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 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 checks02Signed Numbers, Floating Point and Character Encoding
Unsigned and signed interpretations · two's complement · floating-point fields · text representation03Boolean Algebra, Truth Tables and Normal Forms
Boolean variables · operators · truth tables · equivalence · SOP and POS04Gates, Circuits, K-Maps and Logisim
Gate networks · circuit translation · Karnaugh maps · simplification · safe simulation workflow05Computer Architecture and CPU Execution
Stored programs · registers · buses · datapath · fetch–decode–execute06MARIE Assembly, Addressing and Subroutines
Instruction format · assembly tracing · addressing · control flow · subroutines07Memory, Input/Output, Boot and Operating Systems
Memory hierarchy · I/O · boot sequence · processes · virtual memory08Network Models, Encapsulation, HTTP and Email
Layering · encapsulation · application protocols · requests · mail delivery09Physical Signals, Ethernet and Wireless LANs
Signals · frames · MAC addressing · switching · shared wireless media10IP Addressing, Routing, TCP and UDP
Addresses and prefixes · forwarding · ports · reliability · transport choices11LANs, WANs, Autonomous Systems and CDNs
Network scope · interconnection · routing domains · exchange points · content distribution12Security Goals, Authentication and Cryptography
CIA goals · identity and access · keys · encryption · hashing · signatures13TLS, Firewalls, VPNs and Network Protection
Secure channels · certificates · packet policy · tunnels · layered network defence14Vulnerabilities, Attacks, Privacy and Project Synthesis
Assets · threats · vulnerabilities · attack paths · privacy · control justificationIt 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.
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. |
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.
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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