CS-3420 -- Computer Communications (Fall 2019)

Course Objectives

This course introduces the basic principles of modern computer communication: protocols, architectures and standards. Topics include layered architectures, data transmission, error and flow control, medium access, routing, congestion control and common internet application protocols.

Computer Requirement

To take this course, a student should have a personal computer which can be used to accomplish course work. Although University does have computer labs, a student's personal computer is still necessary for this course. The reasons are: (1) students cannot install software on lab computers; (2) students cannot safely keep their personal files on lab computers. 

This computer can be either a laptop or a desktop (tablets are not recommended). We do not specify the Operating System running on the computer, but keep in mind that demos and software will be based on Windows. Information on other Operating Systems will be provided when it is possible, but not guaranteed.

A student may take this course without such a computer, but the University and the Instructor are not responsible to provide such environment for his/her course work. The course evaluation will not be altered because a student does not have such a computer. 

Course Information

• Instructor: Yingwei Wang 
• E-mail: ywang@upei.ca 
• Web Page: www.csit.upei.ca/~ywang
• Office: CASS 407
• Office Hour: M W F 10:30 - 12:20
• Lectures: M W 1:30 PM -2:45 PM, DSC 135
• Prerequisites 
• CS-2520 and CS-2820
• Textbook
• Jim Kurose and Keith Ross, Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach, 7th edition, Pearson/Addison Wesley, April 2016, Print ISBN: 9780133594140, 0133594149, eText ISBN: 9780134296159, 013429615X

Evaluation

• Assignments: 25%
• Midterm: 30% 
• Final exam: 35% 
• Participation: 10% 
1. 1% deduction for each absence. 
2. Maximal deduction is 10%. 
3. For compassionate reasons, no deduction for two absence. 
4. For health reasons, no deduction if a doctor's note is presented before or after; 0.5% deduction if no doctor's note but sent email to the instructor before class. 
5. No exception for other situations.
6. Course mark will be 0 if a student is absent 50% of lectures or more.

Topics 

• Introduction
• Application Layer
• Transport Layer
• Network Layer: The Data Plane
• Network Layer: The Control Plane
• The Link Layer and LANs
• Wireless and Mobile Networks
• Security
• Multimedia Networking