CSC4992: Introduction to Computer
Networking (Fall 2011)
Overview (flyer)
This course is designed for senior
undergraduate and junior graduate
students who are interested in the fundamentals of
computer networks. Topics include network architecture, multiple access
control, packet switching, routing and flow control, congestion
control and quality-of-service, Internet
protocols (e.g., IP, TCP, and BGP), network security, network
management, and elements of
distributed computing (e.g., naming, caching, and
replication). We examine these topics from the
perspectives of both the Internet and emerging
networking technologies (such as wireless sensor networks, mobile ad
hoc
networks, and disruption tolerant networks).
In short, the objective of this course is to help students appreciate
the underlying principles of computer networks, to help students
build the foundation for understanding advanced topics in networked
systems (such as those that will be covered in CSC 7290), and to help
students build up their skill set necessary for making innovative
contributions to both networking technologies and applications.
Prerequisites
Undergraduate courses in algorithms,
operating
systems, and computer architecture (e.g., CSC 3100, CSC 3110, CSC 4420, or equivalent); or
consent of instructor.
Textbooks
- Required:
[R0] Larry Peterson and
Bruce
Davie, Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (4th
edition), Morgan Kaufmann, ISBN: 0123705487.
- Recommended references:
[R1]
Jim Kurose and Keith Ross, Computer Networking: A
Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (4th edition), Addison-Wesley,
ISBN: 0321497708.
[R2] Srinivsan Keshav and S.
Keshav, An
Engineering Approach to
Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone
Network (1st edition), Addison-Wesley,
ISBN: 0201634422.
[R3] Mohamed G. Gouda, Elements of
Network Protocol Design (1st edition), John Wiley & Sons,
ISBN: 0471197440.
[R4] Anurag Kumar, D.
Manjunath, Joy Kuri, Communication
Networking: An Analytical Approach, Morgan Kaufmann, 2004. ISBN:
0124287514.
[R5] Dimitri Bertsekas and
Robert Gallager, Data Networks
(2nd edition),
Prentice Hall, ISBN: 013200916.
[R6]
Sheldon
M. Ross, Introduction
to Probability Models, 9th edition, Academic Press, 2006.
Flowchart of topics
- Prelude: history,
current status, and future directions of computer networks
- Foundation: system
requirements, network architecture, implementation issues, performance
metrics and evaluation
- Direct link networks:
encoding, framing, error detection, reliable transmission, media access
control
- Packet switching:
store-and-forward switches, bridges and extended LANs, cell switching,
segmentation and reassembly
- Internetworking:
best-effort service model, global addressing scheme, IP, ARP, DHCP,
ICMP, virtual networks, Internet routing, multicast
- End-to-end protocols:
TCP (connection establishment/termination, sliding window, flow
control, adaptive timeout), UDP, remote procedure call
- Congestion control and resource
allocation: queuing discipline, TCP congestion control,
congestion avoidance, quality of service control (integrated services,
differentiated services)
- Network security:
cryptographic algorithms, security mechanisms, firewalls
- Network management:
components of network management, Internet network management
framework, presentation services
- Elements of
distributed computing: naming, caching, replication
- Applications: SMTP,
HTTP, overlay networks, multimedia applications
Lectures
Exercise
TinyLabs
TBA
Quizzes & Exams
Quiz #0 will be held in class on
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011.
Quiz #1 will be held in class on
Monday, Oct. 24, 2011.
Quiz #2 will be held in class on
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011.
Quiz #3 will be held in class on
Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 starting at 2:50pm.
Final exam will be held during 1:20pm-3:20pm in SEL 050B on Friday,
Dec. 16, 2011.
Project
Literature review of one of the
following fields:
- Wireless, embedded networking technologies and applications in
- vehicles: V2V, V2I, sensing and control, infotainment, etc.
- industrial control: alternative energy grid, feedback control,
machine health
monitoring, etc.
- Can focus on issues such as MAC,
interference management and control, routing, and transport control.
- Sensor networks in
- Healthcare: http://www.agingtech.org/browse.aspx?CA=1
- Engineering: structural health monitoring, factory automation
& industrial control, etc.
- Scientific study: environmental engineering, social sciences,
etc.
- Homeland security and military, or
- Daily life: urban sensing
(http://research.cens.ucla.edu/portal/page?_pageid=56,948798&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL),
security monitoring, etc.
- Can focus on issues such as MAC,
routing, transport control, data storage and querying, and localization.
- Mobile networks in
- traffic control: real-time road traffic condition detection and
control, etc.
- auto safety: DSRC, etc.
- homeland security, or
- social networks
- Broadband wireless access networks
- Heterogeneous networks
- integrated wireless networks (sensor networks, WiFi, cellular)
and the Internet etc.
- Networking technologies for emerging economies
- network properties: wireless, mobility, intermittent
connectivity ...
- network services: telemedicine, mobile banking, e-retailing,
stored data and voice messaging, remote education, local content and
news, security, policing, etc.
- Other topics of your choice (with conscent of instructor)
Rules:
- Each student should first
choose one of the above research fields, and then start surveying the
literature to understand the state of the art in the field. You should
first understand the major challenges of each field, and then focus
your attention on one of the challenges to explore in depth.
- Report
the history, development, and
open issues of your chosen topic(s)/challenge(s). It will be
great if you can form your own opinions of the research topic you have
chosen.
- It is required that, in
your project report, you present whether and how the basic challenges
(such as media access control, routing, and congestion control) in your
chosen research field remain the same as or differ from what we have
discussed in class.
- Students are allowed to form
groups in doing projects, but the number of students per group should
be no more than 2.
Deliverables:
- Written project
report. Project report should be in the form
of a survey paper. (You can check the survey paper "A
Survey on Sensor Networks" for an example; the paper is accessible
from any computer on WSU campus.)
- In-class presentation. The slides for your presentation should be
sent via email to the class at least one day before your presentation,
so that everyone can go over your slides before coming to class.
Timeline:
- Select the topic and form your project group by 09/29/2011.
- Detailed project report outline & list of references are due
on 10/31/2011.
- Present your project in class according to the schedule described
here.
- Submit your
project report electronically by midnight 12/17/2011.
Evaluation
criteria:
Your performance in project will be
evaluated based on the following metrics:
- Breadth and
depth of your understanding of the literature, as evidenced by your
project report and presentation.
- Presentation quality (e.g., clarity, readability, and
conciseness) of your project report and in-class talk.
Some data:
Related resources
- Thomas F. Herbert, The
Linux TCP/IP
Stack: Networking for Embedded Systems, Charles River Media,
2004
- R. Stevens, UNIX
Network Programming
(2nd edition), Prentice Hall, 1997.
Policies
Lecture: Attendance is
required. Advance notice and permission are required if
students cannot attend certain lectures due to hard constraints.
Homework: Homework assignments
will be designed to stimulate
independent
thinking among the students. They will be due at the
beginning
of class, usually a week after they are given. Homework
assignments will
not
be accepted after the due date.
An exception to this rule is that
you give in advance a strong and convincing reason.
Exam: Exams will be scheduled in advance. Unless prior
arrangements
are
made, a
grade of zero will be recorded for missed exams.
Grading: The tentative grade weighting for the semester will be:
Class participation: 10%
Quizzes: 40%
Fina exam: 25%
Project: 25%
- Letter grades will be assigned based
on performance relative
to other students. A tentative grading scale is as follows:
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 85-89
B: 80-84
B-: 75-79
C+: 70-74
C: 65-69
C-: 60-64
F: 0-60
A regrading request will cause
the
entire exam/homework/project to be
regraded, and thereby the overall grade can increase or decrease.
Miscellaneous
I expect you to
carefully read all material handed
out in class. I also expect you to read the book according
to the reading assignments announced in class. You are encouraged to
discuss
the material presented in class with other students, but definitely do
not
collaborate with anyone in solving the homework problems. The
Wayne State
University Student Code of Conduct applies.
Feel free to
discuss our expectations and grading criteria with the grader or me
during
the semester.
If you have a documented disability that requires
accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability
Services (SDS)
for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student
Disability
Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate
Library in
the Student Academic Success Services department. SDS telephone number
is
313-577-1851 or 313-577-3365 (TDD only). Once you have your
accommodations in
place, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours
to
discuss your special needs. Student Disability Services’ mission is to
assist
the university in creating an accessible community where students with
disabilities
have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational
experience
at Wayne State University. <>
Please be aware that a
delay
in getting SDS accommodation
letters for the current semester may hinder the availability or
facilitation of
those accommodations in a timely manner. Therefore, it is in your best
interest
to get your accommodation letters as early in the semester as possible.
Class add deadline:
Effective Fall 2011, students must add classes no later than the end of
the first week, including online classes. During the second week of the
semester, students must personally request departmental permission in
order to register. If departmental permission is granted, students must
register themselves for the class in Pipeline during the second week.
Receiving departmental permission is NOT the same as registering for
the class! Students may continue to drop classes (with full tuition
cancellation) through the first two weeks of the term.
Class withdrawal deadline:
Effective Fall 2011, the withdrawal deadline becomes the end of the 10th
week of classes. After the deadline, the Withdraw option will not be
available in Pipeline. The Registrar’s Office does not grant exceptions
to this deadline.