Computer Networks and Internet Protocols

Aim

Computer networks are playing an increasingly important role in the society. It is predicted that there will be 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020. With an enormous increase in the number of wired and wireless devices connected through the Internet, as well as improved network bandwidth and computer capabilities, we are moving towards a society in which users expect to access anything they want, whenever and wherever they are. To enable this trend and all the emerging services provided over the Internet (e.g., social networks, video streaming, and the Internet of things) it is therefore critical for today's computer science students to have a good understanding for computer networks.

TDTS11 is an introductory course in computer networks and Internet protocols. The course covers the basics for how a network and its applications operate; what a protocol is; how they work, and what the most important applications of the Internet are. In the labs you will look at measurement data to build a basic understanding about some of the most important and fundamental Internet protocols. The final exam will test your understanding and knowledge of the subject. There will also be an opportunity to write a report. After the course, you are expected to be able to:

• Explain, describe, and analyze a typical network architecture, including the importance of network layers and encapsulation
• Explain the different basic types of protocols, communication channels, and network types
• Describe and analyze the most common application architectures in the Internet, how the most important application-layer protocols work and the service they provide
• Analyze and explain important design considerations at the transport layer, including describing how TCP's flow control and congestion control works, and how reliable data transfer is implemented in TCP
• Motivate and explain how routing and forwarding is implemented on the Internet, including describing how IP addressing and fragmentation works
• Describe and explain different link-layer technologies and how they work
• Analyze network traces containing the most common Internet protocols
• Show a deeper knowledge in a selected topic of interest, as exemplified in a report in which you are expected to use RFCs and other computer science reports specific to network protocols and Internet techniques

Content

Protocol terminology. Protocol layering concept. Reference model for networking architecture. Application areas for compute networks. Network types and components (router, switch, repeater, hub). Local area networks (LANs) (IEEE 802.3). Wireless LANs (IEEE 802.11). Extending LANs. Internet and standardization. TCP/IP protocol family. Distance vector and link-state routing. ICMP. ARP. NAT. IP, addressing and introduction to routing in the internet: RIP, OSPF, BGP, DHCP. TCP retransmission, flow control and congestion control. Reliable data transfer in TCP. Three-way handshake. IPv6. Internet applications (naming with DNS, e-mail, file transfer, file sharing, web). Network security (IEEE 802.11i, WPA2, ssh). P2P networks. Internet history. Internet design principlet. LAN background. Trends. Wireshark, analysis filter and functions, trace, packet header, packet search, bandwidth, ttcp. Ping, traceroute. Communicaton modes and channels. Acces network techniques. Different types of MAC protocols. Collision domain. Sliding window. Error detection.