ECE 578 Online – Fundamentals of Computer Networks

Course Syllabus
Instructor: Loukas Lazos

Email: llazos@email.arizona.edu

Personal
http://www2.engr.arizona.edu/~llazos
Page:

Class
D2L
Website:

Discussion https://piazza.com/arizona/fall2019/ece578online/home
Board:

via Zoom, every Wednesday 3-5 PM,

Office hours:
Room meeting ID: 199-616-565

Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of computer networks and data
communications. Emphasis is given on current technologies and architectures for establishing direct-link and
packet-switched networks, sharing access to a common communication medium, internetworking and routing,
end-to-end flow control, congestion control and resource allocation, and network security.

Text: Computer Networks, A Systems Approach, 5th edition – available online from Library,
Larry L. Peterson and Bruce S. Davie, Morgan Kaufmann, 2011.

References: Computer Networks, 6th edition,

A. S. Tanenbaum, and D. Wetherall, Prentice Hall, 2020.
Computer Networking, A Top-down Approach, 7th edition,
J. Kurose and K. Ross, Addison Welsey, 2017.

Prerequisites: ECE 275, ECE 310 or equivalent. For a 275 equivalent, knowledge of any programming language
such as C, C++, Python, Java, Matlab, etc. For an ECE 310 equivalent, knowledge of discrete probability, data
representation, average, spread, definitions of experiments, outcomes, events, permutations and
combinations, random variables, probability distributions, mean and variance of a distribution, binomial,
Poisson, and hypergeometric distributions.

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Course Objectives
Upon the completion of this course, students should have achieved the following objectives:

• Have a fundamental understanding of the computer network design principles and network
performance metrics
• Become familiar with the mechanisms and protocols for reliable networking in a variety of network
architectures
• Be able to analyze and evaluate the performance of different network architectures and protocols.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon the completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Outline wired and wireless technologies for interconnecting computer networks

• Define metrics for evaluating the network performance.
• Specify the operational details of reliable link-layer transmission protocols and multiple access
protocols.
• Explain the global addressing system.
• Analyze various network topology models and compute optimal routing policies.
• Describe the autonomous system hierarchy and the Interdomain routing policies.
• Evaluate the performance of end-to-end network protocols.
• Contrast resource congestion control and resource allocation protocols
• Describe the fundamental principles of network security
• Explain the operation of fundamental computer applications deployed over the Internet infrastructure.

Specifically, students will gain fundamental understanding of the following (tentative) topics:

Introduction to Computer Networks

• Applications of computer networks
• Basic network architectures
• Network performance metrics

Direct Link Networks

• Hardware building blocks
• Types of network links
• Error detection
• Reliable transmission mechanisms

Medium Access
• The channel allocation problem
• Multiple access protocols
• Ethernet, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 5G protocol standards

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Internetworking
• Internetworking and addressing
• Routing algorithms
• Internet routing, Autonomous systems
• Multicast routing

End-to-End Protocols
• Elementary transport protocols
• Reliable transport services (TCP)
• Flow control mechanisms

Congestion Control and Resource Allocation

• The resource allocation problem
• Classification of resource allocation methods and evaluation metrics
• TCP congestion control
• Congestion avoidance mechanisms

Applications
• Electronic mail
• The World Wide Web
• The Domain Name System
• Web services

Network Security
• Cryptography – Simple cryptosystems
• Symmetric key cryptography
• Hash functions
• Public key cryptography
• Authentication protocols
• Transport layer and IP security

Course Operation
This course is structured around weekly progress. The expected weekly progress is outlined in the course
schedule. At a minimum it is recommended that students keep up with coursework by following the outlined
course schedule. Note the DUE DATES on course deliverables.

Course Time Zone:

All dates and times mentioned in this course represent Mountain Standard Time (Arizona), which is UTC-7 hours.
Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

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Office Hours and Communications:
We will have the following channels of communication:
• Office hours held via Zoom every Wednesday 3 – 5 PM
• The Piazza website https://piazza.com/arizona/fall2019/ece578online/home. Here we will hold all
our discussions. Please post here before email the instructor so everyone can benefit.
• Email: llazos@email.arizona.edu

Under normal circumstances, I will respond within 24 hours of your post Monday through Friday and 48 hours
on Saturday and Sunday.

D2L Course Management System:

This course uses the University of Arizona’s D2L course management system. You are required to use D2L with
this class and are encouraged to check our D2L class course space daily. I will use D2L for course assignments,
exams, content distribution, and important announcements. The University of Arizona’s D2L system is
available at: http://D2L.arizona.edu.

Course Assignments and Exams

There will be weekly homework assignments on the topics covered in class, with an approximate 9 homework
assignments. There will also be one midterm exam, two projects and a final exam. The grading distribution for
course assignments and exams is as follows:

Homework Assignments: 25%

Quizzes: 10%
Midterm: 15%
Projects: 30%
Final Exam: 20%
Total 100%

Grading Scale and Policies

The following scale will be used to award the final grades:

Percentage Letter Grade

90% – 100% A
80% – 89% B
70% – 79% C
60% – 69% D
<60% E

All deliverables are due at the time that it is specified on D2L. Late submissions will not be accepted and will
receive 0 points.

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Course Policies
Make-up exams: A make-up exam may only be given under extraordinary circumstances. The student
requesting a make-up exam should contact the instructor well in advance and provide written documentation
for the reason that he/she will not be able to attend the regularly scheduled exam. It is up to the discretion of
the Instructor to accept the justification provided by the student.

Requests for incompletes (I) and withdrawal (W) must be made in accordance with University policies which are
available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/2015-16/policies/grade.htm#I and
http://catalog.arizona.edu/2015-16/policies/grade.htm#W respectively.

Dispute of Grade Policy: You can dispute any grade that you receive within two weeks that the grade has been
awarded.

Academic Policies and Institutional Resources

Academic Policies and Procedures:
As a University of Arizona student, you are expected to become familiar with and abide by the university-
wide policies and procedures. You can find complete, up-to-date information at:
http://catalog.arizona.edu/policies

Academic Integrity:
This course has a zero tolerance policy with respect to violations of academic integrity. Students are encouraged
to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However,
graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are
expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See:
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academic-integrity/students/academic-integrity.

Academic Dishonesty occurs whenever any action or attempted action is pursued that creates an unfair
academic advantage or disadvantage for student and/or any member or members of the academic
community. All forms of academic dishonesty are subject to sanctions under the Code of Academic
Integrity. Sanctions include: written warning, reduction in grade for work involved, disciplinary probation, loss
of credit for work involved, failing grade in the course, suspension, and/or expulsion. Various forms of academic
dishonesty include, but are not limited to cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and/or
plagiarism. If you are unclear what constitutes plagiarism, please ask the instructor.

Academic Misconduct is defined as any behaviors not conforming to prevailing standards or rules within the
academic community. All forms of academic misconduct are subject to sanctions under the Code of
Conduct. Sanctions include: restricted access to University property, administrative hold, warning, probation,
suspension, and/or expulsion. Various forms of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to disruptive
behavior, threatening behavior, and/or the theft or damage of University property. For more specific examples
of academic dishonesty, academic misconduct, and how to avoid such behaviors, please visit the following
website: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/tipsforavoidingacademicdishonesty

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The University Libraries have some excellent tips for avoiding plagiarism available at:
http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/tutorials/plagiarism/index.html.

Selling class notes and/or other course materials to other students or to a third party for resale is not permitted
without the instructor’s express written consent. Violations to this and other course rules are subject to the
Code of Academic Integrity and may result in course sanctions. Additionally, students who use D2L or UA email
to sell or buy these copyrighted materials are subject to Code of Conduct Violations for misuse of student email
addresses. This conduct may also constitute copyright infringement.

Online Collaboration/Netiquette:
In online courses, you will primarily communicate with instructors and peers virtually through a variety of
tools such as discussion forums, email, and web conferencing. The following guidelines will enable everyone
in the course to participate and collaborate in a productive, safe environment.

• Be professional, courteous, and respectful as you would in a physical classroom.

• Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that provide much of the meaning and nuances in
face- to-face conversations. Choose your words carefully, phrase your sentences clearly, and stay on
topic.
• It is expected that students may disagree with the research presented or the opinions of their fellow
classmates. To disagree is fine but to disparage others’ views is unacceptable. All comments should
be kept civil and thoughtful. Remember that this course abides by university policies regarding
disruptive behavior: http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/disruptive-behavior-
instructional-setting
• Compose your messages and posts in a word processing tool and check your spelling and
grammar before submitting your post/email.

Threatening Behavior Policy

The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the
University community, including to one’s self. See: http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-
affairs/threatening-behavior-students.

UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination,
http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-harassment-policy

Our virtual classroom is a place where everyone is encouraged to express well-formed opinions and their
reasons for those opinions. We also want to create a tolerant and open environment where such opinions
can be expressed without resorting to bullying or discrimination of others.

Statement of copyrighted materials:

All lecture notes, lectures, study guides and other course materials disseminated by the instructor to the
students, whether in class or online, are original materials and reflect intellectual property of the instructor
or author of those works. All readings, study guides, lecture notes and handouts are intended for individual
use by students. You may not distribute or reproduce these materials for commercial purposes without the

ECE 578 6
express written consent of the instructor. Students who sell or distribute these materials for any use other
than their own are in violation of the University’s Intellectual Property Policy (available at
http://ogc.arizona.edu/node/16). Violations of the instructor’s copyright may result in course sanctions and
violate the Code of Academic Integrity.

Accessibility and Accommodations:

Our goal in this class is that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience
physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss
options. You are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable
accommodations. For additional information on Disability Resources and reasonable accommodations, please
visit http://drc.arizona.edu/.

If you have reasonable accommodations, please plan to discuss accommodations and how my course
requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate. Students needing special
accommodations or special services should contact the Disability Resources Center, 1224 East Lowell Street,
Tucson AZ 85721, (520)621-3268, FAX (520)621-9423, email: drc-info@email.arizona.edu,
http://drc.arizona.edu/. You must register and request that the center or DRC send the instructor official
notification of your needs as soon as possible. Please contact the instructor to discuss accommodations and
how this course’s requirements may impact your ability to fully participate. The need for accommodations must
be documented by the Disability Resources Center.

Library Support:
The University of Arizona Libraries is dedicated to providing the research tools you need at any time. For an
abbreviated list of resources directly related to a specific course, select the Library Tools link (located in the
Tools drop down on the left of the screen within the Course Navigation bar).

Course Surveys and Evaluations:

There is one online survey associated with this course:
• UA Teacher Course Evaluation – standard course evaluation conducted by the University of Arizona.
▪ This will appear be made available through
https://tce.oirps.arizona.edu/TCEOnline at the appropriate time during the
course.

Please participate in these online surveys!

Additional Resources for Students (recommended links:)

• Student Assistance and Advocacy information is available at:
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/student-assistance/students/student-assistance
• Confidentiality of Student Records http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/ferpa/default.htm

Subject to Change Statement

Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change
with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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Course Deliverables
Course Deliverable Due Date
(Sorted by Due Date) (11:59pm MST)
Homework 1, Quiz 1 Sunday, September 8

Homework 2, Quiz 2 Sunday, September 15

Homework 3, Quiz 3 Sunday, September 22

Homework 4, Quiz 4 Sunday, October 6

Project 1 Sunday, October 13

Homework 5, Quiz 5 Sunday, October 20

Midterm Sunday, October 27

Homework 6, Quiz 6 Sunday, November 3

Project 2 Sunday, November 10

Homework 7, Quiz 7 Sunday, November 17

Homework 8, Quiz 8 Sunday, November 24

Homework 9, Quiz 9 Sunday, December 8

Final Exam Wednesday, December 18

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Course Flow
Week Topics Assignments & Deliverables
Open: Assignments Available
Due: Assignments Due
All times are 11:59 MST
Week 1 Module 1 – Introduction to Networks None
• Module 1.1: Introduction to Computer Networks
August 26 –
• Module 1.2: Network Architectures
September 1
• Module 1.3: Switched Networks
• Module 1.4: Layering

Readings:
• Textbook sections: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Week 2 Modules 1, 2 – Introduction to Networks (2), Point-to- Due Sunday, 09/08
point Networks • Homework 1
September 2 – • Module 1.5: Performance metrics
September 8 • Quiz 1
• Module 2.1: Links and Bandwidth

Readings:
• Textbook sections: 1.5, 2.1

Week 3 Module 2 – Point-to-point Networks (1) Due Sunday, 09/15

• Module 2.2: Encoding and Framing (Optional) • Homework 2
September 9 –
• Module 2.3: Error Detection/Correction • Quiz 2
September 15 • Module 2.4: Reliable Transmission in Single Links

Readings:
• Textbook sections: 2.2, 2.3, 2.4

Week 4 Module 3 – Point-to-point Networks (2), Multiple Access Due Sunday, 09/22
• Module 3.1 Multiple Access Protocols • Homework 3
September 16 – • Quiz 3
• Module 3.2: Collision-Free Protocols
September 22

Readings:
• Textbook sections: 2.5, 2.6

Week 5 Module 3 – Multiple Access (2)

• Module 3.3: Multiple Access in Wireless Networks
September 23 –
September 29 Readings:
• Textbook section: 2.7

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Week 6 Module 4 – Internetworking Due Sunday, 10/6
• Module 4.1: Packet Switching • Homework 4
September 30 –
• Module 4.2: Internetworking (IP) • Quiz 4
October 6
Readings:
• Textbook sections: 3.1, 3.2.1 – 3.2.4
Week 7 Module 4 – Internetworking (2) Due Sunday, 10/13
• Module 4.3: Subnetting and Supernetting • Project 1
October 7 – • Module 4.4: Host Configuration
October 13
Readings:
Textbook sections: 3.2.5, 3.2.6
Week 8 Module 5 – Routing Due Sunday, 10/20
• Module 5.1: Basics of Routing and the Distance • Homework 5
October 14 – Vector Routing Algorithm • Quiz 5
October 20 • Module 5.2: Link-State Routing and the OSPF
Protocol

Readings:
Textbook section: 3.3
Week 9 Module 5 – Routing (2) Due Sunday, 10/27
• Module 5.3: Routing in Wireless Networks • Midterm
October 15 –
October 27 Readings:
Textbook section: Notes

Week 10 Module 5, 6 – Routing (3), End-to-End Protocols Due Sunday, 11/3

• Module 5.4: Policy-Based Routing • Homework 6
October 28 – • Module 6.1: The Transport Layer and • Quiz 6
November 3 Connectionless Protocols

Readings:
Textbook sections: 4.1, 5.1

Week 11 Module 6, 7 – End-to-end Protocols (2), Flow Control and Due Sunday, 11/10
Resource Allocation • Project 2
November 4 – • Module 6.2: The Transmission Control Protocol
November 10 • Module 7.1: Flow control in TCP
• Module 7.2: Fair Queuing

Readings:
Textbook sections: 5.2.1 – 5.2.10, 6.1, 6.2

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Week 12 Module 8 – Congestion Control Due Sunday, 11/17:
• Module 8.1: TCP Congestion Control • Homework 7
November 11 –
• Module 8.2: Congestion Avoidance Mechanisms Quiz 7
November 17
Readings:
Textbook sections: 6.3, 6.4

Week 13 Module 9 – Network Security Due Sunday, 11/24:

• Module 9.1: Security Fundamentals • Homework 8
November 18 –
• Module 9.2: Information and Network Security • Quiz 8
November 24

Readings:
Textbook sections: 8.1 – 8.4
Week 14 Module 9 – Network Security (2)
• Module 9.3: Denial-of-Service Attacks
November 25 –
December 1 Readings:
Textbook section(s): Notes
Week 15 Module 10 – Applications Due Sunday, 12/8
• Module 10.1: Traditional and Multimedia • Homework 9
December 2 –
Applications • Quiz 9
December 8
• Module 10.2: Infrastructure Services

Readings:
Textbook sections: 9.1, 9.3

Week 16 Module 11 – Recap

• Module 11.1: Course Summary and Open Forum
December 8 –
December 11
Finals Week Final Exam Due Wednesday, 12/18:
• Final Exam
December 18

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