Course: CSCE 462/862, Communication Networks, 3 credits (Spring '05) (Call No. 2413/2426).

Lecture: TR 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m., 19 Avery Hall.

Instructor: Byrav Ramamurthy, 363 Avery Hall, 472-7791 (Email: byrav@cse.unl.edu).

Instructor Office Hours: TR 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon and by appt.

Teaching Assistant: Mr. Lu Shen

TA Office Hours: 9:00am - 11:00am Tuesday @ 501 Building room 2.

Prerequisite: Course Math 380 (or EE 410) and CSCE 430; CSCE 451 desirable, or permission of instructor.

Grading: Letter; pretest (5%), homework assignments (20%), Quizzes (10%), mid-term exam (25%), final exam (25%), Project report/term paper (15%).

Course Description: This is an introductory level course on the architecture of communication networks, and the rudiments of performance modeling. The basic topics to be covered include circuit switching, packet switching, hybrid switching, protocols, local and metro area networks, elements of queueing theory and performance modeling, and network control. The advanced material to be discussed span broadband integrated digital networks, asynchronous transfer mode, fiber optic networks, and their performance studies.

Course Handouts: Any handouts distributed in class will also be in the class directory ~cse462 on   cse.unl.edu, or in subdirectories; see the README file in each directory for more information. You can also access the handouts via the World Wide Web; the URL is http://cse.unl.edu/~byrav/CSCE462/.

Class Account: The handin directory for this class is on cse.unl.edu and will be called "cse462". To use handin to turn in your homeworks, please type (from your cse.unl.edu account):
handin cse462 1 hw1.txt test.java
(or)
handin cse462 homework-number file1 file2 ...

If you do not already have a cse account, please send a request to manager@cse.unl.edu.

Class Newsgroup: Information about this class, homework assignments, office hours, and so forth, will be posted to the newsgroup unl.engr.ee.952 newsgroup (unless somebody objects!) . Read this newsgroup daily, especially near the time assignments are due. You are responsible for reading everything posted to this newsgroup. Discussing something in this group is perfectly fair! If you have any questions about the course (class, homework, exams, etc.), you should post it to this newsgroup, rather than sending e-mail to me, unless (i) You are afraid your question will give away part of the answer. (ii) You have private concerns (illness, etc.) that you need to share with the instructor. In no case should you post anything that gives away the answer to a homework question.

Textbooks

A. Leon-Garcia and I. Widjaja, "Communication Networks - Fundamental concepts and key architectures", McGraw-Hill, 2000 (ISBN: 0-07-022839-6) (Required).

Andrew S. Tanenbaum, "Computer Networks" (3rd edn.), Prentice Hall, March 1996 (ISBN: 0-13-349945-6). (Recommended) (Author's page for the book).

See "Textbooks" and "Additional Resources" sections on the class homepage for other texts, websites etc.
Articles from recent journals and conferences will be assigned throughout the semester. Relevant chapters from other textbooks will also be made available, as necessary.

Homework Assignments: There will be 4 homework assignments in this class which will each have equal weightage. There will usually be a programming part in each homework.

Term Paper: This is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the subject material and your abilities as a researcher. The term paper should be no more than 6 pages long and should be about an active area of research in computer networks. (1) Implementation of a network protocol or application in Java, C++, Perl, Tcl/Tk etc., (2) Simulation-based study of network characteristics, (3) Critical study of specific network-research issues.

Academic Integrity: All submitted work must be your own contribution and nobody else's! Collaboration in homeworks and exams are not allowed.

Exams

Midterm exam I, March 2005 (TBA) (in class).

Final exam May 2005 (finals week - TBA).

Regrades In general, papers/assignments to be considered for regrades must be turned in no later than one week after the graded papers/assignments were made available, not from when the student picked up her or his paper. Similarly, any misrecorded grades must be reported within a week of their posting, except as will be announced at the end of the semester. Note, that you may not (re)submit any material during the regrading process.

Questions? Please send e-mail to me, byrav@cse.unl.edu (to be read by the instructor only!) or post them on the newsgroup, unl.engr.ee.952 for the class (preferred!).

Note: This page can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://cse.unl.edu/~byrav/CSCE462/CSCE462.course-outline.html