INFS 612 - Principles and Practices of Communication Networks

Instructor: Dr Larry Kerschberg

Fall 2011: Office Hours Mondays 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm, or by email appointment.

Class Meetings: Mondays, 7:20 - 10:00PM in Krug Hall, Room 5.

We will use Blackboard system for all postings of reading assignments, slides, homework assignments, class discussions, group projects, and email communication.

The GMU Honor Code is in effect at all times.

Prerequisites:

INFS 501, 515, 519 and SWE 510

Course Topics

This course presents the principles and practices of communication networks in a top-down fashion. The topics include: the role of the Internet; the Application, Transport, Network, Link Layers; wireless and mobile networks; network protocols and algorithms; network security; and modern applications.

Course Textbook

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, Fifth Edition, James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross, Addison Wesley, ISBN-13: 979-0-13-607967-5.

This text is on two-hour reserve at the Johnson Center Library.

Grading Policy

Your final grade will be determined by your performance as follows:

Grade Components and Percentages
Home Work Assignments
15
Class Participation & Blackboard Participation
5
Group Term Project
20
Individual Term Project Presentation
15
Midterm Exam
15
Final Exam
30

Homework assignments are to be submitted on time via Blackboard.
The assignments are to be done individually, and the honor code is in effect.

The term project is a meant to be a group research and learning experience. There will be a grade for the group's performance as well as a grade for each person's performance in presenting their portion of the research.