CISC 450/650 Computer Networks Syllabus

Semester: Fall 2010
Class Meeting Times: TuTh 12:30pm-1:45pm
Class Meeting Room: 107 Sharp Lab (SHL)
Course URL: http://www.cis.udel.edu/~cshen/CN/

Instructor: Chien-Chung Shen
Office: 450 Smith Hall
Phone: 831-1951
Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 4pm-5pm, and by appointment
Email: cshen@cis.udel.edu

TA: Yang Guan
Office: 102 Smith Hall
Hours: 10am-12pm
Email: yguan@cis.udel.edu

Course Description

Computer networks is an area of great practical importance. Nearly every one of us makes use of networks on a daily basis, often without a second thought about the details of operations, and the influence of computer networks on our lives is likely to continue growing over at least the next decade. Computer networks is also a very large subject, and no single course can make you an expert.

This course is an introduction to the principles and practice of computer networks. It intends to provide you with the background required for further study in the areas of networking and telecommunications, as well as practical understanding that will help you get a (good) job. The coverage is broad in scope, from physical media to internetworking and end-to-end services. Students are expeected to develop a thorough understanding of foundation principles, architectures, and techniques employed in computer networks. A network is viewed as a hierarchy of layers. Each layer uses services offered by lower layers to in turn provide enhanced service to the next higher layer. These layers form a protocol suite. The course focuses on protocols and mechanisms used in the Internet TCP/IP protocol suite, including the design and operation of both wide-area and local-area networks.

Specific topics include: introduction (network architectures, protocol layering, TCP/IP and OSI Reference Models); application layer (Web and http, email, file transfer, DNS, socket programming); transport layer (TCP, UDP, connection management, end-to-end reliable data transfer, sliding window protocols, quality of service, flow control, congestion control); network layer (link-state vs. distance-vector routing, IPv4, IPv6, internetworking); local area and wireless networks (Ethernet, switches); data link layer (framing, error control, CRC checksums,); physical layer (packet vs circuit switching, multiplexing). The course also involves hands-on 'sniffing' of network traffic using Wireshark.

Prerequisites

For CISC 450: CISC220. RESTRICTIONS: Knowledge of probability, statistics recommended. Credit cannot be received for CISC450 and any of the following courses: CIS250, CPEG419, ELEG419, CIS650, ELEG651.
For CISC 650: an undergraduate level course in computer architecture and operating systems. RESTRICTIONS: Knowledge of probability and statistics recommended. Credit cannot be received for CISC650 and any of the following courses: CIS250, CPEG419, ELEG419, CIS450, ELEG651.
excellent programming skills (C, C++, or Java) with a clear appreciation and understanding for modular, well-documented code. (Note: the book's coding examples are in Java; students are expected to understand these examples. The lone programming assignment is in Java.)
working familiarity with Unix
understanding of finite state machines (covered in CISC301)

Students may not earn credit at UD for both CISC450 and CISC650. Graduate students having earned credit for a computer networks course at another university, especially those that used the Kurose/Ross textbook, Computer Networks by Tanenbaum or Larry Peterson/Bruce Davie, are elligible to move directly into an 800-level networking course; check with the professor.

Required Textbook

James Kurose and Keith Ross. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 5th ed., Addison-Wesley, 2010 (Errata)

Additional Non-required References

a book on Java programming that includes a section on network programming (sockets, URL)

Kenneth Calvert and Michael Donahoo. TCP/IP Sockets in JAVA: Practical Guide for Programmers, 2nd ed., Morgan Kaufman, 2008.

Andrew Tanenbaum. Computer Networks, 4th ed., Prentice Hall
Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie. Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 4th ed., Morgan Kaufman
Douglas Comer. Internetworking with TCP/IP Volume 1: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture, 5th ed., Prentice Hall
a book on C or C++ programming
Many practical and excellent books by W. Richard Stevens at this site

Assignments and Grading

25% - Midterm Exam
30% - Final Exam
45% - Assignments:

Homeworks questions from the end of textbook chapters 1-5 (5)

Self-Assessment Quizzes from Pearson Textbook website (5 multiple choice, 5 True/False)

Socket Programming in Java Assignment (1)

Wireshark Projects (8 required for 650); (5 required; 3 extra credit for 450)

Unexcused late assignments will be penalized 5% of the awarded grade per day not including weekends up to a maximum penalty of 50%. Without prior discussion with the instructor, assignments will not be accepted more than two weeks late.

Achieving a certain percentage of the weighted total allowed points in the course guarantees a student a minimum grade (see table below).

	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-
CISC450	90%	87%	84%	81%	78%	75%	72%	69%	66%	63%	60%
CISC650	93%	90%	87%	84%	81%	78%	75%	72%	69%	66%	63%

Class participation or a pattern of grade improvement can have a positive effect on the final grade. Borderline cases are influenced primarily by exam scores and class participation, not by assignments.

A philosophical note on grades: I do the best I can in measuring how much course material you demonstrate that you know. This evaluation is done through assignments and tests. I do not attempt to grade intelligence. I do not grade based on how many hours you put into the course.

Academic Honesty

All end of chapter homeworks and Wireshark projects should be done individually. A student is NOT permitted to compare end of chapter homework or Wireshark project answers with those of any other student (past or present, UD or not-UD) prior to submitting the assignment. Students may not use the web to locate answers to any assignment. Comparing answers before submitting one's work, or getting answers off the web is considered cheating. If you do not have time to complete an assignment, better to submit partial solutions than to get answers from someone else. While it may be difficult for the professor to enforce this policy, students who compare answers prior to submission should be keenly aware that in this class, they are cheating, and if caught, will be prosecuted according to University guidelines. This policy applies both to the student who gets answers, and the student who gives answers.