Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Anton Riedl
Office: Gosnold 138
Office Hours: please, see homepage for current office hours
Telephone: (757) 594-7829
E-Mail: riedl at cnu dot edu
AIM: DrARiedl
Web: http://www.pcs.cnu.edu/~riedl
Course Schedule
MW 19:00 - 20:15
Room
Gosnold 113
Prerequisites
Prerequisites: CPSC 125 or CPSC 330, CPSC 250/L, MATH 135 or MATH 140
Book
Computer networking - A Top-Down Approach Featuring The Internet
by J.F.Kurose and K.W.Ross, Fifth Edition, Addison Wesley, 2010.
Companion website:
http://wps.aw.com/aw_kurose_network_5
Course Web Site
We will be using the CNU Scholar (Blackboard)
system for this class. I will post homework and project assignments there, as well as the topics
we cover in class and the ones that are coming up. It is your responsibility to
check this site regularly so you don't miss any assignments.
Catalog Description
A broad overview of communications issues to include encoding, media, interfaces, error detection and
correction, data compression, protocols, the OSI model, and LANs. Standard network applications
such as ftp, telnet, gopher, and web browsers are discussed. Students will be required to
design and implement a communications software project.
Educational Objectives
The goal of the course is to establish a foundation in computer (and in general,
communication) networking. The focus of this course is
on general principles and methodologies rather than specific technologies and
details thereof.
It is my hope that at the end of the semester you have a good
understanding of general networking concepts and their application to a few selected
areas of networking.
The essential objectives of this course include
- gaining factual knowledge such as terminology,
classifications, and methods,
- learning fundamental principles, generalizations,
or theories, and
- developing specific skills, competencies, and
points of view needed by computer professionals.
Homework Assignments
Homework sets will be assigned about every 2 weeks. The
questions will be posted on the website. The homework
assignments will make up a significant part of your learning experience
during the semester. Doing them is essential for understanding the
material - and the exams will assume that you have studied these
problems.
- Homework assignments will be due in class on the due date
given on the web page.
- Each homework assignment counts for a maximum of 100
points. At the end
of the semester, the average over all assignments is determined.
- Partial credit will be awarded based on how many mistakes
you make, how
severe they are, and how well you explain what you're doing. If you
help me by explaining your thinking, you'll generally get more credit
than if you present a few lines of computation or comments and make me
guess what you understand and what you don't.
- Late homework will not be accepted.
Projects
There will be several project assignments that are done outside the classroom.
The nature of these assignments will vary from case to case, possibly including
programming assignments, labs, independent research, literature review, written and
oral reports.
Projects will be announced in class as well as on the course web page, and sufficient
time will be given to complete the assignments. However, it can be expected that some
of the assignments will require a considerable amount of time. It is therefore recommended
that you plan ahead, start early and do not procrastinate!
Some projects are done individually, while others can be worked on in teams.
The details for each project will be again announced in class and posted on the course web page.
It is your responsibility to check the web page frequently, in order to make sure that you
are aware of all assignments and their respective deadlines.
I expect that you take the projects seriously. Interaction with me
outside the classroom is strongly encouraged. Sloppy or low-effort
projects will definitely hurt your grades (see the paragraph on grading).
- Project assignments will be due on the date
given on the web page.
- Each project assignment counts for a maximum of 100
points. At the end
of the semester, the average over all assignments is determined.
- Late projects will be accepted. However, there will be a penalty of 20 points per
day late
- In case projects are done in teams, only one solution needs
to be submitted. All students of this team will receive the same grade.
Grading
Grades in the class will be based on homework assignments,
projects, two exams taken during the semester, and a final exam. The
following weights will be used to determine the overall grade in the
course:
Grade Components
| Item |
Weight |
| Homework Assignments |
10% |
| Projects |
25% |
| Midterm Exam I |
20% |
| Midterm Exam II |
20% |
| Final Exam |
25% |
|
Final Letter Grade
Final Average
|
Letter Grade
|
92 - 100
|
A
|
90 - 91
|
A-
|
88 - 89
|
B+
|
82 - 87
|
B
|
80 - 81
|
B-
|
78 - 79
|
C+
|
72 - 77
|
C
|
70 - 71
|
C-
|
68 - 69
|
D+
|
62 - 67
|
D
|
60 - 61
|
D-
|
0 - 59
|
F
|
|
Student Responsibilities
Take responsibility for your studies!
CNU is a place where you can transform yourself. No one can give you
knowledge or skills. You must develop them yourself. Our job is to help
you in this transformation. Please keep the following points in mind:
Honor Code
On my honor, I will maintain the
highest possible standards of honesty, integrity and personal
responsibility. That means I will not lie, cheat, or steal and as a member of this
academic community, I am committed to creating an environment of respect and mutual trust.
TAKE PRIDE IN THE WORK YOU DO!!! The Honor Code will be strictly
observed. All work and tests must be done individually (except for team
assignments), although general discussion of assignments is
allowed. Cheating on any work product will result in either a zero for
that product, an F for the course, or the filing of a case in an honor
court.
Violation of the honor code
may result in dismissal from the University.
Attendance
Attending class or missing class might not affect your grade directly.
However, by missing a class you miss a substantial amount of
learning time, and that is quite likely to affect your grade.
Attending
class is typically the best investment of time you can make in terms of
the amount of learning accomplished. Paying attention and taking notes
are very close behind; whether or not you understand the material,
taking notes will help you tremendously. If you do not attend class,
you are responsible for getting notes and other information covered
(including assignments) during class regardless of the circumstances of
your absence. If you do attend class, unless absolutely necessary,
please respect your peers and do not come in late or leave early.
Entering or exiting the classroom is extremely disruptive no matter how
quiet you think that you are being. While in the classroom, please be
quiet. Do not talk to others or use a cell phone. Once in class, stay
in class. If you have a medical condition which prevents you from
staying in class for the entire period, please discuss it with me. If
you have some emergency and cannot stay the entire class period
(especially if you leave, then return), please tell me after class what
prevented you from staying the entire class period.
Due Dates
All homework assignments have to be submitted on or before the
deadline. Late homework submissions
will not be accepted. Homework assignments are
due at the beginning of class on the given due date.
All projects must be
turned in on time in
order to avoid a late penalty. Late projects will
lose 20 points per day.
This means that after five late days, a project will receive
a grade of zero. Since I will always
give you plenty of time to do your projects, I will not accept any
excuse for late submissions!
No make-up exams are given. If you miss a midterm exam due to
extenuating
circumstances, your grade for that missed exam will be whatever your
grade is on the final exam. If you miss an exam without a valid reason,
your grade will be 80% of your final exam grade.
Student Success
We want you to succeed at CNU! Therefore I may notify the Academic
Advising Center if you seem to be having problems with this course.
Someone may contact you to help you determine what help you need to
succeed. You will be sent a copy of the referral form.
I urge you to come and see me as soon as you realize that you are
having problems. Do not wait until I find out about it through bad test
grades. Believe me, if you have no idea about what is going on in
class, if you have trouble solving the homework questions or project
assignments, denial and procrastination won't work! The chances that
you will suddenly start understanding everything are very slim. It is
more likely that you will do rather poorly on the next test. And then
it will be too late to make up for it. Therefore, the sooner you come
and talk to me the better I can help you succeed!
Another good resource is the CNU Center for Liberal Learning (CCLL).
It offers free assistance for
CNU students in writing, mathematics, and the sciences. The Center
is located in room 240 of the Trible Library. For more information
please visit
http://tutors.cnu.edu
or phone 594-8919 or 594-7684.
Disabilities
If you believe that you have a disability, you should make an appointment
to see me to discuss your needs. In order to receive an accommodation, your
disability must be on record in the Dean of Students office, 3rd Floor DSU
(Telephone 594-7160).
Preliminary Outline
The following schedule is approximate.
I reserve the right to change it, or even discard it completely if the situation warrants such changes.
Week
|
Subject
|
Chapter
|
| 1 |
Overview of computer networks, components |
1 |
| 2 |
Overview of computer networks: packet vs. circuit switching, OSI layer model |
1 |
| 3 |
Application Layer: principles, client/server, web and html,
e-mail, FTP |
2 |
| 4 |
Application Layer: DNS, peer-to-peer, socket programming
|
2
|
| 5 |
Application Layer: wrap-up
Exam I (cumulative) |
2
|
| 6 |
Transport Layer: overview,
connectionless/connection-oriented service, reliable data transfer
|
3 |
| 7 |
Transport Layer: TCP, UDP |
3 |
| 8 |
Spring Break |
|
| 9 |
Network Layer: overview, datagram networks,
Internet Protocol (IP) |
4 |
| 10 |
Network Layer: IP addressing, routing algorithms
Exam II
|
4 |
| 11 |
Link Layer: overview, error detection, error correction,
multiple access |
5
|
| 12 |
Local Area Networks (LAN): addressing, switching, Ethernet |
5
|
| 13 |
TBD: Advanced Topic (e.g., Network Security) |
|
| 14 |
TBD: Advanced Topic (e.g., Mobile Networking)
|
|
| 15 |
TBD: Advanced Topic (e.g., Multimedia Networking) |
|
| 16 |
FINAL EXAM (COMPREHENSIVE) |
|