TELE9782: Latest Advances in Networking

Course Description

After the second generation (2G) of telecommunications evolution a few decades ago, the term
‘telecommunications’ started to merge with computer networks to accommodate data
requirements. Nowadays, the primary focus of providing telecommunication services is more
towards data. Therefore, it is essential for telecommunications students to keep up-to-date with
recent advances in computer networks. These network concepts and technologies have been
initiated a few years ago, researched for several years, and already adopted by industries.
However, the knowledge of these technologies is lacking in fresh university graduates and
creates adverse effects when joining the industries. Therefore, this course aims to cover the
recent advances in networking and guide the students to keep up-to-date with the upcoming
technologies. These topics include Networking Trends, Data Centre Networking, Server and
Storage Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Big Data, OpenFlow, Software Defined Networking
(SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Internet of Things (IoT).

Pre-requisites and Assumed Knowledge

• Students are expected to have prior knowledge on:

o Protocol layers ISO/OSI reference model
o TCP/IP protocol stack
o LAN Addressing: Unicast vs Multicast, Local vs Global
o Extended LANs: Hubs vs. Bridges vs. Routers vs. Switches
o Virtual LANs (VLANs)
o IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses: Public vs. Private addresses
o Subnets
o Address resolution Protocol (ARP)
o Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
o TCP connection setup, Checksum (pseudo-header), Slow start
o TCP vs. UDP
o Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
• Recommended courses are:
o Network Technologies (TELE3118) or equivalent
• Suggested reading material for pre requisite knowledge:
o Books, e.g. http://intronetworks.cs.luc.edu/current/ComputerNetworks.pdf
o Technical papers
o Standards documents
Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, a student should be able to:

1. Understand the requirements, methods, and standards of recently emerged networking
technologies.
2. Understand the relationships and interoperability of different technologies.
3. Keep up with the latest advances in networking and learn how to continue in the
future.
4. Evaluate the limitations of the latest technologies, and implications of possible
advances and/or applicability in other domains.
5. Review and evaluate recent research papers in networking and improve research
techniques.

Planned Assessments

# Name Weight Due Week Learning Outcomes

1 Quiz 15% Week 4 1, 2, 3
2 Mid-term Exam 15% Week 6 1, 2, 3
3 Individual Assignment 20% Week 9 3, 4, 5
4 End Exam 50% Exam Period 1, 2, 3

Lecture Schedule

Week Topic
1 Course Overview
Networking Trends
2 Data Centre Network Topologies
Data Centre Ethernet
3 Carrier IP: MPLS
Carrier Ethernet
4 Quiz
Server and Storage Virtualization
5 LAN Extension and Virtualization
Virtual Routing Protocols
6 Mid-term Exam
Introduction to IoT and Datalink Protocols for IoT
7 Network Layer Protocols for IoT
Messaging Protocols for IoT
8 OpenFlow
Software Defined Networking
9 Network Function Virtualization
10 Big Data and Networking Issues for Big Data
Introduction to Cloud Computing