Networks and Distributed Systems (CMSC 23300 & CMSC 33300): Spring 2006

Course Abstract

This course studies computer networks and the services built on top of them. Topics include, but are not limited to, network protocols (Ethernet, IP, TCP, UDP, FTP, HTTP), protocol implementation, programming with sockets, data encoding, security, packet-switching and multi-access networks, routing and flow control, congestion control and quality-of-service, elements of distributed computing (naming, security) and the design of network services (multimedia, file and web servers). This is a project-oriented course in which students are required to develop software in the Unix programming environment in C/C++. (For some projects, Java might also be an alternative.) Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of C/C++ and/or Java, as well as operating system concepts such as processes and threads. This is a not an introductory programming course.

Text Books

Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 3rd Edition, and the companion Network Simulation Experiments Manual

Professor

Ian Foster, foster@cs.uchicago.edu, Office Hours: Tuesday, 3-4 pm and on request, Lectures: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30PM - 2:50PM, Ryerson 251

Teaching Assistants

Ioan Raicu, iraicu@cs.uchicago.edu, Office Hours: Tuesday 12:30PM - 1:25PM & Thursday 3PM - 4PM, Hinds 028

Xuehai Zhang, hai@cs.uchicago.edu, Office Hours: Monday 12:30-2:30PM, Ryerson 177

Ido Rosen, ido@cs.uchicago.edu, Office Hours: Wednesday 12:30PM - 2:30PM, Ryerson 254 (or by appointment)

George Kuan, gkuan [at] cs [dot] uchicago [dot] edu, Office Hours: Fridays, 2PM - 4PM, Hinds 030

Mailing List

We have set up a mailing list for efficient information dissemination and for student questions about the homeworks, labs, and the course in general. To sign up for the course mailing list (the same mailing list for both CMSC23300 and CMSC33300 students), please visit http://mailman.cs.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/cmsc33300 and in the section "Subscribing to CMSC33300", please type in your email address and a password. To post a message to all list members, send email to cmsc33300@mailman.cs.uchicago.edu.

Course Components and Grading

In addition to the 20 lectures, which will cover material from the textbook, the course will include the following components:

• Ten brief quizzes (2 points each), given each Thursday, on material covered in class. These quizzes are designed to make sure you follow the lectures and the associated reading (20 points).
• Nine labs (3 points each, except for Lab #0 for 1 point), using the Opnet network simulator, designed to provide insights into network protocols (25 point).
• Four projects, designed to teach network principles and programming with sockets (39 points)
• Four homeworks (4 points each), designed to introduce graduate students to research papers in the field of Networking (16 points)

The four homeworks are only required to be completed by graduate students (i.e., those taking CMSC 33300); the homeworks will involve reading and answering questions on technical research articles. [And yes, I realize that without homework points, undergrads points will only total 84 points; marks will be scaled appropriately for undergrads.]

To view your grades and assignment score statistics, please see the Course Grades Page.

Schedule

Date	Topics (Recording)	Reading		Slides	Quizes	Labs		Projects		Homework
		Required	Optional			Out	Due	Out	Due	Out	Due
Tu: 03/28/06	Course Overview (MP3)	Ch. 1		PDF, PPT		Lab #0		Proj #1		HW #1
Th: 03/30/06	Packet Switching	3.1, 3.4	Clark, Leiner	PDF, PPT	Quiz #1			Proj #2
Thur: 03/30/06, 11:59PM									Proj #1
Tu: 04/04/06	Addressing & Forwarding	4.1.1-4.1.4		PDF, PPT		Lab #1	Lab #0
Th: 04/06/06	Sockets	Ch. 1	Beej	PDF, PPT	Quiz #2
Tu: 04/11/06	Transport	2.5, 5.1-5.2	Socolofsky	PDF, PPT		Lab #3	Lab #1			HW #2	HW #1
Wed: 04/12/06, 11:59PM									Proj #2
Th: 04/13/06	Congestion Control	6.1-6.4	Jacobson	PDF, PPT	Quiz #3			Proj #3
Tu: 04/18/06	Domain Name Service	9.1		PDF, PPT		Lab #4	Lab #3
Th: 04/20/06	Control Protocols	4.1	Comer	PDF, PPT	Quiz #4
Tu: 04/25/06	Middleboxes	8.4	Walfish	PDF, PPT		Lab #8	Lab #4				HW #2
Th: 04/27/06	Links	Ch. 2		PDF, PPT	Quiz #5
Tu: 05/02/06	Switches and Bridges	3.2		PDF, PPT		Lab 6	Lab #8
Wed: 05/03/06, 11:59PM									Proj #3
Th: 05/04/06	Internet Topology	4.3		PDF, PPT	Quiz #6			Proj #4
Tu: 05/09/06	Routing	7.2, 9.3		PDF, PPT		Lab 7	Lab #6
Th: 05/11/06	Web + Email	9.2.1, 9.2.2		PDF, PPT	Quiz #7
Tu: 05/16/06	No Class					Lab 9	Lab #7
Th: 05/18/06	Overlays and P2P	9.4		PDF, PPT	Quiz #8					HW #3
Tu: 05/23/06	Multimedia	9.3, 3.1.2, 4.5, 6.5		PDF, PPT		Lab #12	Lab #9
Th: 05/25/06	Security	TBD		PDF, PPT	Quiz #9
Tu: 05/30/06	Web Services			PDF, PPT			Lab #12
Wed: 05/31/06, 11:59PM									Proj #4
Th: 06/01/06	Review			PDF	Quiz #10						HW #3

Quizzes:

Quizzes will be given each Thursday, on material covered in class the previous lectures. These brief (10 minute) quizzes are designed to make sure you follow the lectures and the associated reading.

• Quiz #1 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #2 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #3 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #4 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #5 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #6 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #7 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #8 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #9 (2 points): Solutions
• Quiz #10 (2 points): Solutions

Labs:

The Labs are from Computer Networks, A Systems Approach, Network Simulation Experiments Manual and need to be done individually in a Windows NT/2000/XP environment. Please see the OPNET Usage Page for details on how to access a Windows environment on campus to complete these labs or what software you need to download and install on a personal machine.

• Laboratory 0: Introduction - Basics of OPNET IT Guru Academic Edition (1 point): Solution OPNET files
• Laboratory 1: Ethernet - A Direct Link Network with Media Access Control (3 points): Solution
• Laboratory 3: Switched LANs - A Set of Local Area Networks Interconnected by Switches (3 points): Solution
• Laboratory 4: Network Design - Planning a Network with Different Users, Hosts, and Services (3 points)
• Laboratory 8: TCP: Transmission Control Protocol - A Reliable, Connection-Oriented, Byte-Stream Service (3 points)
• Laboratory 6: RIP: Routing Information Protocol - A Routing Protocol Based on the Distance-Vector Algorithm (3 points)
• Laboratory 7: OSPF: Open Shortest Path First - A Routing Protocol Based on the Link-State Algorithm (3 points)
• Laboratory 9: Queuing Disciplines - Order of Packet Transmission and Dropping (3 points)
• Laboratory 12: Applications - Network Application Performance Analysis (3 points)

Projects

Projects are programming-oriented projects that are to be done individually in Linux on a department machine. For details on how to access a Linux environment needed to complete these projects, visit the Linux CS Page. Projects 2, 3, and 4 are all designed to be done in C/C++, but other languages could be used. For details on the guidelines you must follow when using other programming languages, please see the Programming Guidelines.

• Project 1 (Solution): Measuring Network Performance with iperf, ping, and traceroute (0.5 week) (3 points)
• Project 2 (Solution): Writing a Packet Analyzer (2 weeks) (8 points)
• Project 3: Implement a reliable communication protocol over UDP (3 weeks) (12 points)
• Project 4: Building a HTTP Server (4 weeks) (16 points)

Homeworks

The homeworks are only required to be completed by graduate students (i.e., those taking CMSC 33300); they will involve reading and answering questions on technical research articles.

• Homework 1 (4 points) (Solution)
• Homework 2 (4 points) (Solution)
• Homework 3 (4 points)

There will not be a fourth homework.

Late Policy

In this class, as in life, it is important that assignments be completed on time and in a neat and professional manner.

Lab reports and homeworks are due at the beginning of class. I will allow three late lab reports, with a late due date of the beginning of the next class. I don't allow late homeworks.

Projects (programming assignments) are due at 11:59pm on Wednesday evenings. This is a firm deadline.

Academic Honesty Policy

We expect students to have read and to follow the University's policy on academic honesty. A student who fails to follow this policy will receive an F in the course. (Students may appeal this decision to the Dean of Students at the Division of Physical Sciences and request a disciplinary committee hearing.) We encourage working together to solve homework problems, but each student must write-up the homework alone. Write-ups must include the names of any collaborators and any sources used to help solve a problem (including websites).

These policies also apply to the programming assignments. Programming in an individual creative process much like composition. You must reach your own understanding of the problem and discover a path to its solution. During this time, discussions with friends are encouraged. However, when the time comes to write code that solves the problem, such discussions are no longer appropriate - the program must be your own work.

If you have a question about how to use some feature of C, UNIX, etc., you can certainly ask your friends or the TA. However, you must not, under any circumstances, copy another person's program. Using someone else's code or letting someone copy your program in any form is a violation of academic regulations. �Using someone else�s code� includes using solutions or partial solutions to assignments provided by commercial web sites, instructors, preceptors, teaching assistants, friends, or students from any previous offering of this course or any other course.

Credits

In addition to Peterson and Davie's wonderful textbook and Aboelela's splendid lab experiments manual, I have benefited greatly from the following resources in preparing CMSC 23300/33300:

• The very nice slides developed by Jennifer Rexford at Princeton for use with the Peterson/Davies text
• Programming exercises developed at Purdue University, in part by Ioan Raicu
• Anne Rogers for advice on course structure