Introduction to Computer Networking
Undergraduate course, Boston University, ECE, 2021
Topics covered in this course will include application layer protocols (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMTP), transport layer protocols (UDP, TCP), network layer protocols (e.g., IP, ICMP), link layer protocols (e.g., Ethernet) and wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11). The course will also cover routing protocols such as link state and distance vector, multicast routing, and path vector protocols (e.g., BGP). The class will examine security issues such as firewalls and denial of service attacks. We will also study DNS, NAT, Web caching and CDNs, peer to peer, and protocol tunneling. Finally, we will explore security protocols (e.g., TLS, SSH, IPsec), as well as some basic cryptography necessary to understand these. Grading will be based on hands-on programming assignments and two exams.
Instructors
- Instructor: Prof. Alan (Zaoxing) Liu
- Office Hours: Thu 3-4 or by appointment
- Teaching Fellow: Jonathan Chamberlain (jdchambo@bu.edu)
- Course Assistants: Mrinal Ghosh (ghoshm@bu.edu), Harshang Chhaya (harshang@bu.edu)
Prerequisites
ENG EC 381 (ECE Probability) or ENG EK 381 (Probability, Statistics, and Data Science)
ENG EC 401 (Signals and Systems)
Familiarity with programming (Python, C, etc.)
Textbook
J. Kurose and K. Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th edition), Pearson, 2017; earlier versions are OK.
Course Schedule
| Date | Topics | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 01/26 | Introduction | |
| Thu 01/28 | Basics about Networking | 1.1, 1.3, 1.4 |
| Tue 02/02 | Protocol Layering | 1.5 |
| Thu 02/04 | HTTP and the Web | 2.2 |
| Tue 02/09 | CDN and DNS | 2.4 |
| Thu 02/11 | Exercise and Lab | Tutorial |
| Tue 02/16 | Cancelled | |
| Thu 02/18 | Transport Layer | 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 |
| Tue 02/23 | TCP Basics | 3.5 |
| Thu 02/25 | Flow and Congestion Control | 3.6 |
| Tue 03/02 | Congestion Control | 3.7 |
| Thu 03/04 | Network Layer and IP | 4.1, 4.3 |
| Tue 03/09 | Routers and Switches | 4.2 |
| Thu 03/11 | Midterm Review | |
| Tue 03/16 | Midterm Exam | |
| Thu 03/18 | Cancelled: wellness day | |
| Tue 03/23 | Routing Fundamentals | 5.1 |
| Thu 03/25 | Routing Algorithms | 5.2, 5.3 |
| Tue 03/30 | Midterm Recap and other topics | |
| Thu 04/01 | IP Addressing and Inter-Domain Routing | 4.3 |
| Tue 04/06 | BGP | 5.4 |
| Thu 04/08 | Programmable Networks | 2017 Turing Award Lecture |
| Tue 04/13 | Visitor Lecture (TBD) | |
| Thu 04/15 | Link Layer | 6.1, 6.3 |
| Tue 04/20 | Switched LAN | 6.4 |
| Thu 04/22 | Wireless Network | 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 |
| Tue 04/27 | Security | 8.1, 8.3, 8.6 |
| Tue 04/29 | Research topics in Networking | |
| Final Review |