CMPSCI 653: Computer Networks Syllabus

Spring 2000 Course Information

Instructor: Prashant Shenoy
Office: Room 336, Computer Science Bldg
Office Hours: Thursdays 4:00-5:30 pm, Room 336, or by appointment
Phone: (413) 577 0850
Fax: (413) 545 1249
Email: shenoy@cs.umass.edu

Content: Computer Networks is a graduate course that introduces fundamental concepts in the design and implementation of computer communication networks and their protocols. Topics include: layered network architectures, applications, transport, congestion, routing, data link protocols, local area networks, multimedia networking, network management, and network security. An emphasis will be placed on the protocols used in the Internet. Final grades will be determined by written homeworks, programming assignments and two exams. Prerequisites: A rudimentary understanding of computer architecture and operating systems, while not required, would be helpful.

Teaching assistant: Xiao Xie
Email: xiao@acad.umass.edu
Office hours: M 3:30-4:30, F 10:30-11:30 in LGRT 224

Prerequisites:

1. A rudimentary understanding of computer architecture and operating systems would be helpful.
2. You must be able to program in a structured high-level programming language, like C, C++ or Java. Programming assignments will be in C/UNIX.

Course Materials:

1. Recommended Texts:

   • Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet
     Jim Kurose and Keith Ross, Addison Wesley
     Online versions: UPenn site, AWL site (Username: networking Password: jupiter)
   • Computer Networks, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Prentice Hall, 3^rd edition, 1996.

2. Assigned readings from magazines, manuals, and the WWW; this material will be placed on reserve in the Physical Sciences library, and made avilable to off campus students.

3. Course home page: All course materials (handouts, lecture notes, homeworks, assignments and solutions) will be posted on the course home page at http://www.cs.umass.edu/~shenoy/courses/653
   As the semester goes along, the site will fill up with lots of useful other information, pointers to other sites, etc. Please make sure you check out and use this site frequently.

4. Mailing list: A broadcast class email address, cs653@cs.umass.edu, has been created. If you send mail to this address, it will be broadcast to the 60 or so students in the class, so please use it wisely and carefully. I will use it to broadcast information of interest to everyone. You might want to use it to broadcast a question, or give a pointer to material that you think will be of general interest. See documentation about how to add/delete yourself from the class broadcast email list.
   

Coursework

• Assigned readings: weekly
• Homeworks: 2-3 homeworks, 20% of the final grade
• Programming assignments: Two short assignments and one mini-project, 40% of the final grade.
• Exams:One midterm and one final, 40% of the final grade