Purdue University · West Lafayette · Fall 2023
Lecture (Section 001): Mon, Wed, Fri, 2:30–3:20pm in BHEE 170
Instructor
Vishal Shrivastav
Assistant Professor
Office: BHEE 334B
vshriva@purdue.edu
Office Hours
Wed 4–5pm in BHEE 334B
The goal of this course is to provide students with a proper grounding in the fundamentals of computer networking. The course will cover classic concepts such as packet vs. circuit switching, Internet architecture principles, naming and addressing, routing, forwarding, reliability, flow control, and congestion control. The later part of the course will introduce students to more advanced topics such as router architecture, datacenter network, and software-defined network. The course will also provide students a hands-on experience of writing network applications using socket programming.
All course materials and grades will be posted on Brightspace. We will use Piazza as the discussion forum to post and discuss questions regarding the course.
| 1. | Packet vs. Circuit Switching |
| 2. | Network Performance Metrics |
| 3. | Internet Architecture Principles |
| 4. | Socket Programming |
| 5. | Data Link Layer – MAC Addressing, ARP, CSMA/CD, Switched Ethernet, MAC Learning, STP |
| 6. | Network Layer – IP Addressing, NAT, IP Forwarding, Distance Vector, Link State, BGP, DNS |
| 7. | Transport Layer – UDP, TCP Reliability, TCP Flow Control, TCP Congestion Control |
| 8. | Application Layer – Web, HTTP, TLS, HTTPS, HTTP/2, QUIC |
| 9. | Router Architecture |
| 10. | Datacenter and Software-defined Network |
Proficiency in C and familiarity with basic data structures (ECE 36800).
Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (5th edition), by Peterson and Davie, Morgan Kaufmann, 2011, Hardcover ISBN: 9780123850591, eBook ISBN: 9780123850607. The eBook is available for free through Purdue's online library—at this webpage click "Safari" and search for the book title. Note that while the class has a textbook, we will not follow its order of presentation; instead, we will use the textbook as a reference when covering each topic. The primary learning resources for this class will be the lecture slides and practice problem sets posted on Brightspace.
This course offers an Honors contract to aid students to go beyond the material of the regular course and to produce work that engages deeper learning. Students who sign up for the Honors contract will be required to complete two extra programming labs in addition to the regular programming labs for this course. The labs under Honors contract will account for 10% of the total grade and may be done in groups of at most two students.
Some important notes about the Honors contract:
| ● | Any student is eligible to contract a course for Honors credit so long as his/her cumulative GPA is 3.00 or above. The student does not need to be in the Honors College. |
| ● | Once an Honors contract is successfully completed in a "regular" course, the word "Honors" is added to the name of the course, and this is the version that goes on the transcript. |
| ● | To opt for Honors contract, students must request a Grade Mode Change via myPurdue before the end of the 2nd week of classes in the semester (Sep 1, 2023). |
| 25% — Programming Labs | Regular | Honors |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 0: Setting up the Environment | 0% | 0% |
| Lab 1: HTTP Web Client | 10% | 6% |
| Lab 2: HTTP Web Server | 15% | 9% |
| Lab H1: Forwarding and Routing | – | 5% |
| Lab H2: Reliable Transport | – | 5% |
All labs will be in C (except for Lab H1 which will be in Python). Each regular lab (Lab 1 and Lab 2) must be done individually. However, labs under Honors contract (Lab H1 and Lab H2) may be done in groups of at most two students.
75% — Exams
There will be 3 exams (2 midterms and 1 final) each carrying 25% credit. The syllabus for the exams will be non-cumulative, i.e., the syllabus for the next exam will not include topics covered in previous exams. All exams will be closed-book with no collaboration allowed.
Barring extraordinary circumstances (serious medical situations or family emergencies, accompanied by verification and a prior notification to the instructor), no extensions or make-ups will be granted for labs and exams.
Students who are most active and helpful in answering questions on Piazza may receive bonus points.
If a lab is submitted within 24 hours (1 day) after the deadline – 30% grade penalty.
No lab submissions will be accepted beyond 24 hours (1 day) after the deadline.
Unless otherwise specified, students can submit re-grade requests for labs within 48 hours (2 days) after the grades are released. All re-grade requests must be submitted on Piazza as a private post with the title "Re-grade request for Lab X" followed by a justification for the request (without a justification, the request will be ignored). Emails sent to TAs or the instructor about re-grade requests will also be ignored.
| ● |
Shiyang Wang Graduate TA Office Hours Thu 1–3pm in BHEE 209 wang5348@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Ruochong (Robert) Wu Graduate TA Office Hours Mon 12–2pm in BHEE 209 wu1188@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Mingze (Jimmy) Jin Graduate TA Office Hours Wed 6–8pm in BHEE 209 jin357@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Soham Arora Undergraduate TA Office Hours Fri 11am–1pm in BHEE 209 arora106@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Guo (Christina) Yu Undergraduate TA Office Hours Tue 3–5pm in BHEE 209 yu1006@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Warren Xiong Undergraduate TA Office Hours Fri 5–7pm in BHEE 209 wjxiong@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Ziteng (Tony) Ni Undergraduate TA Office Hours Thu 3–5pm in BHEE 209 ni86@purdue.edu |
Unless expressly allowed, students are expected to complete all exams and programming labs by themselves (or within their chosen group of two for programming labs under Honors contract). However, students are allowed to discuss general issues with other students (programming techniques, clearing up confusion about requirements, etc.). Students may discuss particular algorithmic issues on Piazza (but they must not post or copy code!). If there is any doubt, students should contact the instructor.
Course staff will be using software designed to catch plagiarism in programming labs and copying on problem sets and exams. A student is considered in violation of the academic honesty policy regardless of whether they are the one "copying" or the one "being copied from".
Academic integrity is one of the highest values that Purdue University holds. Individuals are encouraged to alert university officials to potential breaches of this value by either emailing integrity@purdue.edu or by calling 765-494-8778. While information may be submitted anonymously, the more information is submitted the greater the opportunity for the university to investigate the concern. More details are available on our course Brightspace under "University Policies and Statements".
Punishments for academic dishonesty are severe, including receiving a failing grade in the course or being expelled from the university. By departmental rules, all instances of cheating will be reported to the Dean of Students. On the first instance of cheating on a programming lab or exam, students involved will receive a 0; the second instance of cheating will result in a failing grade in the course.
Use of Copyrighted Materials. All course materials, including lecture slides, practice problem sets, programming labs, examinations, and solutions are subject to Purdue's copyright policies. Students must not share, distribute, or post any material on an online web site without checking with the instructor.