Prerequisite:

The offical prerequisite for this class is COSC 2320 and COSC 2410. However, we recommend you have taken COSC 4330 or are taking COSC 4330 with this course.

Class Schedule:

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM, Mondays and Wednesdays in 200 PGH.

People:

*  Instructors are also available right after class to address any question or concerns and additional office hours can be arranged by E-mail . Please contact instructors via the email address listed above and NOT through WebCT email.

What will be covered?

This course covers the concepts and protocols in computer networks with an emphasis on the principles and technologies employed on the internet. The material is covered in a top-down fashion from networking applications to low-level data communication. The major topics covered are as follows:

• General: Structure of networks and the internet, circuit, packet and message switching, routing, physical media, types of delay, internet protocol stack, internet backbone, NAPs (Network Access Points) and ISPs
• Application Layer: Structure of networking applications, Web and Web caching, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Electronic mail, DNS (Domain Name Service), socket programming
• Transport layer: Transport layer principles, multiplexing and demultiplexing, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), principles of reliable data transport, TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), flow control, principles of congestion control, TCP congestion control
• Network Layer: Network layer services, datagram and virtual circuits, routing principles, link state routing algorithms, distance vector routing algorithms, hierarchical routing, Internet Protocol (IP), IP addressing, IP transport, fragmentation and assembly, ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), routing on the internet, RIP (Routing Information Protocol), OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), router internals, IPv6
• Link Layer: Link layer services, error detection and correction, multiple access protocols, LAN addressing and ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), Ethernet, CSMA/CD multiple access protocol, Hubs, Bridges, and Switches, Wireless LANs, PPP (Point to Point Protocol), Wide area protocols
• Selected topics from multimedia networking, network security, and real-life networks.

Primary Textbook:

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet - 4th Ed., James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross, Addison Wesley, 2007. ISBN-10: 0321497708 ISBN-13: 9780321497703 Companion Website: http://www.aw-bc.com/kurose-ross/

• You can find this text book in University of Houston Bookstore, or find a good price in on-line bookstores from pricegrabber.com.
• In textbook's companion web site, you can access open resources (including applets, references, and authors' recommended links). After you activate the access code on the first page of your textbook, you can access the protected resources, which include self-assessment quizzes, audio lectures, programming assignments, and PowerPoint slides.
• This course will basically cover chapter 1 to 6. If time permitted, we will add some material from later chapters.

Recommended Text:

You don't have to buy this book in order to pass. Library has at least one copy of this book.

Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 4th Edition by Larry L. Peterson and Bruce S. Davie Morgan Kaufmann, 2007. ISBN-10: 0123705487. ISBN-13: 978-0123705488. 848 pages.

This is a well-written book on Computer Networks. Explanations of some concepts and protocols are better written than our textbook. We will use some content from this book as a supplement.

Supplemental texts:

You don't have to buy the following books in order to pass this class. Library has at least one copy for each of the following books.

	UNIX Network Programming: Networking APIs: Sockets and XTI, Vol. I, 3rd Ed. by W. Richard Stevens Prentice Hall, 2003. ISBN-10: 0131411551. ISBN-13: 9780131411555. 1024 pages. This book also has a Vol. II. An older version of this book (ISBN: 0139498761) is out of print, but is available in the library.
	TCP/IP Protocol Suite, 3rd Edition by Behrouz A. Forouzan McGraw Hill, 2005. ISBN: 0072967722. 896 pages List Price: 115.00. More in-depth discussion on TCP/IP. If you want to learn more detail about TCP/IP, this is the book you need.
	Computer Networks, 4th Edition by Andrew S Tannenbaum Prentice Hall, 2003. ISBN: 0-13-066102-3. 912 pages. List Price: 88.00. A legendary textbook. Full of materials. Some parts might not be easy to read.

Web Resources:

We will use WebCT (http://www.uh.edu/webct/) for our class web page - use links for Student Help/New Users on this pages as needed. Students who register late should allow 2-3 working days for their WebCT ID to be created and become available online.

All announcements, notes, assignments, old exams, and other course related materials will be on WebCT.  (except that videos will be on VNET) You are encouraged to raise questions/issues/discussions on WebCT, and to repsond to queries from other students. It is generally acceptable to discuss difficulties with assignments on WebCT, short of posting actual solutions.

Tablet PC based recorded lectures for this semster and previous semesters can be accessed via vnet.uh.edu All registered students can get an account on VNET. Students can stream the lecture from the VNET server or download them and view offline. You can contact VNET (Tel: 713-743-1618 or E-mail: vnet@uh.edu) for any technical problems with video lectures.

Grading:

The tentative plan for grading is as follows:

Exam, and quizzes	60%
Written and programming assignments	40%
Total:	100%

There will be one midterm and one final exam. No make-up exam is allowed unless there is a verifiable medical excuse.

Academic Honesty:

Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive severe punishment.

Others:

200 PGH is equiped with a computer for each seat. Please use it for this course related works only.

A very cool introduction of this course can be seen here ( http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~jsteach/portfolio/cosc4377.html), including course summary, teaching support, sneak peek (video), and brochure.

Important Dates:

• First Day of (our) Classes: January 21, Wednesday
• Last day to add a class: January 26, Monday (online by 11:59PM)
• Last day to drop a course or withdraw without receiving a grade: February 2, Monday (must be online by 11:59 PM)
• Last day to file university application for graduation: February 13, Friday
• Spring holiday: March 16 - 21, Monday - Saturday
• Last day to drop a course or withdraw with a 'W': April 7, Tuesday (must be by 5 PM)
• Last day of (our) classes: May 4, Monday
• Final examination: May 13, 2 - 5 pm
• Official closing of the spring semester: May 15, Friday