Professor J. Mark Pullen
ST2 Room 403 (mail drop ST2-430).
Office hours 14:00-18:00 Monday and by appointment (including evenings/weekends);
Preferred contact email: mpullen@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-1538
 

DESCRIPTION

The course will present data communications fundamentals and computer networking methods, using the ISO 7-layer reference model to organize the study. Attention will be focused on the protocols of the physical, data link control, network, and transport layers, for local and wide area networks. Emphasis will be given to the Internet Protocol Suite. Students will program simplified versions of the protocols as part of the course project.

Prerequisites: CS310, CS365 and STAT344 or equivalent; ability to program in C/C++.

Project: We will use the Network Workbench (NW), software developed at GMU that simulates a protocol stack and displays the results, using a text interface. Students will create modules for Internet stack layers and run them in the NW environment. NW will be available via IT&E computing labs in ST2-18, 133, and 137 and by dial-in. (For information and to get an account, see http://ite.gmu.edu/labs/acct-inform/ . A version of NW that runs under Borland C++ Builder (version 5) and Microsoft Visual C++ (version 6) also is available. Well documented code must be submitted by upload system for grading; see http://cs.gmu.edu/course-upload. Additional projects are available for extra credit. The primary CS455 TA is Mohamed Bennani, mbennani@gmu.edu. Office hours: 17:00 to 19:00 Mondays and Thursdays, 365 ST2. Eric Sohn, email ssohn@cs.gmu.edu, will be lead grader for Network Workbench; he has a lot of experience with NW and will backup Mohamed for student questions. Eric's office hours are 16:00 to 18:00 Wednesdays, in 365 ST2. Both TAs also are available by appointment at other times, for example after class (send email at least 24 hours in advance to set up appointment). If neither TA can resolve your problem, they will pass the probelm to the author of NW (me), who will take a look.

The project is documented in one of the required texts. Copies of class slides, software and documentation for the project are included with this text on CDROM. Additional project information will be found at http://netlab.gmu.edu/NW.
 

GRADING POLICY

Homework 10%, Midterm exam 25%, Project 30%, Final exam 35%.

Project credit breakout: DLC1, DLC2, LAN1, WAN2, and INT3 four points each; DLC3 and TRN1 five points each; extra credit LAN2, WAN3, WAN4, INT1, and INT2 two points each, maximum fo six points total. (NOTE: Regardless extra credit, no student who fails the final exam will receive a grade above C.)

Missed exams must be arranged with the instructor BEFORE the exam date.

To complete the exam you will need a pencil and a calculator. Portable computers may not be used.

Assignments are due by 7:30PM on assigned date. Late assignments lose 10% per class credit. NET section students may email their assignments to mpullen@gmu.edu, drop them in Dr. Pullen's box in ST2 430, or fax them to 703-993-3692. NET section homework scores will be returned by email; the physical assignments will be returned at the midterm and final exams.

All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code as stated in the GMU catalog and elaborated for Computer Science. Students should be aware that their submissions may be checked by plagiarism detection software.

Grading is proficiency-based (no curve), cutoffs will be in the vicinity of (but not higher than) A - 90; B - 80; C - 70.
 

SYLLABUS (subject to revision)
date and topic/readings in Shay text/project assignment

8-25 Course introduction; network concepts; 7-layer and 5-layer models / Chapter 1 / NW Setup

9-1 Holiday no class

9-8 Physical layer: transmission media, coding / Sections 2.1 to 2.3 / Project DLC1: Framing

9-15 Analog/digital transmission, serial/parallel interfaces, multiplexing, CRC / Sections 2.4 to 3.2; 4.3 / Project DLC2: CRC

9-22 Data compression, security principles, integrity, appropriate use / Section 3.5; Chapter 4 / Project DLC1 due

9-29 Data link control; discrete event simulation / Chapter 5 / Project DLC 3: ARQ ; Project DLC2 due

10-6 Local area networks / Section 3.4; Chapter 6 / Project LAN1: CSMA/CD LAN

10-14 Mid-Term Exam / Chapters 1, 2 and 7; section 3.2 NOTE: this is a Tuesday, due to GMU holiday schedule
Exam location: 126 ST1

10-20 Network Layer: WANs, X.25, routing / Sections 7.3 to 7.4 / Project DLC3 due

10-27 Internet Architecture (IPv4) / Sections 7.1 to 7.2 / Project WAN 2: Forwarding and Optimization ; Project LAN1 due

11-3 Queueing basics; transport layer: TCP and UDP / Sections 7.5 and 7.6 / Project TRN1: Reliable Transport

11-10 no class - IETF meeting

11-17 Multicast and multimedia networking; ATM / no reading / Project INT3: Integrated Stack; Project WAN2 due

11-24 Network Security and Network Management / Chapter 4 / Project TRN1 due

12-1 Higher layer protocols / Chapter 8 / Project INT3 plus any extra-credit projects due; final cutoff for all assignments
(this will be a guest lecture)

12-15 Final exam (comprehensive) / Chapters 1 to 8
 

READINGS

Required textbook: Shay, Understanding Data Communications and Networks, 2nd Ed., PWD Publishing Company, 1999
Required project book: Pullen, Understanding Internet Protocols, Wiley, 2000

References (available in library):
1. Comer, Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol. I, 3^rd Ed., Prentice-Hall, 1996
2. Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, 6th Ed., Prentice-Hall, 2000
3. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, 3rd Ed., Prentice-Hall, 1996

Course notices and assignments will be provided via email. Students are responsible to have an email account and provide an address to the instructor. osf1.gmu.edu or other email addresses may also be used. Course materials (for example, homework solutions) will be available though the course webpage, http://netlab.gmu.edu/compnets. Students are responsible for assigned readings and all material outlined in lecture slides.

Internet-based course delivery: classes will be available on computer desktops at home or office by using dial-up through GMU Internet facilities. See http://netlab.gmu.edu/disted. All classes may be taken over the network, however students must appear in person for midterm and final exams.