CSE/EE 458 - Communication Networks
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Overview
Communication networks are fundamental to our daily lives; nearly all new devices are connected to the Internet. Hence, engineers and researchers designing systems from the circuit level to distributed architectures must be cognizant of network fundamentals. The recent past decades have seen tremendous growth in networking technologies. This course provides an overview of these networking technologies. Students satisfactorily completing this course will gain the skills necessary to analyze and design networking systems and protocols. The course will begin with the application layer, looking at design patterns present in common application layer protocols. We then move down the network stack, considering topics such as reliable transmission and congestion control at the transport layer, routing at the network layer, and multiple access protocols at the link layer. After this discussion, the latter portion of the course will include wireless and mobile networks, queuing fundamentals, security, and network management.
A detailed list of a lecture by lecture contents, assignments, and due dates (subject to change as semester evolves) is available on the course schedule.
Grading
The course will be graded on exams, homeworks, projects, and class participation in the following proportions:
| 25% | Midterm |
| 35% | Final |
| 15% | Homeworks |
| 20% | Projects |
| 5% | Class Participation |
Exams
The course will include one evening midterm and a final. Students are responsible for both content covered in lectures and the text. Note that questions may include content presented in lecture but not in the text and content presented in the text but not covered in lectures.
The midterm is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, 2007 (evening - 6pm, 333 IST Building) and will consist of content to topics covered lectures 1 through 15.
The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, August 14, 2007 (in class) and will be comprehensive with a focus on content covered since the midterm.
Homeworks and Projects
The course will consist of seven homework assignments and three programming projects. Homework assignments are due at beginning of class and will cover content from lectures and assigned readings; some topics may only be covered in lecture or in the reading. Projects will be written in the C programming lecture and submitted via email as a single tarfile by 5:00 pm EDT on the due date.
Class Participation
Lecture attendance and class participation are vital for doing well in the class. Students are expected to do assigned readings before class. Throughout the semester, the instructor will ask questions from the readings. Questions may be directed towards random individuals. Answering a question correctly gives the student one class participation point; answering the question incorrectly gives no points; and if the student is not present, one point is subtracted. At the end of the semester, each student needs 3 participation points to fulfill the class participation requirements (5%) of the course. Students missing class should inform the instructor ahead of time.
Course Texts
The course will closely follow "Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet," 3rd Edition by James Kurose and Keith Ross. Additionally, we will use the optional book, "TCP/IP Sockets in C: Practical Guide for Programmers," by Michael Donahoo and Kenneth Calvert to supplement network sockets programming assignments.
Academic Integrity
"Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University's Code of Conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts." (University Faculty Senate Policy 49-20)
Any form of cheating will not be tolerated in this class and will be reported to the university. If you have any confusion or questions about this topic please see Penn State's academic integrity policy or talk to the instructor.
CSE/EE 458 (Summer 2007)