CS2910
Network Protocols

This is an old version of this course, from Fall 2015. A newer version is available here.

... with emphasis on the Internet and related protocols, including HTTP, FTP, POP, IMAP, SMTP, DNS, UDP, and TCP/IP with a focus on the application, transport and network layers. The course also introduces the structure, components, and functionality of network architectures including packet switching, error control, flow control, and congestion control. (prereq: CS 2852) (2-2-3)

Basics

Instructor
Josiah Yoder
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npǝ˙ǝosɯ@ɹəpoʎ
Office
L344 (Library, 3rd floor)
Office Hours
See below
 
Phone
ƖƐ96 ᔭᔭᔭ ϛ9ㄥ Google Voice; rings my office and home phone at the same time.
Textbook
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 6th ed., James F Kurose and Keith W Ross, Pearson, 2013

Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • understand what a network protocol is and how it is specified.
  • describe the purpose and operation of key application and transport protocols, including HTTP, FTP, POP, IMAP, SMTP, DNS, UDP, and TCP.
  • describe the operation of the network layer and IP protocol.
  • describe network security concepts, security threats, and risks related to security breaches.
  • describe important uses of cryptography in network security.
  • write applications using socket connections.
  • design and implement a simple web server and email client.
  • use a monitoring tool to view and interpret network communication

(These are the official EECS/MSOE outcomes for this class.)

Learning Resources

You can learn by:

  • (Supplementary)
  • (Essential)
    • Watching the course videos marked as required
    • Participating in in class activities and reviewing your own lecture notes, slides, and code
    • Doing & reviewing Labs
    • Organizing your notes & writing a summary note-sheet in preparation for quizzes and exams (Exams may not allow the note-sheet)

Me

I want to help you learn. If you have any ideas about how I can improve, please share them with me. This includes changes to the syllabus, class time, lab time, and more.

I enjoy talking with you. Feel free to drop by my office or email me a time that you would like to meet. I will always be available in my office during office hours, even if I am working on something when you arrive.1.

My Schedule (Office Hours)

Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
8:00          
9:00 CS2910
S210		 CS2910
S343		 CS2910
S210		 Office
Hour
10:00      
11:00 SE1011
L305		   SE1011
L305		 SE1011
S243		 SE1011
L305
12:00   Dept Lunch   UR4981
1:00 Dept Mtg Office
Hour		 Office
Hour		 SE1011
Planning		  
2:00 Office
Hour		     Office
Hour
3:00   CS2910
S343		 CS2910
S343		  
4:00 CS2910
S358		 CS2910
S358

The book

(See Textbook in the basics table above.)

This website

I desire to make the website as intuitive as possible. Please explore and share any suggestions with me.

Class

While I don't mind if you have to skip a class, class attendence is essential so you can learn what material I expect you to know, what HW and quizzes there will be, etc.

In class, I expect you to focus completely on class material. Instead of checking your email or browsing facebook, participate in the class activities and take notes of what you are learning.

If it becomes necessary to consider dropping the class, I am happy to give you advice, but I want you to make the final decision (with the help of your academic advisor). So if you stop coming class, I will not drop you, but instead give you whatever grade you have at the end of the quarter, even if it is an F.

Labs

This quarter, labs are in groups of two or three.

Labs will be turned in electronically. These are due at 11pm, with a 1 hour grace period. In every uploaded file, include your name, date, and the assignment name. Please only submit a lab once. Multiple submissions are hard for me to keep track of, especially if I've already started to grade the first one.

Untested code is buggy. I find that if your code doesn't compile or hardly runs, that there are many other errors in it. To get more than half credit for a lab, it should compile and run when I test it. If it does not compile & run, please fix the lab and submit it later, or drop a feature or two to get it running again (often the best option).

For every day that goes by beyond the original deadline, it gets much harder to catch up on a lab. As a result, after the deadline, you can receive partial credit for a lab, up to 10% off per day.

All assignments must be turned in by 4:30pm on Friday of Week 10 so that we can wrap things up and I can turn the grades in on time.

Please start early and ask me for help if you get stuck.

Learning Assessment

This quarter, we will use the following to measure your learning:

Quizzes 20%
Lab projects 30%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
Total 100%

I sometimes make mistakes in tallying points. If you become aware of an error in grading, please send me an email, and I will fix it and reply by email.

If the error goes beyond tallying points, discussing things in person is a great way to start to resolve an issue. I may ask you to send me an email if I think the case you are asking about requires careful consideration.

Please maintain your own records of your grades and check them against whatever summaries I send to you.

Quizzes & Exams

This quarter, online quizzes are posted on the class schedule for each required video, and need to be completed by 8AM the day of class in order to receive credit. (There is a half-hour grace period on this deadline.) In-class quizzes will be announced in class at least one day in advance.

Because of the difficulty of preparing fair and accurate tests, you cannot retake a quiz or exam if you miss it or do worse than you hoped. I will drop your lowest quiz score, so one 0 should not be a problem. If you need to skip an exam, you should schedule a make-up exam before the missed exam. I don't always give make-up exams, even if students ask in advance.

Grade Scale

I use the official MSOE grading scale:

≥93% ≥89% ≥85% ≥81% ≥77% ≥74% ≥70% <70%
A AB B BC C CD D F

In final grading, I may award a grade higher than the grade scale if I feel it is more accurate than what the "raw numbers" produce.

Integrity

Your integrity is your most valuable academic possession, significantly more valuable than passing a class or getting a high GPA.

Academic integrity is essentially truthfulness -- ensuring that if it appears you have done or know something, you have.

It is possible to accidentally give the impression that work is yours. If something like this happens to you, please let me know as early as possible. It is better if you point it out than if I find it.

Be on the watch for violations of academic integrity, including:

  • Receiving code from another student not on your team, even by looking at it.
  • Giving code to another student not on your team, even by showing them.
  • Looking at another student's work during a quiz or exam.

Read MSOE's Policy on Student Integrity for more details.

When coding, you are encouraged to discuss strategies, but the implementations should be independent. Even discussing the details is not a good idea if it goes too far. If you want to show code, start up an independent program rather than showing an assignment -- and use a different application than the assignment at hand to demonstrate the concept you wish to share.

Because of the importance of maintaining academic integrity, I will report apparent academic dishonesty to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. If this occurs, you will get a copy of the report.

Fine Print

1In rare cases, I may need to reschedule an office hour. I will try to both announce this in class at least a day in advance and email the whole class.