Computer Networks
List of the major issues addressed in this course
Reading Assignments
Special topics course
The course will meet once every other week where we will discuss the previous reading assignment. There will be a final exam and a project. The course lecture notes and homework problems are listed on the site as supplementary material.
Reading Assignments
For February 9 – Read Peterson & Davie Chapters 1 – 2.5
For February 23 – Finish Chapter 2, Ethernet and Wireless
Crow, Widjaja, Kim, and Sakai; IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks; IEEE Communications Magazine, vol 35, pp 116 – 126, Sept. 1997.
Kleinrock, L.; On Some Principles of Nomadic Computing and Multi-Access Communications; IEEE Communications Magazine, vol 38, pp 46 – 50, July 2000.
Metcalfe, R. M.; Computer/Network Interface Design: Lessons from Arpanet and Ethernet; IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications; vol. 11, pp 173 – 179, Feb. 1993.
(If I can get these papers for you, I will give them to you at the next meeting)
Project Topics
Choose one of the following
Write a POP3 Server that accepts the following commands: USER, PASS, LIST, RETR, DELE, and QUIT
Write a program that simulates a computer network using discrete time. The first packet on each router queue makes one hop per time interval. Each router has only a finite number of buffers. If a packet arrives and there is no room for it, it is discarded and not retransmitted. Instead there is an end-to-end protocol, complete with timeouts and acknowledgement packets, that eventually regenerates the packet from the source router. Plot the throughput of the network as a function of the end-to-end timeout interval, parameterized by error rate.
Design and implement a chat sysem tha allows multiple groups of users to chat. A chat coordinator resides a a well-known network address, uses UDP for communication with chat clients, sets up chat servers for each chat session, and maintains a chat session directory. There is one chat server per chat session. A chat server uses TCP for communication with clients. A chat client allows users to start, join, and leave a chat session. Design and implement the coordinator, server, and client code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Switching and Data Link Issues
Data Link and Medium Access Control
Medium Access Control and Bridges
Network Protocols and Scalability
Notes and Additional Material on Assorted Topics
Lecture 1: An Overview of Computer Networking
Lecture 2: The Physical Layer (Sept. 9)
Lecture 3: Data Link Protocols (Sept. 16)
Lecture 4: Contention-based Media Access Control
Lecture 5 -- Wireless Networks
Lecture # 6 – Bridges and ATM
Lecture 7: Introduction to IP (powerpoint presentation)
Routing in a Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET)
Lecture # 8 -- TCP (powerpoint presentation)
Notes on the TCP Internet Transport protocol
Lecture # 9 -- New Directions in Network Protocols
Student Presentations
Spread Spectrum Techniques for WI-FI LANs
Homework Questions and Answers
Homework # 1 -- Overview of Computer Networks (Due Sept. 9)
Homework # 2 -- Physical Layer Concerns (Due Sept. 16)
Homework # 3 -- Data Link Concerns (due September 23)
Homework # 4 -- Media Access Control (due September 30)
Homework # 5 -- Wireless (due October 7)
Homework # 6 -- Bridges and ATM (due October 21)
Homework # 7 -- IP Assignment 1 (due November 4)
Homework # 8 -- IP Assignment 2 (due November 11)
Labs # 1 & 2 -- distributed in class (due November 18)
Homework # 9 TCP Assignment 1 (due Nov. 18)
Presentation Topics and Information
Homework # 10 -- TCP Assignment 2 (due Dec. 2)
Lab # 3 – distributed in class (due Dec 9)
Review Material for the Exams
Review for Exam 1 -- Topics and Questions
Review for Final Exam -- Topics and Questions
Links to Related Websites
The Internet Engineering Task Force
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Forum
The Official Bluetooth SIG Website