CSC458: Computer Networking Systems - Fall 2022

Course description

This undergraduate level course is centered around the fundamental concepts of networking as embodied in the Internet. The course will cover a wide range of topics including packet switching systems, socket programming, network software/hardware/protocols, network naming and addressing, congestion control, network security, etc. While the class has a textbook, we will not follow its order of presentation but will instead use the text as a reference when covering each individual topic.

Prerequisites

You need to have a basic understanding of probability theory, a strong background in C programming, and be familiar with the Unix operating system. If you are not sure whether you have the background to take this course, please take a look at the first programming assignment (here) to get an idea of the type of work, and time you will need to spend on it. If you still are not sure, send me an email.

Textbook

Recommended books:

Grading (for Undergraduate and Graduate Students)

Please note that we have the same grading for all students this year.

Assignments

You will have 2 problem sets and 2 programming assignments in this course. Problem sets are both based on the textbook and the material covered in the class. More info about the assignments can be found here.

Late Submission Policy

You have one free late submission of 24 hours for one of the assignments (problem set, or programming, but not both). You should e-mail the TAs before the deadline to get the free late submission. This 24-hour limit is hard, and cannot be extended. For any late submission other than the free one, 10% of the mark will be deducted for each day late, up to 20%. Assignments will not be accepted after two days.

Teaching Assistants

Here is the list of teaching assistants, their responsibilities, and their email addresses. Please use Piazza for questions regarding each assignment. If there is a specific inquiry that needs to be sent to the TAs directly, please make sure you contact the appropriate TA:

Bulletin Board and Class Mailing List

Please use the bulletin board (on
Piazza) to ask questions from TAs. By using the bulletin board, everyone in the class can read the replies, and the overall number of repeat questions is reduced. Please check the bulletin board before posting any new questions. We guarantee any question posted to the bulletin board will be responded to within 48 hours. There is also a class mailing list that will be used by the TAs and the instructor for announcements. Please never use the class mailing list for questions. There are many students in class and we’d all be flooded with e-mails. If you have any questions that cannot be posted on the bulletin board (e.g. questions about your grades), you can e-mail TAs directly. There is no guarantee of when you will get a reply. We really want you to use the bulletin board. :-)

Exams

There will be an in-class midterm exam, as well as a final exam. For the date, and location of the final exam, please check back the class web page.