Computer Laboratory Home Page Search A-Z Directory Help
University of Cambridge Home Computer Laboratory
Computer Science Syllabus - Digital Communication II
Computer Laboratory > Computer Science Syllabus - Digital Communication II

Digital Communication II next up previous contents
Next: Digital Signal Processing Up: Michaelmas Term 2005: Part Previous: Denotational Semantics   Contents


Digital Communication II

Lecturer: Prof. J.A. Crowcroft and others

No. of lectures and examples classes: 20 + 4

Prerequisite course: Digital Communication I

This course is a prerequisite for Security (Part II), Advanced Systems Topics (Part II).


Aims


This course aims to provide a detailed understanding of how computer networks operate, through the examples of the Internet, and presents ways to build such systems. It also covers a selection of topics which relate to recent trends in digital communications systems. The material falls roughly into two halves: Protocols, and Technologies.


Lectures

  • Introduction. Course overview. Abstraction, layering. The OSI reference model. The structure of real networks. [JAC]

  • The Internet: IP. IP overview/review. Networking in Unix: structures, buffering, sockets, network interfaces. IP addresses and (simple) routing. Subnetting. IP checksum. Fragmentation. [JAC]

  • The Internet: routing and addressing. Terminology: AS, IGP, EGP. Routing protocols: distance vector versus link state. Examples: RIP, OSPF. AS routing: I-BGP/E-BGP, metrics. [JAC, 2 lectures]

  • The Internet: network resource management. Differentiated and integrated services. Signalling (RSVP) and admission control, forwarding and scheduling, policing and shaping. The future. [JAC, 2 lectures]

  • The Internet: multicast and QoS routing. Other TCP details. Internet multicast model. Applications. Basic implementation. Refinements. [JAC, 2 lectures]

  • The Internet: UDP, TCP. TCP operation, state transitions. Handling loss: acks and retransmissions. Estimating RTT. Basic congestion control. Improving things: TCP vegas, SACKs, ECN. [JAC, 2 lectures]

  • The Internet: applications, multimedia, & HTTP. RTP operation, playout adaption; RPC & network file systems; HTTP, HTTP 1.1 - making it all work [JAC, 2 lectures]

  • The Internet: IPv6. Concepts. Internet multicast model. Applications. Basic implementation. Refinements. Congestion control. [Guest 1]

  • Wireless networks. GSM, GPRS, UMTS and WiFi and WiMAX. [Guest 2]

  • Switching. Ethernet, ATM, MPLS. [Guest 3]

  • Congestion pricing. Model and motivation. Practical considerations. The future. [JAC]


Objectives


At the end of the course students should be able to

  • enumerate and explain the layers of the OSI reference model

  • compare and contrast connectionless and connection-oriented networks

  • explain how IP routing works

  • describe the components of the Internet resource management system

  • describe how and why TCP attempts to handle congestion in the network


Recommended reading


Keshav, S. (1997). An engineering approach to computer networking. Addison-Wesley (1st ed.). ISBN 0201634422
Alternative to Keshav:
Davie, B.S., Peterson, L.L. & Clark, D. (1999). Computer networks: a systems approach. Morgan Kaufmann (2nd ed.). ISBN 1558605142
Stevens, W.R. (1994). TCP/IP illustrated, volume 1: the protocols. Addison-Wesley (1st ed.). ISBN 0201633469
Alternative to Stevens:
Comer, D. (2000). Internetworking with TCP/IP vol. I: principles, protocols, and architecture. Prentice Hall (4th ed.). ISBN 0130183806


Background:
Krishnamurthy, B. & Rexford, J. (2001). Web Protocols and practice: HTTP/1.1, networking protocols, caching, and traffic measurement. Addison-Wesley (1st ed.). ISBN 0201710889



next up previous contents
Next: Digital Signal Processing Up: Michaelmas Term 2005: Part Previous: Denotational Semantics   Contents
Christine Northeast
Sun Sep 11 15:46:50 BST 2005