Computer Laboratory

Course pages 2012–13

Computer Networking


2012-13 Lecture Notes


  • Topic 1 Introduction / Foundation pptx pdf Updated: 2013-1-10

  • Topic 2 Architecture and Internet pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • Topic 3 Physical and Data-Link Layer pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • Topic 3 Physical and Data-Link Layer addendum pptx pdf Updated 2013-2-19

  • Topic 4 Network Layer pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • Topic 5 Transport Layer pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • Topic 6 Network Applications pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • Topic 7 Data Center Networking pptx pdf Updated 2013-1-21

  • PDF bundle for Topic 2-7 as 4-up PDF Updated 2013-1-21


Piazza link


This year we will be trialling Piazza for (out of lecture) class discussions. The system is highly suited to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, lurking supervisors, and myself. I strongly encourage you to post questions on Piazza; Supervisors and DoS are welcome - indeed, encouraged to participate and there are mechanics for making conversations private for individuals and groups.

If you have any problems or feedback for the developers, email them at team@piazza.com.

If you have any feedback about our use of Piazza, email me.

Find our class page at: https://piazza.com/cam.ac.uk/winter2013/compnet1213/home The interesting stuff lives under Q&A


2012-13 Supervision Handouts

Supervision handout covering Topics 1-7 PDF


Topic-specific material

Topic 1 - Introduction

  • End-to-End Arguments in System Design, Saltzer, J., Reed, D., and Clark, D.D., Second International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (April 1981) pages 509-512, ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, 1984, Vol. 2, No. 4, November, pp. 277-288 PDF
  • Trying to explain the interconnectedness of the Internet to your parents/grand-parents? The Internet Revealed Disclaimer: this is very IXP-centric, funded as it is by Euro-IX, the body representing a big bunch of IXPs. Trivia: LINX (London IXP) has been the worlds largest IXP by traffic, customers, and peerings).
  • Andrew D. Birrell and Bruce Jay Nelson, "Implementing remote procedure calls", ACM Transactions on Computer Systems 2(1), 1984, (PDF)
  • David Tennenhouse, "Layered Multiplexing Considered Harmful", Protocols for High-Speed Networks, Rudin and Williamson (Editors), NorthHolland, Amsterdam, 1989 (PDF)

Topic 3 - Data-Link (Media Access) and Physical

  • R Metcalfe and D Boggs, "Ethernet: Distributed Packet Switching for Local Computer Networks", ACM Computer Systems, 1976. (PDF)

Topic 4 - Networks (warning some silliness)

Topic 5 - Transport

  • A quicktime video of TCP video thing presentation is available HERE Notes about the movie are available here. You may wish to open two browsers: one for the movie and one for the notes.

  • Sally Floyd and Van Jacobson, "The Syncronization of Period Routing Messages", IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 2(2), p. 122-136, April 1994. (PDF)
  • Vern Paxson and Sally Floyd, "Wide-Area Traffic: The Failure of Poisson Modeling", IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 3(3), 1995 (PDF)
  • Van Jacobson and Michael J. Karels, "Congestion Aviodance and Control", (PDF) slightly revised version of Jacobson, V. Congestion avoidance and control. In Proceedings of SIGCOMM 88 ( Stanford, CA, Aug. 1988), ACM.

Topic 6 - Applications

Topic 7 - Data Centers

  • Luiz Barroso ISCA 2011 Keynote "Warehouse-Scale computing: Entering the Teenage Decade" (ACM website)
  • NetFPGA Project website
  • Google datacenter street view (its so close to an advert... so apologies for that) Lots of boxes
  • Better is just doing the street view yourself, go hunt the easter eggs...streetview