15-744: Computer Networks Syllabus

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Textbooks

There are no official texts for the course. As background, we suggest several texts:

• Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, third edition, by Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie. It is available in the CMU Bookstore. Covers background networking material that we assume students will already be familiar with.
• Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet, 3rd edition, by James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross. Covers similar material to Peterson and Davie.
• TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens.
• Unix Network Programming: Networking APIs: Sockets and XTI (Volume 1) by W. Richard Stevens.
• Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment by W. Richard Stevens, Addison-Wesley, 1993.

Grading

Your final grade for the course will be based on the following weights:

• 35% Project
• 35% Quizzes
• 15% Homework
• 15% Class Participation

The quizzes include a midterm and final, both of which will be in-class. The project in 15-744 is an open-ended research project, done in groups of two. The project requires a proposal, a project status report, and a final report (both written and presented).

There will be four homeworks that will help you prepare for the midterm and final. The Class Participation grade includes participation in the on-line discussion forum and the student presentation (see Assignment page).

Schedule

Also available as an ical file that you can subscribe to.

Warning! The schedule is still being finalized. The readings for lectures marked with (2011) may still change.

Date	Instructor	Topics	Notes	Readings	Presentations
1	Wed 08/29	Intro: History and context and packet switching. [pdf]	Starts 3:50pm
Part 1: Internetworking
2	Wed 09/05	Internetworking: Architectural principles, names, addresses [pdf]	Starts 3:50pm Reading: Introduction of: Saltzer84 (first 4 pages) and Clark02 (section 1). Optional reading: CT90.	Design
	Mon 09/10	No class
	Wed 09/12	No class
	Fri 09/14	No class
3	Mon 09/17	Optional - routing background material review [pdf]	This review material is covered in the various textbooks listed above.	MITLec4Notes
4	Wed 09/19	Interdomain Routing [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of: Stability. Optional reading: Vantage02,Neil03,Paul88.	Gao2000
5	Fri 09/21	Topology [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of Rocketfuel Optional: Powerlaws HW1 out.	HOT	Miguel: Powerlaws
6	Mon 09/24	Evolution of the Internet [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of Flat Internet Optional: IXP History.	IXP	Deby: Flat Internet
Part 2: Resource Management
7	Wed 09/26	Optional - transport background material review [pdf]	This review material is covered in the various textbooks listed above.	VJ88
	Fri 09/28	No class	Project proposals due.
	Mon 10/01	No class
8	Wed 10/03	End-to-End Congestion Control [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of: TFRC Optional papers: BCCA01, CJ89, TCPModeling98. HW1 due.	RED	Hugo: TFRC
9	Fri 10/05	Fair Queueing [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2: XCP Optional papers: CSFQ. HW2 out	WFQ	Karin: XCP
10	Mon 10/08	Router Design [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2: ActiveNetworks Optional papers: Optics	McK97	Ryler : Active Networks
11	Wed 10/10	Router Algorithm [pdf]	Reading: First 4 pages of BV01 Optional reading: EffiCuts, D+97.	EVF	Zhuo : Packet Classification
Part 3: Applications, Naming, and Overlays
12	Fri 10/12	Overlay Networks [pdf]	Reading: Pages 1-4 of DTN HW2 due.	RON, P2P
13	Mon 10/15	P2P [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of CoralNSDI04 Optional reading DNSCaching, Semantic-Free Referencing: SFR. Background on p2p: 15-441 notes on p2p.	BitTyrant	Yair: CoralNSDI
	Wed 10/17	Quiz 1
	Fri 10/19	No class - mid-semester break
14	Mon 10/22	Distributed Hash Tables and friends [pdf]	Readings: Up to 2nd paragraph on page 3 of DHT Survey, Sections 1-2 of I3 Optional reading: DHT Geometry Comparison.	Chord	Yuan: I3 Sam: DTN
15	Fri 10/26	Data-oriented networking [pdf]	Readings: Sections 1-2 of DONA, Sections 1-2 of RE Optional: DOT.	CCN	David K.: RE
16	Mon 10/29	Future Internet Architecture: Nebula, Mobility First [pdf]	Readings: Mobility First; Sections 1-2 of MF Routing. Optional reading: FIA overview, Sections 1-3 Nebula. HW3 Out.	Serval	Venkat: MF
17	Wed 10/31	Future Internet Architecture: XIA [pdf]	Readings: Sections 1-3 of Scion. Optional reading: Accountable Internet Protocol.	XIA
18	Fri 11/02	QoS and video [pdf]	Readings: Sections 1-2 of Olympics. Optional reading: CoolStreaming, Feasibility.	Video	Yixin: Olympics
Part 4: Wireless
19	Mon 11/05	Wireless Networks overview and architectures [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-2 of Roofnet Optional reading: BPSK97, MACAW. HW3 due	CSMA	David W.: Roofnet
20	Wed 11/07	Making the Best of Broadcast [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-3 of XorsInTheAir , Section 1-2 of MORE. ExOR slides: ppt, pdf.	ExOR	Bruno: MORE, Shayak: Xors
21	Fri 11/09	Cognitive wireless networks [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-3 of Conflict graph, Sections 1-2 of DIRC Optional reading: Chaotic, Centaur. White Spaces SIGCOMM talk Slides: pptx.	WhiteSpaces	Richard: DIRC
Part 5: The Edge
22	Mon 11/12	Data center networks [pdf]	Readings: Sections 1-2 and 4 of Incast, Sections 1-2 of VL2. Optional: DCTCP. HW4 out	Portland	Naveen: VL2
	Wed 11/14	No class
23	Fri 11/16	Sensor Networks [pdf]	Readings: Sections 1-3.2 of Directed Diffusion Optional: Trickle, Synopsis Diffusion.	TAG	Sarah: diffusion
24	Mon 11/19	Energy and wireless [pdf]	Reading: Sections 1-3.B of Energy effiecient sensor nets. Optional readings: Catnap. HW4 Due.	Bartendr	Dana: Energy efficient sensors
	Wed 11/21	Thanksgiving break
	Fri 11/23	Thanksgiving break
	Mon 11/26	Post-thanksgiving break
	Wed 11/28	Post-thanksgiving break
	Fri 11/30	Post-thanksgiving break
	Mon 12/03	Second In-Class Exam
	Wed 12/05	Project presentations	in class
	Fri 12/07	Project writeups due at noon