CPSC 441: Computer Communications

Professor Carey Williamson

Winter 2012

Course Overview

The purpose of this course is to introduce the key concepts and principles of computer networks. Throughout the course, the Internet's architecture and protocols will be used as the primary examples to illustrate the fundamental principles of computer networking.

The course will use a top-down approach to study the Internet and its protocol stack. First, we will study popular network applications, such as email, Web, media streaming, and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing applications. Next, we will study TCP/IP and the communication services required to support these network applications. Finally, we will study how these communication services are implemented and deployed in practical networks, including wired and wireless Local Area Network (LAN) environments.

During the semester, we will cover approximately the first 6 chapters of the textbook, averaging about two weeks per chapter. Near the end of the semester, we will highlight some state-of-the-art research activities in computer networking.

Course Syllabus and Schedule

The following is a synopsis of the lecture material and timelines planned for CPSC 441.

  1. Introduction (1.5 weeks)
    Overview of the Internet. LANs and WANs. OSI reference model, Internet TCP/IP Protocol Stack.
    Client/server paradigm, circuit-switching, packet-switching, Internet structure, networking delays,and packet loss.
  2. Application Layer (2 weeks)
    Service requirements, WWW, HTTP, Electronic Mail, Domain Name System, P2P, Socket programming API
  3. Transport Layer (2 weeks)
    Service models, Multiplexing/Demultiplexing, Connection-less transport (UDP), Principles of reliable data transfer, Connection-oriented transport (TCP), TCP congestion control, TCP variants
  4. Network Layer Addressing (1 week)
    Network layer services, IP, IP addressing, IPv4, DHCP, NAT, ICMP, IPv6
  5. Network Layer Routing (1.5 weeks)
    Routing and forwarding, Routing algorithms, Routing in the Internet, RIP, OSPF, BGP, Multicast
  6. Link Layer and Local Area Networks (1.5 weeks)
    Link layer services, Error detection and correction, Multiple Access Protocols, Link layer addressing, Ethernet, Hubs and switches, Point-to-Point Protocol
  7. Wireless and Mobile Networks (1 week)
    Wireless links and network characteristics, Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs, Mobility management and Mobile IP
  8. Multimedia Networking (1 week)
    Networked multimedia applications, best-effort service and multimedia delivery requirements, Multimedia protocols (RTSP, RTP, RTCP, SIP), Content Distribution Networks
  9. Networking Research and Review (1 week)
    Selected topics from the networking literature. Course wrapup and review.