CEN 4500C Computer Networks Fundamentals: Fall 2007
Instructor: Prof. Ahmed Helmy
Note: This page is under construction and will be updated continuously.
-
Course
Description
- Lecture Notes/Slides:
[Note: lecture drafts maybe updated continuously to enhance the quality of
the lecture as I (the Prof.) see fit. Usually the slides already presented
in the lecture will not change with the next draft (except to make
corrections if needed, but then a note will be made)].
- Homeworks:
- Homework
1 [Posted Sept 3, 07][Due Sept 18, 07]. Students who have the 3rd
edition of the required book will find this
version helpful (with the corresponding question numbers in the
3rd edition in red [thanks to the TA for his help in this]).
-
Homework
2 [Posted Sept 30, 07, updated Oct 1, 07] [Due Oct 11, 07].
- Homework
3, [posted, Oct 10, due Oct 18th.]
- Homework
4 and 5 [posted Nov 13, updated Nov 16]. (this is worth 2 homeworks) (Due
Nov 27th).
- Homework 6
[posted Nov 27]. [Due Dec 7th in the lab, or Dec 4th in class
if you are able to finish it by then.].
- Some pointers to find demo and reading material:
- Experiment with the following applets from the book's website at
this
link. Especially the 802.11
CSMA/CA basic applet and the 802.11
CSMA/CA with hidden terminal.
- Play the animation
for the wireless access protocols through the network animator
(nam) [see below to install/run nam].
- The
network
animator (nam) [.exe, bin for windows XP], can be used
with the following scripts:
selective
repeat (or TCP without slow start),
Self
Clocking,
TCP with
Slow Start,
TCP with
slow start (scenario 2),
TCP
with fast retransmit mechanism,
TCP
with routing dynamics.
- The website for the required book by Jim Kurose and Keith Ross
can be accessed here, then click on
student resources.
- Particularly interesting are the applets on the above website, as you
can experiment with various parameters (of delay, distance, etc.) and
observe the network performance and behavior.
- For those interested in research, a small (potentially helpful) note: How
to start research? (A personal note for networking students)
- Announcements:
- Office hours for Prof. Helmy: 12-1:55pm Tuesdays, at E426, Tel (352)
392-6860, email: helmy@ufl.edu
[If you cannot make it during this time send me email to schedule an
appointment.]
- Office hours for the TA (SungWook Chung): 3-4pm Mon, 3-5pm Fri, at
E309, Tel (352) 392-1183, email: swchung@cise.ufl.edu
- Homework 1 is posted on Sept 3 and is due on Sept 18. It has lots of
questions so please do not wait til the last minute!.
- I will be traveling next week (Sept 10-15) to the ACM Mobicom
conference and will not be able to hold regular office hours. I may
still be able to answer your email if it is urgent. The TA may
arrange for modified/extra office hours to help out in the homework
questions.
- Arrangements for Sept 11 and 13 lectures:
- On Tuesday Sept 11: Prof. Shigang Chen will give a lecture on
applications (DNS, peer-to-peer and sockets). [Thanks Shigang!]
- On Thursday Sept 13: The TA (SungWook Chung) will conduct a discussion
session on the hwk for about 1 hr and my senior PhD student (Shao-Cheng
Wang) will conduct an introductory session on experiments with wireless
and mobile devices (one experiment is on obtaining a wireless coverage map
for UF using signal strength measurements and GPS devices, and another
will be on building an 'encounter-based' network using mobility and
handheld devices, potentially with infection games!).
- Homework 2 is posted Sept 30 and is due Oct 11.
- Homework 3 is posted Sept 10 and is due Oct 23 (Tuesday) at the
beginning of the lecture [posted Oct 17].
- Mid term exam date is Oct 25th (Thursday)
- There will be a revision session in class on Oct 23.
- Information about Career Development Workshop at UF for CS and CE
students can be found in this
flyer (Oct 23, 6-10pm). [Note: Cisco has been added to the list
of companies. (posted Oct 23)].
- Information about the Midterm:
The exam will be in class from 2-3pm (for 1 hr) so please come early as
the exam will 'start' at 2pm. Bring your student ID with you; it will be
checked during the exam.
The cover page of the exam is
here.
Please take a look at the instructions and the grade distribution across
the pages.
The last page of the exam (with the formulas) is
here.
This page contains all the formulas you need (and many that you will not
need). Familiarize yourself with it in case you need it in the exam.
There are some 'extra' points questions in the exam. You don't have to
answer these questions, but if you have extra time you may want to try
them out to earn extra points.
I suggest that you take a look at all the questions before you start and
prioritize (have an exam strategy) to get the best out of your time.
Good luck to you all, and let your efforts show!
- Please refer to this
experiment '1' link for information about the first set of experiments
on signal strength measurements using handheld devices. [Thanks to
Shao-Cheng!]
- The breakdown of the final grade: 20% homeworks (6), 30% midterm exam,
40% final exam, 10% experiments and attendance.
- Homeworks 4 and 5 are on-line (they are in the same
document/file). The homeworks 4 & 5 are due on Nov. 27th beginning of
lecture.
- The final exam date (according to the schedule of classes) is set for
Dec. 13 (Thursday) from 10am-12pm. It is going to be closed notes and
closed book (similar to the format of the midterm). With all the equations
you need provided at the end of the exam. It is going to cover chapters 4,
5 and 6, and will carry 40% of the grade.
[Note: If you cannot make it
on that date due to extraordinary circumstances please email me.]
- Due date for the experiment 1 reports is Nov. 20th (Tuesday) in class.
[Nov. 22nd is holiday]. If your group cannot meet that deadline and would
like an extension send me email, but I would recommend that you submit it
in time because we are going to start experiment 2 on Nov. 20.
- Experiment
2 will start on Nov. 20 [Thanks to Wei-Jen and Sungwook Moon!].
Deadline for conducting the measurements and returning the
devices is Nov. 30 (6pm) in the lab. [Please do not take any device
out of town for the holidays, read the instructions on this link
for more info.]
Deadline to submit the lab report for the whole
experiment is Dec 7th at the lab (CSE 401).
The lecture on Nov 20 will be dedicated to exp. 2, and will be
conducted by my PhD students Wei-Jen Hsu and Sungwook Moon.
- Hwk 6 is on-line (please check the homework section). It covers
Network Layer (Chapter 4) and routing issues. Its final due date is Dec
7th in the lab (Rm 401 Cise bldg). If you finish it by Dec 4th you can
submit it in class.
- Due to multiple requests, the due date for hwk4 and 5 has been
extended til Nov. 29th (Thursday) beginning of lecture. If you have
submitted the hwk already and want to update it or add to it you can still
submit any changes or additions on Thursday Nov 29th in class. Please
indicate on your submission whether this is a completely new homework or
an addition to an already-submitted homework.
- Many important announcements and information about the
final exam will be made on Nov. 29th, I 'Strongly' recommend all students
to attend class. Class/instructor evaluations will also be conducted in
class on Thursday Nov. 29th.
Office Hours: office hours are 12-1:55pm Tuesday in CSE426
[Office hours are updated every week. If you can't come to the above
office hours send me email and I'll setup an appointment at another time
for you.]