CS 4251 - Computer Networking II - Spring 2011

MWF 3:05pm -- 3:55pm
CCB 102

Special Announcements

1. Sumbitting a class evaluation to CIOS is mandatory.  It will be a homework that is worth 10 points out of a total of 100.
2. There will be no classes on 1/17 (MLK holiday) and on 1/21 (I will be traveling).

Detailed Schedule (as the course progresses)

Week 1 (1/14), covered this syllabus and started the introduction, reading assignments: Chp. 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3.  Review questions:
1, How do voice, video, and data networks diffe in their requirements of delay, reliability, and accuracy of information?
2. Why do we sample voice (phone call) signal 8,000 times per second but music 44,000 times per second?

Week 2 (1/19), finished introduction.  Review questions:
1. What is the difference between connnection-oriented and connectionless?
2. How is switching carried out in a telephone network?

Week 3 (1/24), will finish ISO/OSI, reading assignments: Chp. 3.2, 3.5, parts of 3.3 and 3.4. 

Week 4 (1/31), reading assignments: Chp. 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8.

Week 5 (2/7), reading assignments: Chp. 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8.

Homework 1 (due Monday, Feb. 7th)

P 31, 1.10, 1.13
P195, 3.13, 3.27, 3.29a, 3.31, 3.33, 3.36a, 3.39a, 3.43a, 3.45 (1st question only)

Week 6 (2/14), reading assignments: Chp. 5.2, parts of (5.4 and 5.5), Chp. 6.1, 6.2.

Week 7 (2/21), reading assignments: parts of (6.3 and 6.6).

Week 8 (2/28), reading assignments: Chp. 6.7, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11, and Chp. 2.4.

Week 9 (3/7), reading assignments: Chp. 6.4, 7.5, and part of 7.4.

Week 10 (3/14), reading assignments: Chp. 8.6.

Week 11 (3/21), Spring break

Week 12 (3/28), quiz II on 3/30, reading assignments: Chp. 8.6

Week 13 (4/4), No class on 4/8 (Friday), reading assignments: Chp. 8.5

Week 14 (4/11), reading assignments: Chp. 11, Chp. 8.7

Week 15 (4/18), reading assignments: Chp. 7.7, part of (Chp 7.8 and 7.9), Chp. 7.3.3

Week 16 (4/25), No class on 4/29 (Friday)


Homework 2 (due 3/26, Saturday at 3pm)

P199, 3.57, 3.67(a)(b)(c)(e)

P356, 5.12, 5.23(b)(c), 5.30(b)(c), 5.52, 5.53

P482, 6.4, (the first two question of 6.5), 6.9, 6.34, 6.41, 6.52.

P567, 7.32(a) and 7.33.

Please THINK ABOUT questions 8.47, 8.50, 8.56, and 8.61 (on P657 and P658), but please do NOT turn them in.  Their answers will be distributed to you soon.


Project (due 4/18) 

Tiny Homework 3 (due 4/27, Wednesday at 5pm) posted on T-Square.

A tutorial on cryptography.

General Information (from GT catalog)

Credits: 3.00
Principles of computer networks, including medium access, ARQ protocols, routing, congestion avoidance and control.
Emphasis on design options and tradeoffs. Includes significant network application programming.
Lecture: 3.00
Pre-requisites: CS 3251 (may be waived upon request)

Instructor: Prof. Jun (Jim) Xu

Textbooks

Required: [Garcia] Communication Networks (2nd Edition). by Leon-Garcia and Widjaja, McGraw Hill, 2004

Note: I recommend against buying the first edition because there is a significant amount of revision in the 2nd edition, including homework problem sets.

Grade and Its Division

Grade assignment guideline: Usually, grades A and B each will be given to at least 1/4 of the class.  I won't hesitate to give out more A's and B's if more students do well in the class.  Grade division will be explained later in the following.
 

Percentage of Grade  Distribution Date
Homeworks
20/100
 Varies
Programming Project
 10/100
 after Quiz 1
Quiz 1
 15/100
Friday, 2/11/2011
Quiz 2
 15/100
 Wednesday, 3/30/2011
Final
25/100
Monday, 5/2/2011, 2:50 - 4:40
Course Survey
10/100
Will announce later
Class Participation
 5/100
 -

Class attendance is highly encouraged as classroom discussion may not be covered in the textbook.  Should you miss a class, you are responsible for the materials covered and homeworks assigned.  Class participation will be worth 5 points.


Homework assignments and the programming project

There will be 3 to 4 homework assignments.  This class will also have a lightweight programming project to familiarize you with TCP/IP socket programming (You might find it a bit too easy if you have taken 3251 here, but several other students may not have such a background.).  C or C++ language should be used to program the lab assignment in this class.  Java is not allowed because it prevents the students from learning the sophistication of TCP/IP socket programming.   Homework assignments and the project will be distributed and collected via T-square.

The assignments and the programming project need to be done without any personal assistance from other individuals.  An honor code is implicit with each assignment.  Academic dishonesty will be dealt with harshly by the instructor and escalated to the department, college, and/or university, if necessary.

Grades are non-negotiable (i.e., "binding") at 5pm one week after they are returned.

I am strict on homework and project deadlines.  However, I am willing to give you 2 no-penalty late days (not prorated) for the entire semester.  Once you have exhausted that, your late homework and project will not be accepted.  So please use them sparingly if you have to.


Quizs and the final exam

The course will include two quizes and one final exam (dates specified above).  Students are responsible for the materials covered in both the lectures and the textbook.<><><>  The exam dates are firm.  Only emergency situations (illness, death of an immediate family member, etc.) may be excused.  Formal proof of the situation (e.g., from a medical doctor) in writing is required.

Tentative outline of the class

1. Motivation: What is a communication network? Why do we need it? What do we need it for?
Chapter 1

2. Network architecture: A abstract model of a very complex communication network system.
Chapter 2

3. Physical layer and data link layer
Chapter 3 and Chapter 5

4. Circuit switching in the context of telephony as a case study of network architecture
Chapter 4

5. Local area networks and media access control
Chapter 6

6. Packet switching networks in the context of TCP/IP
Chapter 7 and Chapter 8

7. Circuit switching revisited in the context of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
Chapter 9 and Chapter 10

8. Selected topics such as security and network applications
Chapter 11 and some other chapters

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The following schedule and topics are very tentative, and is not binding.

Week
Topics
Remarks 
1
Intro & Review, ISO/OSI
-
2
Fundamental Limits (Shannon, Nyquist) 
-
3
Physical Media, Modulation
-
4
Error Detection & Correction
- 
5
ARQ
Quiz 1
6
Media Access, Bridges
- 
7
Media Access, TCP/IP protocol 
- 
8
TCP/IP protocol, Routing algorithms
-
9
Routing algorithms, OSPF, BGP
 - 
10
TCP flow and congestion control
-
11
 -  Spring break
12
Network security
 Quiz 2
13
Network security
-
14
ATM, circuit switching, MPLS
 -
15
ATM, circuit switching, MPLS
-
16
possibly wireless networks, final review
 -
17
Finals' week
-