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EECS/IT 780: Communication Networks (Fall 2020) Prerequisites and Expected Audience.
Eligibility for upper division EECS
courses (or industrial experience in computing).
Basic working knowledge of computer systems, the
Internet, and probability and statistics; basic
programming skills, including the ability to use
a text editor. Undergraduate students must have
taken EECS 461, Math 526, or equivalent, and have
a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Professor Blake Bryant Professor Hossein Saiedian
Comprehensive in-depth coverage of communication
networks with emphasis on the Internet and the PSTN
(wired, wireless, and IoT -- Internet of things).
Extensive examples of protocols and algorithms are
presented at all levels, including: client/server
and peer-to-peer applications; session control;
transport protocols, the end-to-end arguments and
end-to-end congestion control; network architecture,
forwarding, routing, signalling, addressing, and
traffic management; programmable and software-defined
networks (SDN); quality of service, basic queuing
(basic M/M/1 and Little's law) and multimedia
applications; LAN architecture, link protocols,
access networks and MAC algorithms; physical media
characteristics and coding; network security and
information assurance; network management.
Kurose and Ross come with a prepaid subscription to
the companion Web site. The inside cover of the book
has a scratch-off access code. If you purchase used
copy of the book you may follow the instructions at
the bottom of the page or on the book Web page to
separately purchase a license. This is not required,
as the Wireshark labs are available at UMass without
a content license.
You must use the 7th edition of this book, which is
different from previous editions, in both content
and homework problems. You must bring your own copy
of the book to the second lecture to show (either
hardcopy or electronic); it must not be a library
copy. The cheaper Global 7th Edition ($50 paperback
vs. $141 hardbound) may have some differences from
the US edition* in an attempt by Pearson to earn
more profits from students at American colleges and
universities. Students are responsible to confirm
equivalence. In particular, the course grader will
grade all problems assuming the US 7th edition.
Please visit the textbooks'
websites for updates and errata. The primary textbook is used for both undergraduate
and graduate courses on (introduction to) database
systems. As such many of its chapters will be briefly
covered but students are required to thoroughly read
them, especially if they do not have formal education
in computer science or IT. Our objective is to spend
more time on advanced topics such as database design
and more emerging database topics.
Supplementary information for the course (e.g.,
PowerPoint slides, class announcements, the course
syllabus, test dates, and other information) will be
made available online. Students are responsible for
lecture notes, reading assignments, as well as items
distributed during the classroom sessions. Students
are also responsible for regularly visiting the class
website for topics covered and any date changes. The order of chapter coverage may be different from
the textbook. Unless explicitly stated, students are
responsible for all sections in a chapter. In addition
to the materials from the main textbook, students are
responsible for lecture notes, reading assignments,
as well as items distributed during the classroom
sessions. Important reading materials as well as lecture
slides will be placed on the class website. Graduate students should develop a habit of reading the
flaghship magazines (journals) of the two important computing and
IT organizations, namely the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society.
See below for a list of these journals.
Students will be evaluated as follows: * Exam 1: 20%
Course Title
Wednesdays, 6:10-9:00 PM, Zoom online sessions
(Course Number: 21679 )
Course Web Site:
people.eecs.ku.edu/~saiedian/780
Instructors
Office: BEST 250G
Telephone: 913-897-8791
E-Mail: blake.bryant at ku.edu
Virtual Office Hours (Zoom/Phone Call):
Wednesdays, 1:00-5:00 PM (and by appointment)
Offices: BEST 250 and Nichols 155
Telephone: 785-864-8812 or 913-897-8515
E-Mail: saiedian at ku.edu
WWW:
people.eecs.ku.edu/~saiedian
Virtual Office Hours (Zoom/Phone Call): Wednesdays, 1:00-5:00 PM
(and by appointment) Course Overview
Textbooks
Other Resources
Evaluation Criteria
(Subject
to revision)
* Exam 2: 20%
* Exam 3: 20%
* Class participation: 10%
(includes quizzes, homework, and lab exercises)
* Group project: 20%
* Research Project: 10%
A =
90%..100%
B =
80%..89%
C =
70%..79%
D =
60%..69%
Exams. Exams will be made available through BlackBoard and may vary from 1.5 to 3 hours in length. Specific instructions for taking the exam will be provided on a per exam basis via BlackBoard.
All assignment and project milestones must be submitted electronically through the class BlackBoard site. If email submissions are necessary for unforeseen reasons, files should be sent as PDF email attachment, and must have a filename of the format lastname-assignment-type[-number].pdf in all lower case letters with no spaces.
Homework and Labs. Homework assignments are intended to give practice in problem solving and quiz your understanding of material between exams. Laboratory assignments will generally be assigned through the course BlackBoard site. Specific assignments and dates are subject to change between course offerings and will be finalized during the semester.
Quizzes. Students are expected to read assigned textbook sections and other material, as well as carefully study the online lecture notes before the lecture in which material is presented. This may be checked with a short quiz at the beginning of classes consisting of questions randomly chosen from the readings or lecture notes on the material to be covered.
Students will establish working groups during the first two weeks of class, typically consisting of 3-4 students. Projects should involve a demonstration, or practical application of a networking concept related to the course. Groups will submit a proposal for a topic no later than the fourth week of class. Groups will be expected to submit a literature review supporting their project on the seventh week of class.
Groups are encouraged to come up with their own ideas, but here are a few possibilities:
If you are planning to do an M.S. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation in the area of networking, you may use this opportunity to begin the background reading on a topic.
Three initial milestones are intended to insure that you are on track for a quality paper. Each one is due at 23:59 (midnight) on the date specified in the course schedule table by email as a PDF attachment to the instructor and GTA. You will generally receive feedback for each milestone the following week, indicating that you should proceed or Requiring resubmission with modifications.
EECS780 - project ideas
EECS780 - project literature review
EECS780 - group project presentation
You should practice your presentation to friends or the mirror several times and keep track of the elapsed time. Continue practicing until you are confident with how long you will take. The time alloted will be announced in the schedule page, but is likely to be 15 or 20 minutes, depending on class size. Significant credit will be deducted if you go over time.
All students are expected to listen and ask questions at the end of each presentation. This will contribute to your class participation grade.
Graduate students are expected to conduct independent research and reading outside class. There two options, described below.
Option 1: Write a term paper. Students will prepare and submit a term paper exploring topics related to network communications. Term paper topics must be approved by the course instructor. The term paper should be between 3,000-6,000 words in length and demonstrate firm understanding of the chosen topic.
Term paper milestones: (1) Paper proposal due week 3, (2) Term paper outline due week 6, (3) Term paper initial draft due week 9, (4) Final version due week 13 (November 18). See guidelines for these milestones here: Common Resources.
Option 2: Paper summaries. Select 10 papers related to networking and emerging technologies published within the last four years and from reputable scholarly journals. Strive for papers that are between 7--15 (UPDATED) pages in length. Provide the list of proposed papers to review to the instructor for approval no later than week 3 (09 September). Starting on week 4, students will submit a two page minimum summary of one paper from the list, with an additional summaries submitted for subsequent entries each following week (e.g. summary of paper 1 on week 5, summary of paper 2 on week 6 summary of paper 9 on week 13, [skip Thanksgiving], summary of paper 10 on week 15). Acceptable scholarly journals for papers to review are:
See the paper reviews guidelines before submitting your list and before writing your reviews: Common Resources. (Note: the guidelines were written primarily for the software engineering students; OK to ignore the SE journals listed there.)
Laboratory exercises require access to a Linux-based computer. Virtual machines hosted within the University of Kansas cloud environment are available to students and contain all support files necessary to complete laboratory exercises. Accessing the University of Kansas cloud infrastructure requires a VPN connection through the KUAnywhere VPN. Alternatively, students may choose to host local virtual machines, or install software on their own computers to complete laboratory assignments.
Not relevant for fall 2020. For Kansas City residents, the Edwards location is 2.4 mi. south from the Quivera Road exit of the southwestern portion of the I-435 loop to 127th St. For Lawrence residents this is approximately 30 miles / 50 km east of the Lawrence Campus, a 40 minute drive mostly along the K-10 expressway. A parking permit is not needed on the Edwards Campus. The K-10 Connector bus is a service used by many students between the Lawrence and Edwards campuses.
The following is the weekly semester schedule of lecture topics and all related curricular activities. Some referenced documents may be password-protected. The password will be publicized in class.
Week 1: Wednesdays August 26
Discussion topics: Administrative, ethics; the big picture (overview of the OSI model)
Laboratory Assignment: lab 1 (ungraded)
Discussion topics: History of the Internet and architecture
Reading: Kurose Chapter 1
Laboratory Assignment: lab 2 (assigned)
Discussion topics: Networked Applications and Social Networking NET-AL
Reading: Kurose Chapter 2
Laboratory Assignment: lab 3 (assigned)
Discussion topics: End-to-End Transport NET-TL
Reading: Kurose Chapter 3
Discussion topics: End-to-End Transport NET-TL
Discussion topics: Exam 1
Discussion topics: Network Layer: Addressing, Forwarding, Signalling NET-NL
Reading: Kurose Chapter 4
Discussion topics: Network Layer: Routing NET-NR
Reading: Kurose Chapter 5
Laboratory Assignment: lab 4 (assigned)
Discussion topics: Link Layer and LANS
Reading: Kurose Chapter 6
Discussion topics: Link Layer and LANs NET-LL
Discussion topics: Exam 2
Discussion topics: Mobile and Wireless
Reading: Kurose Chapter 7
Discussion topics: Security Survivability and Resilience
Reading: Kurose Chapter 8
Discussion topics: Multimedia and Session Control
Reading: Kurose Chapter 9
Discussion topics: Student Group Presentation
Discussion topics: No class (Thanksgiving Break)
Discussion topics: Study week
Discussion topics: Comprehensive final exam
Attendance is important and required. If a student misses a class
session, he or she will be entirely responsible for learning
the materials missed without the benefit of a private lecture on the
instructor's part. Furthermore, the student will be responsible for
finding out what assignments may have been given and when they are
due.
We may have student and/or guest presentations. Students are
expected to actively participate in all classroom presentations
and discussions, ask questions, and regularly make contributions
such as offering comments, responding with good answers,
and providing feedback.
The textbook is an excellent survey and tutorial resource. Most
up-to-date topics on topics discussed in class can be found in
technical journals and recent conference proceedings. Students
should develop a habit of regularly browsing
IEEE Software,
IEEE Computer,
Communications of the ACM,
IEEE Security & Privacy,
IEEE Network,
IEEE IT Professional,
IEEE Cloud Computing,
and similar magazines.
E-mail communication is fast, flexible, and effective. You are
expected to have an @ku.edu email account and regularly check
it. Important classroom notes will be communicated via email.
You are a graduate student registered in a graduate course offered by
the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas, a top regional
and a nationally ranked institution. Your communications, especially
written communications (composition, grammar, spelling, punctuation,
etc), must reflect that status.
Do not send email in HTML format; it will not
be processed. Unless you are specifically
asked to send a document (in PDF format), send
text-only emails in text-only format. See the Guidelines
for Submitting Electronic Documents.
In-classroom policy.
Students are expected to come to the class on time, be
attentive and engaged, conduct themselves professionally,
engage in informative discussions, and avoid anything that could
cause a distraction or detrimental either for other students
learning or for the instructor's presentations.
Profanity and swearing is not allowed.
Academic integrity/dishonesty policy. The
definitions and consequences of institutional
academic integrity
policies will used. Academic dishonesty "includes giving or receiving
of unauthorized aid on examinations or in the preparation
of assignments or reports, knowingly misrepresenting the source
of any academic work, falsification of research results, and
plagiarizing of another's work."
Late exam-taking policy. If a
student will have to take an exam at a later time
(due to an excused and verified absence), he or she
will be asked to make the following pledge and sign
it: I have been granted the privilege to take this
exam on _____________ because I was unable to take it
on ______________ due to an excused absence. I pledge
that I will not obtain from anyone by any means (in
writing, speaking or via digital communications)
any information about the exam.
Attendance policy.
Attendance is important and required. If a student
misses a class session, he or she will be entirely
responsible for learning the materials missed
without the benefit of a private lecture on the
instructor's part. Furthermore, the student will be
responsible for finding out what assignments may have
been given and when they are due. Exceptions will
be made for family emergencies, religious observance,
and illnesses. Verification of absence may be required. Cell phone policy. Cell phones
should be turned off before coming to the classroom.
Cell phone use for the purposes of texting, email
or other social media should be avoided. Earphones
for music are OK during lab work or individualized
problem solving, as long as the volume allows you to
hear announcements. Also cell phone or other cameras
may be used to photograph projects and the whiteboard
but avoid shots that include the presenter. Laptop policy. It is OK to use
laptops, tablets or similar devices for taking notes
but turn off audio and avoid any possible uses (e.g.,
Web surfing or social media visits) that could cause
distraction for others. Incomplete grade policy. "Incomplete
(I) grades are used to note, temporarily, that students
have been unable to complete a portion of the required
course work during that semester due to circumstances
beyond their control. Incomplete work must be completed
and assigned an A-F or S/U grade within the time
period prescribed by the course instructor. After
one calendar year from the original grade due date,
an Incomplete (I) grade will automatically convert
to a grade of F or U, or the lapsed grade assigned by
the course instructor." Accommodations for students with disabilities.
The University of Kansas is committed to providing
equal opportunity for participation in all programs,
services and activities. Requests for special
accommodations may be made thru the
KU Student Access Services.
KU's diversity policy statement.
As a premier international research university, the University of
Kansas is committed to an open, diverse and inclusive learning and
working environment that nurtures the growth and development of all.
KU holds steadfast in the belief that an array of values, interests,
experiences, and intellectual and cultural viewpoints enrich
learning and our workplace. The promotion of and support for a
diverse and inclusive community of mutual respect require the
engagement of the entire university.
KU's sexual harassment policy.
The University of Kansas prohibits sexual harassment and
is committed to preventing, correcting, and disciplining
incidents of unlawful harassment, including sexual
harassment and sexual assault. Sexual harassment,
sexual violence, and a hostile environment because
of sex are forms of sex discrimination and should be
reported. (“Sexual Harassment”
means behavior, including physical contact, advances,
and comments in person, through an intermediary,
and/or via phone, text message, email, social media,
or other electronic medium, that is unwelcome; based on
sex or gender stereotypes; and is so severe, pervasive
and objectively offensive that it has the purpose or
effect of substantially interfering with a person’s
academic performance, employment or equal opportunity
to participate in or benefit from University programs
or activities or by creating an intimidating, hostile
or offensive working or educational environment.)
Commercial note-taking ventures.
Pursuant to the University of Kansas’ Policy
on Commercial Note-Taking Ventures, commercial
note-taking is not permitted in this course. Lecture
notes and course materials may be taken for personal
use, for the purpose of mastering the course material,
and may not be sold to any person or entity in any
form. Any student engaged in or contributing to the
commercial exchange of notes or course materials
will be subject to discipline, including academic
misconduct charges, in accordance with University
policy. Please note: note-taking provided by a
student volunteer for a student with a disability,
as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, is not
the same as commercial note-taking and is not covered
under this policy.
Wearing a mask is a must during the pandemic.
I do not anticipate our class to visit in person during this semester
but if you will have to make a trip to the campus, please carefully
follow KU's safety and health policies.
To protect all of us, everyone must wear a mask in the classroom, lab,
or faculty/staff offices as
required by the Protect KU Pledge and by University policy. Violations
of the mask policy are treated as academic misconduct. If
one goes to a class/lab without a mask, he/she will asked to put one on.
If you do not put on a mask when asked, you will have to
leave class. Violations will be reported, and consequences
will follow, up to and including suspension from the course.
Please use the CVKey app for self-screening to help determine if you
should attend in-person class activities. If you choose not to use the
app or do not have a compatible device, please use the paper health
assessment form. The app and the paper form are available at
cvkey.ku.edu.
Please visit KU's safety and health webpage: Protect KU
webpage; itprovides information about safety policies,
including social distancing and masks.
Attendance, classroom
presentations by students or guest speakers
Suggested readings
Email communications
Common policies
The University of Kansas, the School of Engineering, and in particular, the
Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) have zero
tolerance for academic dishonesty and academic misconduct.
When an exam or quiz is not administered in-person (in a
classroom), a student will be asked to sign off on a Honor Pledge
statement similar to the
following:
I have been granted the privilege to take (a part of) an exam
at home. I declare that I did not obtain from anyone by any
means (in writing, speaking or via digital communications, or
exploring the Internet for possible answers) any information
about the exam other than reviewing my course textbook(s) and
classroom notes before the exam. By signing this statement,
I declare that the answers to the exam questions are entirely
my own (i.e., they are my synthesis, my words, my writings,
my solutions).
Of course the above also applies to homeworks.
As implied above, unless specifically stated (like for the team
project tasks), a student is expected to do their exam or homework
individually without any collaborative efforts with anyone else.
If a student is caught violating the above, their case will be forwarded to the
Graduate Studies committee for appropriate disciplinary measures.
Blackboard features.To further facilitate academic
integrity, the following features of the Blackboard (Bb)
learning management system will be utilized:
We will review these during the first class session, but you are strongly
encouraged to review these codes in detail:
From the ACM's preamble: Computing professionals' actions change the world. To
act responsibly, they should reflect upon the wider impacts of their work,
consistently supporting the public good. The ACM Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct ("the Code") expresses the conscience of the profession.
From the IEEE's preamble: We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the
importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the
world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members
and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical
and professional conduct and agree.
The School of Engineering Statement on EdTech.
"With the switch to online teaching as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic,
professors and instructors at the KU School of Engineering are aware that some
students are actively posting homework, laboratory, and exam questions and
responses to EdTech services (e.g., Chegg) even during exam time frames.
Keep in mind that when a person signs up to participate by either uploading,
and/or downloading, and/or using posted material from these sites, the “terms
of service” that are agreed to do not protect the person when KU and/or the
School of Engineering decide to conduct investigations related to academic
misconduct (e.g., plagiarism and/or cheating).
In fact, EdTech services, like Chegg, retain contact information of students
who use their services and will release that information, which is traceable,
upon request. Using these services constitutes academic misconduct, which is
not tolerated in the School of Engineering. It violates Article 3r, Section 6
of its Rules & Regulations, and may lead to grades of F in compromised
course(s), transcript citations of academic misconduct, and expulsion from the
University of Kansas.
If unsure about assignments, it is important that students use the allowable
available resources, such as instructor office hours, graduate teaching
assistants, and/or tutoring. The School of Engineering wants students to be
successful; cheating is not the way to attain that success."
Academic integrity during the pandemic
The ACM's and IEEE's code of ethics.
As IT and computing professionals and/or as engineers, you should be familiar with
the ACM's (IT, computing) and IEEE (engineering) codes of ethics and apply them
during your academic and professional careers. These are lifelong commitments to
integrity and professional conduct.
Sign in.
Login with your full first name and last name as listed on
the class roster. Do not use a nickname or other pseudonym when
you log in. It makes it impossible to know who is in attendance.
Audio.
Mute your mic (lower-left corner of
the Zoom screen) after you login and whenever you are not
speaking; it will help to avoid or minimize
background noise and distractions.
Video.
All students are encouraged to turn on their video streams.
It is helpful to see each other, just as in an in-person sessions,
and makes class presentations for me and other students more lively.
You may use a virtual background; virtual backgrounds are not
perfect but are much better than black screens.
Stay engaged.
Close any apps on your computer that are not relevant and
turn off notifications. Engage in classroom discussion. Ask
questions; it is OK to ask a question via a chat dialog or by
raising your hand, but it is perfectly OK to just interrupt
me as I may not immedaitely notice a raised hand or a chat
question.
Giving a presentation.
If you have to make a presentation, you will become a co-host and will
be able to share your screen. When you are done with your presentation,
stop the shared screen.
You might want to use a headset with an external mic for best hearing
and speaking capabilities.
Virtual office hours.
Office hours will be held virtually. To avoid running idle
Zoom video sessions, please send an email (or call) for a
Zoom meeting and a Zoom session will be launched using the same
classroom Zoom session ID and password. Day time calls to the office
phone number will be automatically transferred to my mobile number.
Minimal Zoom etiquettes
Professor Hossein Saiedian
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
2001 Eaton Hall
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045-7621
+1 785 864-8812
saiedian at eecs.ku.edu