Computer Science 4310/6310: Data Communications

Fall 2001

Instructor:

E-Mail:: stuartb@acm.org
Office Hours:: Since I am not a resident professor at the University, there will not be regular office hours. Of course, e-mail is welcome and (within reason) phone calls are acceptable.

Text:

Computer Networking by Kurose and Ross.

Objectives:

In this class we will study computer networking from several points of view. Computers are connected in networks using electronic equipment. Some understanding of this equipment will help to clarify the constraints of network design. Computers communicate using software that is written to implement protocols. These protocols define the language spoken by the machines. We can also analyze certain properties of networks to estimate how they will perform.

Planned List of Topics:

Below is a list of topics to be covered during this course. Chapter numbers refer to the course text.

General Networking Concepts. Ch. 1.
Networking Hardware. Ch. 1.
Data Link Protocols. Ch. 5.
Network Protocols. Ch. 4.
Transport Protocols. Ch. 3.
Application Protocols. Ch. 2.
Security. Ch. 7.

Grading:

There will be tentatively two exams, three programming projects and four smaller written assignments. The exams will, together, comprise 40% of the grade, the programming projects another 40% and the smaller assignments the remaining 20%. The exact breakdown is as follows:

Mid-Term Exam 15%
Final Exam 25%
First Programming Project 13.3%
Second Programming Project 13.3%
Third Programming Project 13.4%
Written Assignments (4 each) 5%