Professor J. Mark Pullen
ST2 Room 403 (mail drop ST2-430)
Office hours 1600-1800 Monday and by appointment (including evenings/weekends)
Preferred contact is email: mpullen@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-1538
 

DESCRIPTION

The course will present current and emerging issues in advanced computer network protocols and applications.

Prerequisites: CS656 or equivalent.

Project: The project will involve designing and programming one of several possible network algorithms. Project details will be presented during the second lecture. We will use the Java Network Workbench (JNW), a successor under development for the Network Workbench introduced in CS656. JNW source code will be made available as needed.

Students are responsible for assigned readings and all material outlined in lecture slides.
 

GRADING POLICY

Class participation 15%, Project (proposal, written report, class presentation) 50%, Final exam (in class, open book) 35%.

Missed exams, presentations and assignments must be arranged with the instructor BEFORE the exam date.

Project assignments are due by 19:30 on assigned date. Late assignments lose 10% per class credit. No project submission will be accepted after the reading day.

All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code as stated in the GMU catalog and elaborated for Computer Science.

Grading is proficiency-based (no curve), cutoffs will be in the vicinity of (but not higher than) A  95; A- 90; B+ 85; B 80; C 70.
 

SYLLABUS (subject to revision)
date and topic

8-28 Course Introduction: review of computer networking

9-4 Congestion Control: principles; TCP implementation

9-11 Open class: project design

9-18 Congestion Control: Active Queue Management

9-25 QoS in the Internet: IntServ/Diffserv; weighted fair queueing

10-2 QoS Reservations: RSVP and ATM

10-8 Wireless Networking: IEEE 802.11
NOTE: Class will meet despite the Columbus day holiday. Recording in NEW will be available for those who cannot attend.

10-15 Ad Hoc Networking: principles; ad-hoc routing

10-23 Ad-hoc routing, continued

10-30 Multicasting: ad-hoc multicasting; overlay multicasting

11-6 Sensor Networking: principles; link management

11-13 Sensor Networking: data dissemination; security

11-20 Delay Tolerant Networking: routing and forwarding

11-27 Open class; project preparation.

12-4 Project presentations.

12-10 Reading day; last day to submit late project materials

12-18 Final exam (in classroom, open book)

READINGS

Textbook: William Stallings, High-Speed Networks Networks and Internets: Performance and Quality of Service, 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall, 2002

Supplemental readings from recent technical literature will be provided.

References:
1. Comer, Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol. I, 3^rd Ed., Prentice-Hall, 1996
2. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, 4th Ed., Prentice-Hall, 2002
3. Stallings, Data and Computer Networks 8th Ed. Prentice-Hall, 2006
4. Pullen,Understanding Internet Protocols, Wiley, 2000 (for Network Workbench)

Course communication: we will use email extensively. Students are responsible to read email daily. Announcements will be sent to the class email list, which consists of GMU email accounts.

Course notices and assignments will be provided via email. 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 Internet, however students must appear in person for the exam and must either appear in person or use Network EducationWare to make project presentations.