CS 455/655: Computer Networks

Fall 2004

455/655 Lecture: TR 11 - 12:30 AM in SMG 222.

655 Seminar: M 4 - 5 PM in MCS 135.

Instructor: Prof. John Byers

Office: MCS 270
Phone: 617-353-8925
Email: byers @ cs.bu.edu

Office Hours: Tues: 2 - 3:30, Fri: 9:30 - 11:00.

Teaching Fellow: Vijay Erramilli

Office: MCS B20
Email: evijay @ cs.bu.edu

Office Hours: Mon: 2 - 3:30, Thu: 4 - 5:30

Lab Hours: Wed 3-6 (only when programming assignments are due).
Location: Undergraduate programming lab.

Grader: Mina Guirguis

Email: msg @ cs.bu.edu

Course Overview: CS 455 serves as an advanced introduction to computer networks geared toward seniors majoring in Computer Science. CS 655 serves as an advanced introduction to computer networks suitable for graduate students who have not taken an advanced undergraduate course. Students in both classes will attend the same lectures and will complete the same written assignments, programming assignments and exams. In addition, students in CS 655 will attend and participate in a weekly graduate networking seminar and will write a survey paper in the second half of the semester. The main focus of the course will be an investigation the design of computer networks and network protocols, from both a conceptual and design standpoint. We will primarily focus on the software used behind the scenes to build scalable, general-purpose networks. Expect us to cover the overwhelming majority of the topics in the Peterson and Davie text. Major topics of this course will include:

Protocol layering
Internet design principles and methodology
TCP/IP implementation
Naming and addressing
Unicast and multicast routing
Congestion control and flow control
Rate allocation policies, i.e. fairness, QoS
Advanced network protocols

CS 455/655 is the first course in a two-semester networking sequence. The second course in the sequence, CS 556, covers advanced topics in greater depth and provides more hands-on experience with network programming, both at endhosts and at network routers.

Textbook: The technical, in-depth coverage of network protocols is a hallmark of our required textbook by L. Peterson and B. Davie, Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 3rd Edition, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003. Please purchase the new third edition with the black cover rather than the blue-covered second edition used in years past.

Prerequisites: CS 350 and MA 293 are essential prerequisites for taking this course, while CS 330 is also a strongly recommended co-requisite. Please consult the instructor if you are at all uncertain about your preparation.

The following class schedule is updated on a regular basis to reflect what we have covered so far.

Handouts:

August 25: Syllabus (ps, pdf)
September 10: Homework 1 (ps, pdf). Due September 22. Class average: 28/40.
September 22: Homework 1 solutions (ps, pdf).
September 22: Homework 2 (ps, pdf). Due October 5. Class average: 33/40.
September 29: Programming Assignment #1, Due October 29. Class average: 75/100.
October 5: Homework 2 solutions (Q1 in ps, Q1 in pdf, Q2-Q4 in ps, Q2-Q4 in pdf).
October 12: Homework 3 (ps, pdf). Due October 21. Class average: 33/40.
October 19: Sample Midterm (ps, pdf).
October 21: Homework 3 solutions (ps, pdf).
November 3: Programming Assignment #2, Due December 6.
November 4: Homework 4 (ps, pdf). Due November 16. Class average: 34/40.
November 15: Synthesis Paper (Only for 655 students). (ps, pdf). Due December 17.
November 16: Homework 4 solutions (ps, pdf).
November 29: Homework 5 (ps, pdf). Due December 9.
December 1: A LaTeX template for the synthesis paper.
December 10: Sample Final (ps, pdf).
December 10: Homework 5 solutions (ps, pdf).