The required textbook for the course is Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, fourth edition, by Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie. It is available in the CMU Bookstore. Almost all the material that we will cover is in the textbook.
There are a few recommended texts which are useful references (especially if networking becomes your career). You can get the best price on them by ordering from an on-line bookstore.
Finally, if you have not taken 15-213, you may find its textbook useful as a gentle, software-focused introduction to computer architecture.
This year marks the introduction of a new set of recitations for 15-441. Please select one recitation section to attend (the content will be identical). Recitations will cover systems hacking techniques designed to save you time and pain on the projects, will go into more detail about certain topics such as TCP, and will have review sessions before exams.
Your final grade for the course will be based on the following weights for the individual assignments:
The midterm will be an in-class, closed-book exam, covering all material up to that point in the course. The final exam will be a closed-book exam, covering m aterial from the whole year, with emphasis on the second half of the course.
Project 1 will focus on the implementation of an IRC-like chat server, focusing first on ensuring familiarity with socket programming, and second on an implementation of routing protocols within the application. Project 2 will focus on file transfers and the protocol components necessary for efficient and reliable file transfer (retransmission, congestion control, caching, etc.) All projects are to be done in groups of two students.
The homework will combine both textbook-like questions as well as hands-on experimental exercises. There will be three homework assignments.
Because of the importance of understanding both the theoretical and hands-on elements of networking, students must pass all three components of the course (homeworks, exams, and the projects) in order to receive a passing grade for the course. This does not affect the actual letter grade assignment unless one of the components is not completed to a passing standard.
Also available as an ical file that you can subscribe to. Note that the video links are from Spring 2005 and are provided as a "best match" to the specified lecture, in the hope that they might be useful for review.
| Date | Instructor | Topics | Notes | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 08/28 | HZ | Introduction [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Chapter 1 | |
| Wed 08/29 | First week of class, no recitation |
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| Thu 08/30 | Dan | Sockets programming [pdf] [pptx] [Video 1] [Video 2] |
Start finding project partners! Note the very early checkpoint. | |
| Tue 09/04 | HZ | Protocol Stacks and Layering [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 1 Assigned | Optional: End to End Arguments in System Design |
| Wed 09/05 | Dan | Recitation Intro: Overview, version control [pdf] [pptx] |
Online Subversion book. Some useful notes. |
|
| Thu 09/06 | SS | Application Layer Examples [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
9.1 | |
| Tue 09/11 | HZ | Physical Layer, Link Layer Basics [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 1 checkpoint 1 (version control basics) due | 2.1 |
| Wed 09/12 | Albert | Makefiles and Project 1 Q& A [pdf] [ppt] |
Files used in Andrew unix demo [tar.gz]. Also see the some notes on editors and a helpful debug macro. |
|
| Thu 09/13 | SS | Ethernet [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
2.6-2.7 | |
| Tue 09/18 | HZ | Switching & Flow Control [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
2.2-2.5 | |
| Wed 09/19 | Dan | Design: Modularity and Testability [pdf] [ppt] |
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| Thu 09/20 | SS | IP forwarding & addressing [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
4.1 | |
| Tue 09/25 | HZ | IP Packets & Routers [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 1 (standalone IRC server) due | 4.3 |
| Wed 09/26 | Seunghwan | Debugging [ppt] |
Techniques and tools. Files: debug macro . Notes on debugging. |
|
| Thu 09/27 | Khaled | Routing: RIP & OSPF [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
4.2 | |
| Tue 10/02 | HZ | Multicast [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
4.4 | |
| Wed 10/03 | Seunghwan | Automation [ppt] |
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| Thu 10/04 | SS | Routing: BGP [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
4.3.3 | |
| Tue 10/09 | HZ | IPv6, tunneling, NAT, VPN [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
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| Wed 10/10 | SS | No recitation |
Midterm review later in the week | |
| Thu 10/11 | Khaled | Virtual circuits, ATM, MPLS [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 2 due | 3.3, 4.5 |
| Tue 10/16 | HZ/SS | MIDTERM EXAM |
||
| Wed 10/17 | No recitation |
(we're grading midterms and you're tired!) | ||
| Thu 10/18 | SS | DNS [pdf] [pptx] [Video 1] |
9.1.3 | |
| Tue 10/23 | HZ | Transport Intro [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Animations for the next few lectures | 5.1 |
| Wed 10/24 | No recitation |
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| Thu 10/25 | SS | TCP & Congestion Control [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 3 Assigned | 5.2 |
| Tue 10/30 | SS | More TCP & Congestion Control [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
HW 3 Assigned | 6.1-6.3 |
| Wed 10/31 | Albert & Dan | Project 1/2 Post-Mortem, Project 3 Intro Q & A |
Bring out your dead! | |
| Thu 11/01 | SS | TCP Performance [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 3 Checkpoint1 Due | 6.4 |
| Tue 11/06 | HZ | Web + CDNs + Caching [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] [Video 2] |
9.4.3 | |
| Wed 11/07 | Seunghwan | Congestion Control & Project 3 |
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| Thu 11/08 | SS | Mobile/Wireless (MAC, IP & TCP) [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 3 Checkpoint2 Due | 2.8 |
| Tue 11/13 | Khaled | ad-hoc wireless, sensor networks and DTNs [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
HW 3 Due | |
| Thu 11/15 | HZ | P2P [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 3 Checkpoint3 Due | 9.4 |
| Tue 11/20 | HZ | Router queueing and QoS [pdf] [ppt] [Video 1] |
HW 4 Assigned | 6.5, 9.3 |
| Wed 11/21 | Thanksgiving Holiday |
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| Thu 11/22 | Thanksgiving Holiday |
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| Tue 11/27 | HZ | Security - Security Intro, Cryptography, and SSL [ppt] [Video 1] |
HW 4 Due | 8.1-8.4 |
| Wed 11/28 | No recitation |
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| Thu 11/29 | Vyas Sekar | Security - firewalls, DoS, etc. [ppt] [Video 1] |
Project 3 Checkpoint4 Due (early bird deadline) | 8.5 |
| Tue 12/04 | HZ/SS | Networking Futures [Video 1] [Video 2] |
Project 3 due | |
| Wed 12/05 | No recitation |
(get some sleep after project 3!) | ||
| Thu 12/06 | SS | NO CLASS - FINAL REVIEW LATER IN THE WEEK [Video 1] |
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| Sun 12/09 | SS | Final Review |
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| Mon 12/10 | HZ/SS | FINAL EXAM 1pm-4pm |
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