This course provides an introduction to fundamental concepts in the design and implementation of computer communication networks, their protocols, and applications. Topics to be covered include: overview of network architectures, applications, network programming interfaces (e.g., sockets), transport, congestion, routing, and data link protocols, addressing, local area networks, wireless networks, network security, and network management. Examples will be drawn primarily from the Internet (e.g., TCP, UDP, and IP) protocol suite. There will be four or five written assignments, two programming assignments, several hands-on labs (that can be done on any Internet-connected PC) and two exams.

This course is intended for undergraduate Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors and for MS students. PhD students or students wanting an advanced course in computer networking should take CMPSCI 653 (usually taught in Fall).

Instructor

V. Arun
Email:
Class: Mon-Wed 10:35am-11:50am, CS 142
Course Mailing List: cs453@edlab-mail.cs.umass.edu
Office hours: CS 236. Mon-Wed:11:50am-12:30pm, and by appointment. 

Teaching Assistants

Rajesh Gadipuuri
Email: grajesh955@gmail.com  
Office hours: Tu-Th 2-3pm, Marcus M5  

Ryan Tobin
Email: rtobin@student.umass.edu  
Office hours: By appointment.  

Prerequisites

An understanding of basic computer systems concepts (CMPSCI 291SP) and probability (CMPSCI 240/STATS 515) is required. Students will also benefit significantly from a prior or concurrent exposure to algorithms (CMPSCI 311) and operating systems (CMPSCI 377) although these are not pre-requisites. You must be able to program in a structured high-level programming language, such as C, C++, JAVA, or Python. You can do the programming assignments in a language of your choice. 

Course Materials

• Text: Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach Featuring the Internet (5th ed.), J.F. Kurose and K.W. Ross, Addison-Wesley Longman.  The fifth edition of this book was published in 2009. Students having a copy of the fourth edition can get by, but please get the fifth if you intend to purchase the textbook. Some homework problems may refer to numbered problems or figures in the text, so make sure you have access to the 5th edition through a classmate if you intend to get by with an older edition.
• Assigned readings from the text and the class website
• Class Notes: Class notes are posted on the class website (see the link "Schedule" above). They are meant for quick reference only and not as a substitute for reading the text. 
• Tips: (1) If you attempt to get by by just browsing through the class notes before homeworks and exams and not reading the text, you will likely score a grade or two lower. (2) If you regularly solve problems from the text other than those assigned in homeworks, you will likely improve your grade a notch or two. (3) Don't skip class, otherwise you will miss out on problems similar to homework problems that we solve on the whiteboard but are not detailed in the notes or the textbook.
   

Academic Honesty

Course Work

Grading Policy: This webpage has important information about what to hand in for programming, lab and written assigments, grading scheme, and policy about late assignments.