INFS 612: Data Communication and Distributed Processing

Objective (as stated in the course catalog)

Concepts and applications of telecommunication technologies, networks and distributed information systems. Topics include regulatory issues, network pricing and management.

Prerequisites

INFS 501, 515 and 590 or equivalent and some programming experience.
The course has an individual project (not a group project) using socket libraries, and students are expected to be able to program on their own.
The objective of the project is for students to be introduced to network programming.

Course Material

  1. Course Text (required): Computer Networking by Jim F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross (ISBN 0-201-47711-4) published by Addision-Wesley, and
    Effective TCP/IP Programming: 44 Tips to improve your network programming by Jon C. Snader
  2. Alternative Reference 1:Computer Networks and Internets by Douglas Comer (3rd edition)
  3. Alternative Reference 2:Data and Computer Communication, by William Stallings. (6th edition, ISBN=0-13-084370-9)
  4. Some helpful Links:Material available at the Companion site by Stallings.
  5. Project Material: Project web page

Grading policy

  1. Weights: Five assignments (5% each) 25%, Midterm Exam 25%, Final exam 25%, Project 25%.
  2. Late Submissions: Discouraged, but allowed under exceptional circumstances with prior approval of the instructor.
  3. Incompletes:No incompletes will be given.
  4. Honor Code Violations:All violators will be reported under all circumstances, and results in a course grade of F, in addition to any other penalties imposed by the university and the ISE department.
    Two students submitting a common copy of homework or a project is a honor code violation.

Course Administration

  1. Class Meetings: Monday 7:20pm-10pm in T 222
  2. Instructor: Duminda Wijesekera, email: dwijesek@gmu.edu, duminda@ise.gmu.edu
  3. Instructor Office Hours: Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, in ST II Rm 351
  4. Teaching Assistant:Yang Luo, email: yluo@gmu.edu
  5. TA Office Hours:Tuesday from 7.30 to 8.30 pm, Wednesday 5.00 to 6.00 pm, in ST II Rm 268.
  6. Examinations: All Examinations are in class, individual (no collaborations), open book and open notes, but closed neighbor.
  7. Problem Solving:The teaching assistant will discuss representative problems from the textbook.
  8. Competency in Programming: We expect all students to be competent programers, and as be able to resolve questions relating to editors, paths, makefiles, libraries, and debugging by themselves. Remember, this is a course in networks, and we do not offer remedial help in resolving systems related issues. This is also not a course to learn programming.

Announcements

  1. Homework 4 Solutions
  2. Homework 3 Solutions
  3. Schedule changed on 04/09/02 to reflect postponement of HW #3.
  4. Due date for HW3 postponed to 3 postponed to April 12th.
  5. Mr. Naren Kodali will give an extra tutorial session on securing streams (helpful for Part II of the project) on Saturday, 04/06/02 from 12.15 noon to 1.15 pm in ST II Room 11 or 15 (depending on the number of attendees). The same person will have an INFS 601 help session from 11.00 to 12.00 at the same palce.
  6. Student solutions to HW #2. One Two
  7. Due to many request, the project delivery date has been potponed by one week to March 25. Please note that the midterm exam will be held on March 25.
  8. Student solutions to HW #1. One Two
  9. Syllabus updated to reflect current status.
  10. The mid-term exam postponed to March 25th, but will cover only upto the end of Chapter 3.
  11. The first homework has not been graded fairly. Therefore, please bring back your homework to be re-graded. My appologies for the confusion in Class on 02/25/02.
  12. The due date for Homework 2 has been postponed to March 8th.
  13. Mid Term Exam from Fall 20001, and Final Exam from Fall 20001

Approximate Course Schedule

Date
Topic
Readings from
Kurose and Ross
 Giving Out Due in Class
Week 1
Jan 28 		Introduction and Terminology
Terminology
Layering
OSI and TCP/IP Protocol Suite 		Ch 1,
Start reading TCP/IP Book		 Homework 1
Week 2
Feb 4 		Application Layer protocols
Application Layer protocols
HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, Sockets
TA Discussion		 Ch 2
Socket Programming		 Project I
Week 3
Feb 11 		Socket Programming Continued
TCP, UDP and Congestion Control		 Ch 3 Homework 2 Homework 1
Week 4
Feb 18 		Transport Layer,Internet Protocols
TA Discussion		 Ch 3 Homework 1
 Homework 2
Week 5
Feb 25 		Transport Layer Ch 3

Week 6
Mar 4		 Finish Transport Layer
Begin Network Security
 TA Discussion		 Ch 3/7

Week 7
Mar 10 - 17
No Class 		Spring Break
(No classes, No office hrs)


Week 8
Mar 18 		Finish Security in Networks
Review for the Midterm		 Ch 7 Project II Project I
Week 9
Mar 25		 Midterm Homework 3
Week 10
Apr 1		 Network Layer
Homework Discussion		 Ch 4

Week 11
Apr 8		 Network Layer Ch 4

Week 12
Apr 15		 Data Link Layer Ch 5 Homework 4 Homework 3
Week 13
Apr 22		 Data Link Layer
continued		 Ch 5
Week 14
Apr 29
Network Management
Fire Walls		 Ch 8 Homework 5 Homework 4
Week 15
May 6 		Review All chapters

Project II
Week 16
May 13		 Final Examination All chapters Homework 5