15-441: Computer Networks (Fall 2016)

15-441 (also available as 15-641) is an introductory course in computer networks. The emphasis will be on the basic performance and engineering tradeoffs in the design and implementation of computer networks. To make the issues more concrete, the class includes several multi-week projects requiring significant design and implementation.

The goal is for students to learn not only what computer networks are and how they work today, but also why they are designed the way they are and how they are likely to evolve in the future. We will draw examples primarily from the Internet. Topics to be covered include: congestion/flow/error control, routing, addressing, naming, multi-casting, switching, internetworking, and network security. Evaluation is based on homework assignments, the projects, one mid-term exam and one final.

• Instructors: Peter Steenkiste
• Lecture time: Tue, Thu 1:30 - 2:50pm in BH 136A
• Recitation: Fri 3:30 - 4:20pm in DH 1112
• Units: 12

Because this course has a big project component, you must be proficient in C programming on UNIX systems. It is required that you have taken 15-213 and gotten a "C-" or higher since many of the programming skills you will need are taught in that course.

Instructors

Name	Email	Office	Office Hours
Peter Steenkiste	prs AT cs DOT cmu DOT edu	GHC 9107	Friday 10-11am

Teaching Assistants

Name	Email	Office	Office Hours
Rajul Bhatnagar	rajul AT cmu DOT edu	Gates Creative Commons	Thursday 12:00-1:00pm
Priyaranjan Jha	priyaraj AT andrew DOT cmu DOT edu	Gates Creative Commons	Monday 3:00-4:00pm
Sammy Kupfer	skupfer AT andrew DOT cmu DOT edu	Gates Creative Commons	Wednesday 1:30-2:30pm
Kshitiz Dange	kdange AT andrew DOT cmu DOT edu	Gates Creative Commons	Tuesday 12:00-1:00pm

Course Secretary

Name	Email	Office
Angela Malloy	amalloy AT cs DOT cmu DOT edu	GHC 9006

Collaboration

Students are encouraged to talk to each other, to the TAs, to the instructors, or to anyone else about any of the assignments. Any assistance, though, must be limited to discussion of the problem and sketching general approaches to a solution. Each student must write out his or her own solutions to the homework.

The project handouts have more detailed information about collaboration when working on the projects, but, basically, each programming project group must write their own code and documentation for the programming projects done as a group.

Consulting another student's or group's solution is prohibited and submitted solutions may not be copied from any source. You may not supply work that you complete during 15-441 to other students in future instances of this course (just as you may not use work completed by students who've taken the course previously). If you have any question about whether some activity would constitute cheating, please feel free to ask the instructors.

Academic Integrity

The Carnegie Mellon University Policy on Integrity applies. We will strictly follow university policy on reporting cases of cheating.

Late Policy

Take project and homework deadlines seriously. Our experience is that students often seriously underestimate the effort involved in programming assignments and projects. If we give you 4 weeks to complete an assignment, there is typically a reason. In the interest of fairness, we have adopted the following late policy:

• Each student is given a total of 2 "free points" to use during the semester.
• One free point can be used to extend the deadline of any homework assignment or Project 1 by a single day with no penalty.
• Two free points are needed to extend the deadline of Projects 2 or 3 by a single day with no penalty (you and your partner might each contribute a point).
• In the absence of free points, the deadline for any assignment can be extended with a 15% penalty per day.
• No deadline can be extended by more than two days, regardless of how many free points you have saved up. Assignments will NOT be accepted 48 hours after the due date.
• If you are ill: If you have a medical note, you may turn in your assignments late without using free points. Please contact the instructors to arrange a reasonable replacement turn-in time. You must notify us before the due-date. Without a medical note, you must use your free points as you would with any other reason for being late.

Re-Grading

If you think we made a mistake in grading, please return the assignment with a note explaining your concern to the course secretary no later than two weeks after the day the assignment was returned. We will have the question re-graded by the person responsible for grading that question.

Partner Problems

Please try to avoid having partner problems. Seriously! Share your hopes before they turn into concerns, your concerns before they are problems, and your problems before they inflate into crises.

In order for the course staff to help you and your partner work through issues, or for us to provide an appropriate response to serious partner problems, you must contact us well before the relevant due date! A special case to avoid is coming to us a day or two before a major deadline to tell us that your partner has been ill (etc.) for multiple weeks. We, and thus you, have many more options if you inform us while a problem is developing, instead of after the fact.

Taking Care of Yourself

Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. You are not alone. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is often helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

• Piazza: https://piazza.com/cmu/fall2016/15441641/home
  If you have a question about a project handout or a technical issue, there is an excellent chance that other students have the same question. Please read the posts on Piazza to see if there has been traffic, and consider posting your questions there.
• Staff mailing list: staff-441 at cs dot cmu dot edu
  If you have a question you believe is particular to your circumstances and should not be posted in a public forum send mail to the staff list, which reaches the instructors and TAs. If your question involves a confidential personal or academic-conduct issue, you should probably contact one of the instructors in person or send mail to both.