean algebra, truth tables and normal forms?
- In AskSia Library's FIT1047 guide, the Boolean Algebra, Truth Tables and Normal Forms chapter explains boolean variables · operators · truth tables · equivalence · SOP and POS.
- What does FIT1047 cover on gates, circuits, k-maps and logisim?
- In AskSia Library's FIT1047 guide, the Gates, Circuits, K-Maps and Logisim chapter explains gate networks · circuit translation · Karnaugh maps · simplification · safe simulation workflow.
What FIT1047 covers
FIT1047 begins with binary representation and Boolean reasoning, follows instructions through CPU, memory and operating-system abstractions, then traces information across layered networks before applying security goals and controls. The fourteen chapters preserve that dependency chain and clearly separate published Week 1 teaching detail from original explanations of later standard canon.
Binary, Decimal and Hexadecimal Representation
Place value · base conversion · remainders · binary grouping · representation checksA stored bit pattern has no numeric meaning until a representation is named. This chapter builds the positional model behind binary, decimal and hexadecimal: each digit is a coefficient multiplying a power of the base.
- Representation as an agreement
- Positional weights and radix points
- Binary-to-decimal evaluation
- Decimal-to-binary decomposition
- Repeated division and remainder direction
- Four-bit hexadecimal grouping
Signed Numbers, Floating Point and Character Encoding
Unsigned and signed interpretations · two's complement · floating-point fields · text representationThe same bits can represent an unsigned integer, a signed integer, a floating-point value or text. This chapter makes width and scheme explicit before decoding.
- Pattern, scheme and width
- Two’s-complement encode/decode
- Signed and unsigned overflow
- Sign extension and truncation
- Floating-point field roles
- Binary scientific notation
Boolean Algebra, Truth Tables and Normal Forms
Boolean variables · operators · truth tables · equivalence · SOP and POSBoolean algebra treats zero and one as false/true states under logical operators, not ordinary arithmetic. This chapter connects four representations of one function: a natural-language requirement, complete truth table, symbolic expression and gate circuit.
- Boolean variables and operator meanings
- Complete truth-table enumeration
- Requirement translation
- Identity, complement and absorption laws
- De Morgan transformations
- Minterms and canonical SOP
Gates, Circuits, K-Maps and Logisim
Gate networks · circuit translation · Karnaugh maps · simplification · safe simulation workflowA gate circuit is an implementation of a Boolean function with signal direction, intermediate nodes and physical or simulated timing.
- Gate truth functions and signal direction
- Expression-to-circuit translation
- Circuit-to-expression reading
- Combinational state and propagation
- Gray-code K-map placement
- Valid groups and stable literals
Computer Architecture and CPU Execution
Stored programs · registers · buses · datapath · fetch–decode–executeComputer architecture defines the programmer-visible contract of instructions, registers, data forms and addressing, while microarchitecture describes an internal implementation.
- Architecture versus microarchitecture
- Stored programs and memory words
- CPU, memory, I/O and interconnect
- Registers and program counter
- Fetch–decode–execute cycle
- Datapath, selectors and control
MARIE Assembly, Addressing and Subroutines
Instruction format · assembly tracing · addressing · control flow · subroutinesMARIE is the teaching architecture used to connect assembly language, instruction formats, registers, memory and control.
- 16-bit MARIE word and instruction format
- Opcode and 12-bit address decoding
- Named registers and fetch transfers
- Load, Store, Add and Subt directions
- Input, Output and Halt
- Conditional skips, jumps and loops
Memory, Input/Output, Boot and Operating Systems
Memory hierarchy · I/O · boot sequence · processes · virtual memoryComputer systems organise storage into a hierarchy of registers, caches, main memory and persistent storage, trading proximity and speed against capacity, cost and persistence.
- Memory hierarchy and locality
- Cache hits, misses and write policies
- Main memory versus persistent storage
- Controllers, polling, interrupts and buffers
- Firmware, loader and operating-system boot
- Kernel/user authority and system calls
Network Models, Encapsulation, HTTP and Email
Layering · encapsulation · application protocols · requests · mail deliveryThe course-developed textbook presents a five-layer Internet model: application, transport, network, link and physical. This chapter uses that stack to explain services and interfaces, encapsulation and decapsulation, endpoint protocols and per-hop delivery.
- Five-layer Internet model
- Encapsulation and decapsulation
- Per-hop frame versus end-to-end packet
- Protocol syntax, semantics and sequence
- Naming and service reachability
- HTTP request/response roles
Physical Signals, Ethernet and Wireless LANs
Signals · frames · MAC addressing · switching · shared wireless mediaBits cross a physical medium as measurable changes in voltage, light or radio energy under an agreed encoding and timing rule.
- Physical symbols, timing and receiver decisions
- Attenuation, noise and signal margin
- Media, duplex and topology
- Ethernet frame scope and MAC addresses
- Source learning and destination forwarding
- Unknown unicast, broadcast and endpoint acceptance
IP Addressing, Routing, TCP and UDP
Addresses and prefixes · forwarding · ports · reliability · transport choicesIP addresses are interpreted with prefix lengths that define network membership and route blocks. Hosts compare destinations with local prefixes, then select a direct neighbour or router next hop.
- IP addresses plus prefix lengths
- Network blocks and membership
- Host local-versus-router decision
- Longest-prefix route lookup
- Next hops and per-hop frames
- NAT translation state
LANs, WANs, Autonomous Systems and CDNs
Network scope · interconnection · routing domains · exchange points · content distributionLAN and WAN labels describe different local and wide-area scopes, technologies and administrative relationships, while autonomous systems describe coherent external routing-policy domains. One AS can contain many LANs and internal routes.
- LAN and WAN scope/ownership
- Failure domains and redundancy
- Autonomous-system policy boundaries
- Prefix advertisements and AS paths
- Transit, peering and asymmetric paths
- Internet exchange fabrics and route servers
Security Goals, Authentication and Cryptography
CIA goals · identity and access · keys · encryption · hashing · signaturesSecurity analysis starts with an asset, required property and harmful event. Threats are potential causes; vulnerabilities are exploitable weaknesses; risk reflects likelihood and impact under context; controls reduce risk but leave residual exposure.
- Assets, threats, vulnerabilities and risk
- Confidentiality, integrity and availability
- Authentication, authorisation and sessions
- Multi-factor enrolment and recovery
- Password derivation and online controls
- Symmetric authenticated encryption
TLS, Firewalls, VPNs and Network Protection
Secure channels · certificates · packet policy · tunnels · layered network defenceTLS, firewalls and VPNs protect different aspects of a service path. TLS negotiates an authenticated protected channel and relies on certificate/key identity, parameter selection and record protection.
- Trust boundaries and complementary controls
- TLS handshake and record protection
- Certificate name binding and trust chains
- Private-key lifecycle and revocation
- Stateful firewall rule design
- Internal segmentation and management planes
Vulnerabilities, Attacks, Privacy and Project Synthesis
Assets · threats · vulnerabilities · attack paths · privacy · control justificationA vulnerability is a weakness in a specific asset, version, configuration, process or trust relationship; an attack is a sequence that meets prerequisites and uses weaknesses to produce impact.
- Vulnerability applicability and exposure
- Attack paths, trees and prerequisites
- Social engineering, malware and credential abuse
- Patch, configuration and dependency management
- Availability attacks and graceful degradation
- Privacy purpose, minimisation and metadata
It then follows a stored program through a CPU, MARIE assembly, memory, input/output, boot and operating-system abstractions.
The second half moves through the five-layer Internet model, application protocols, Ethernet and wireless LANs, IP routing, transport, wide-area interconnection, cryptography, TLS, firewalls, VPNs, vulnerabilities, attacks and privacy.
The four published assessment components total 100%: Written 15%, Demonstration 30%, Quiz / Test 30%, and Project 25%.
The available material gives detailed instructions for the Written task, including Boolean work, circuit reasoning, testing and reflection, and explicitly prohibits generative-AI-produced assessment content. This guide therefore explains prerequisite ideas and uses wholly fresh examples; it does not reproduce the live personalised task or supply task answers.
The other three components are described only by purpose in the readable material, so this guide does not invent their structure, timing, conditions or materials.
The chapter sequence is deliberate.
A bit pattern acquires meaning only under an interpretation; Boolean expressions become gates; gates support a datapath; instructions transform machine state; network layers move application data; and security controls protect specific assets against defined threats. For Week 1, explanations can be tied closely to the published applied-session materials.
For later weeks, each chapter states the published outcome boundary and then teaches standard computer-science canon in original examples. Current Moodle instructions remain authoritative for assessment requirements.
Worked example · free
AskSia-authored practice weighting (not an official mark scheme): Fresh conversion-and-check drill
- methodDecompose 45 into powers of two: 32 + 8 + 4 + 1.
- representationRead the coefficients from 32 to 1, giving 101101 in base two.
- conversionGroup as 0010 1101; the nibbles map to 2 and D, so the hexadecimal form is 2D.
- verificationCheck that 2×16 + 13 = 45 and that 32 + 8 + 4 + 1 = 45.
Key terms
- Bit
- A binary digit whose interpretation depends on the representation and context.
- Boolean expression
- A rule over true/false variables using operators such as NOT, AND and OR.
- Register
- A small named storage location inside the processor used during instruction execution.
- Encapsulation
- The layer-by-layer addition of control information around application data for transmission.
- Protocol
- A shared set of rules governing message format, meaning and interaction.
- Vulnerability
- A weakness that a threat actor or event could exploit to harm an asset.
FIT1047 FAQ
How is FIT1047 assessed?
The published weights are Written 15%, Demonstration 30%, Quiz / Test 30%, and Project 25%. The readable assessment page does not support adding task structures, dates, conditions or materials beyond the stated purposes for the latter three components.
Can I use this guide for the Written task?
Use it to understand number systems, Boolean algebra, circuits and testing. The published Written-task specification prohibits generative-AI-produced assessment content, so do not submit generated wording, logic, circuits, tables, reflections or answers. Follow the current Moodle instructions and complete the task yourself.
What is MARIE?
MARIE is the teaching architecture used to connect assembly language with registers, memory, instruction formats and the fetch–decode–execute cycle. The course-developed textbook describes 16-bit words and an instruction format with a 4-bit opcode and a 12-bit address.
Why are layers useful in networking?
Layers divide a communication problem into interfaces. Application protocols describe useful exchanges, transport manages process-to-process delivery, the network layer forwards between networks, the link layer handles a local hop, and the physical layer carries signals.
What should a security recommendation contain?
Name the asset, threat and vulnerability; state the control's preventive, detective or recovery role; explain where it acts; and identify residual risk or operational cost. A product name without this mechanism is not a justified recommendation.
Are later-week examples copied from class activities?
No. The published weekly pages identify outcome scope, while the detailed examples in later chapters are original explanations of standard computer-systems, networking and security canon. Check current Moodle materials for your class's exact activity wording.
Questions students ask in each FIT1047 chapter
- Why does the rightmost integer digit have exponent zero?
- Its place weight must be one, and every non-zero base raised to exponent zero equals one. Each move left multiplies that weight by the base. Chapter 01 · Binary, Decimal and Hexadecimal Representation
- Is the leading bit just an independent sign?
- Not in two’s complement. Negation inverts the entire field and adds one; flipping only the leading bit generally does not negate the value. Chapter 02 · Signed Numbers, Floating Point and Character Encoding
- How many rows belong in a truth table?
- Use every combination of independent inputs. Generate them like binary counting and check the input columns before evaluating the function. Chapter 03 · Boolean Algebra, Truth Tables and Normal Forms
- Why must a K-map group have power-of-two size?
- Each doubling pairs terms differing in one variable, allowing that changing variable and its complement to disappear. Chapter 04 · Gates, Circuits, K-Maps and Logisim
- Is an address the same as the stored contents?
- No. An address selects a location; a memory read returns the contents stored there. Keep them in separate trace columns. Chapter 05 · Computer Architecture and CPU Execution
- How does hexadecimal align with a MARIE instruction?
- Four opcode bits form one hexadecimal digit and twelve address bits form three. Keep leading zeros so the field boundary remains visible. Chapter 06 · MARIE Assembly, Addressing and Subroutines
- What is the difference between memory and storage?
- Main memory holds actively addressed state and is typically volatile; persistent storage retains files/system data. Use exact level names rather than one ambiguous word. Chapter 07 · Memory, Input/Output, Boot and Operating Systems
- Does one frame travel from client to remote server?
- No. A frame serves one local link. Routers process the incoming frame and create a new outgoing frame while forwarding the network packet. Chapter 08 · Network Models, Encapsulation, HTTP and Email
- Do literal zeros and ones travel through a cable?
- No. A transmitter maps symbols to physical changes; a receiver observes a noisy signal and decodes it under timing/coding rules. Chapter 09 · Physical Signals, Ethernet and Wireless LANs
- Can I decide whether two hosts are local from addresses alone?
- You need the relevant prefix lengths and topology. Applying the same mask can establish prefix membership, not guaranteed connectivity or policy. Chapter 10 · IP Addressing, Routing, TCP and UDP
- Is an AS the same as a LAN?
- No. A LAN is a local link/broadcast environment. One autonomous system can contain many routed LANs and sites under one external policy. Chapter 11 · LANs, WANs, Autonomous Systems and CDNs
- What is the difference between a threat and vulnerability?
- A threat is a possible cause of harm; a vulnerability is the weakness that gives it a path. Risk depends on relevance, likelihood, impact and controls. Chapter 12 · Security Goals, Authentication and Cryptography
- Does TLS mean the application is trustworthy?
- No. TLS can authenticate the channel endpoint and protect records. The server can still be malicious/vulnerable, and the application still needs authorisation and validation. Chapter 13 · TLS, Firewalls, VPNs and Network Protection
- Does a scanner finding prove exploitable risk?
- No. Confirm affected product/version/configuration, reachable path, prerequisites, asset impact and existing controls. Preserve evidence and false-positive handling. Chapter 14 · Vulnerabilities, Attacks, Privacy and Project Synthesis
How to prepare for the assessments
Study FIT1047 as one end-to-end system. For representation and logic, write every place value, state the interpretation, and verify with a reverse conversion or truth table. For architecture, maintain a state trace with instruction, register and memory columns; explain what changes and why. For networking, narrate one message down the stack, across a link and back up, naming the address or identifier used at each stage.
For security, begin with the protected asset and failure consequence before choosing a control. After each topic, complete one fresh problem without notes, mark the first incorrect decision rather than only the final result, and repeat a smaller variant. Keep the Written task separate from practice: the current specification prohibits generative-AI-produced assessment content.
For Demonstration, Quiz / Test and Project preparation, use the published purposes as the boundary and verify all current formats, timing, conditions and submission requirements in Moodle.
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