Fall 2006 CS 456/656 (Computer Networks) Syllabus

Instructor  Ian Goldberg
Office Phone  x36168
Office Address  DC 3518
Office Hours  Thursdays 11-12, or by appointment
E-mail  iang+ace@cs.uwaterloo.ca
Section 1  TTh 8:30-10:00, MC 4063
Section 2  TTh 2:30-4:00, MC 2038

Required Text

James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet, 3rd edition, Addison-Wesley, 2005, ISBN 0-321-22735-2 http://wps.aw.com/aw_kurose_network_3

Note that you will not need to "register" your textbook for this course. This will enable you to use second-hand textbooks if you prefer.

Course Description

See the (somewhat out-of-date) course description in the Undergraduate Handbook: http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/undergrad/handbook/courses/cDescr/CS456.shtml

Outline

Introduction (Chapter 1)
Data Link Layer (Chapter 5)
Wireless Networks (Chapter 6, 1st part)
Network Layer (Chapter 4)
Mobility (Chapter 6, 2nd part)
Transport Layer (Chapter 3)
Application Layer (Chapter 2)
Security (Chapter 8)
Multimedia Networking (Chapter 7)

It is expected that you will have read the appropriate sections of the textbook (as noted in the Calendar section of UW-ACE) before class. Additional readings may be assigned in class as well.

Grading Policy

Grades will be calculated as follows:

If the weighted average of your exam marks is below 50%, you cannot pass the course.

Midterm: October 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Final: December 12, 9:00 - 11:30 am

The midterm and final are closed-book exams. The midterm covers all material presented up to that point in the course. The final exam covers material from the whole term, with emphasis on the second half of the course.

Assignments and labs are due at 11:59 pm on their respective due dates. Late submissions will not be accepted. Due dates will be posted well in advance in the Calendar section of the UW-ACE course site. It is your responsibility to keep up with all course-related information posted to UW-ACE.

Reappraisal Policy

Each assignment, lab, and the midterm has a Lead TA assigned (see below). If you have an assignment or exam that you would like to have reappraised, please provide the Lead TA with a written request (on paper or by email), including a justification for your claims, and any related material (such as your original assignment). If your appeal is concerned with a simple calculation error, please see the instructor or Lead TA during their respective office hours. The appeals deadline is one week after the respective item is returned.

Communication

Please direct all communication to the appropriate discussion forum in UW-ACE. If there is a good reason not to use the discussion forum (e.g., personal matters, a question that might reveal part of a solution, etc.) contact course personnel directly via UW-ACE email. Please use regular email only as a last resort. Course personnel may decide that an email message is more appropriate for a discussion group and repost it there.

Research Paper (CS 656)

Students registered in CS 656 must write a research survey paper on a topic related to computer networks. Your topic must be approved in advance by the instructor. In writing your paper, you must become familiar with the research literature relevant to your topic. Your paper should be a summary of past and current work on your topic, as well as an overview of known open problems and potential future directions in the area. You should provide a concise summary of work, emphasizing major accomplishments, rather than a detailed accounting of individual pieces of research activity; your paper should not be very lengthy. The research paper will account for 20% of your overall mark with the other 80% following the proportions of the CS 456 formula. You must submit a one-page proposal to the instructor by October 13. It is recommended but not required that you discuss the proposal with the instructor first. Additional milestones for the completion of the paper will be set. The final version is due on December 5.

Teaching Assistants

Academic Integrity

Students are encouraged to talk to one another, to the TAs, to the instructor, or to anyone else about any of the assignments or labs. Any assistance, though, must be limited to discussion of the problem and sketching general approaches to a solution. Each student must write his or her own code and documentation for the assignments. Consulting another student's solution is prohibited, and submitted solutions may not be copied from any source. These and any other forms of collaboration on assignments constitute cheating. If you have any questions about whether some activity constitutes cheating, please ask the instructor. Here is the corresponding Faculty Policy.

The general university policy: