Spring 2011
ENSC 427: COMMUNICATION NETWORKS


(3-0-0)
TOPICS WEEK IN REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS EXAMS TEXTBOOKS

SCHEDULE STAFF PROJECTS TOOLS WEB SITES INFO

Current count of email messages related to ENSC 427 exchanged this term: 637.
Course description: This course covers the techniques needed to understand and analyze modern data communications networks. It covers the basic architecture of packet networks and their network elements (switches, routers, bridges), and the protocols used to enable transmission of packets through the network. Quantitative performance analysis and design of data and integrated services networks. Re-transmission error recovery schemes, networks of queues, congestion control, routing strategies. Multiple access techniques in data networks, design for specified throughput and delay performance. Wireless networks, routing approaches in mobile networks. Analysis and design of broadband integrated services digital networks, asynchronous time division multiplexing.

Laboratory work is included in this course.

This is a project oriented undergraduate course. Students will be introduced to the OPNET (OPNET Technologies) tool for simulating packet networks.

Pre-requisites: Successful completion of ENSC 327-3 or permission of the instructor.

TOPICS:
  • Communication Networks and Services
  • Application of Layered Architecture
  • Digital Transmission Fundamentals (overview only)
  • Circuit-Switched Networks
  • Peer-to-peer Protocols and Data Link Layer
  • Medium Access Control Protocols and Local Area Networks
  • Packet-Switched Networks
  • TCP/IP

    The following topics will be covered if time permits:

  • ATM Networks
  • Advanced Network Architectures
  • Security Protocols
  • Multimedia Information
    WEEK IN REVIEW:
  • 1. January 10, 2011
  • 2. January 17, 2011
  • 3. January 24, 2011
  • 4. January 31, 2011
  • 5. February 7, 2011 (early posting)
  • *. February 14, 2011
  • 6. February 21, 2011 (early posting)
  • 7. February 28, 2011 (early posting, revised)
  • 8. March 7, 2011
  • 9. March 14, 2011
  • 10. March 21, 2011 (updated)
  • 11. March 28, 2011
  • 12. April 4, 2011
  • 13. April 11, 2011
    ASSIGNMENTS:
    Posted weekly by Friday. Due by the following week on Sunday (firm deadline).
  • Assignment #1
  • Assignment #2
  • Assignment #3
  • Assignment #4
  • Assignment #5
  • Assignment #6
  • Assignment #7
  • Assignment #8
  • Assignment #9
  • Assignment #10
  • Assignment #11
  • Assignment #12
  • Assignment #13
    EXAMS:

    MIDTERM EXAMS:
    Wednesday, February 09, 2011, 14:30 - 15:20, AQ 3154

    FINAL EXAM:
    Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 15:30 - 18:30, AQ 5016

    FAS policy on mid-terms and finals is described in Section 5.7 of the FAS Handbook

    PROJECT REPORTS, PRESENTATIONS, AND DEMOS:

  • Web page describing your project, and five references are due March 13, 2011 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute).
  • Interim report is due March 13, 2011 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute).
  • Project class presentations will be held in class during the week of April 4 and April 11, 2011.
  • Demos will be scheduled during the week of April 11, 2011.
  • Presentation slides (Power Point and PDF files) of your final project, URL for the web pages of your final project, and final written report (LaTEX or MS Word file, PDF file, and a hard copy) of your final project are due on Sunday, April 17, 2011 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute). (Please note that ENSC homework assignment boxes are located in the ASB Atrium.)
    The final project grading policy
    The final project grading form (all)
    The final project grading form (presentation)
    The final project grading form (demo)
    The final project grading form (report)
    Presentation schedule
    Demo schedule (revised)
    GRADING:
    Attendance 5%, assignments 10%, midterm exam 20%, final exam 20%, project class presentation 10%, project demo presentation 10%, and final project report 25%.
       Click here to see your scores and the midterm exam, final exam, and overall scores distribution charts.
    TEXTBOOKS:

    Recommended reading:
  • A. Leon-Gracia and I. Widjaja, Communication Networks: Fundamental Concepts and Key Architectures, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, 2004. Errata page.
  • J. F. Kurose and K. W. Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 5/E, Addison Wesley, 2010.
  • J. Walrand and P. Varaiya, High-performance Communication Networks, 2/e, Morgan Kaufmann, 2000.
  • S. Keshav, Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network, Addison Wesley, 1997.
  • J. Walrand, Communication Networks, A First Course, 2/e, McGraw-Hill, 1998.
  • D. Bertsekas and R. Gallager, Data Networks, Second edition, Prentice Hall, 1992.
  • L. L. Peterson and B. Davie, Computer Networks, A Systems Approach, 3rd edition, Morgan Kaufmann, 1999.

    • Other related sources:
  • T. G. Robertazzi, Computer Networks and Systems, Queuing Theory and Performance Evaluation, Third edition, Springer Verlag, 2000.
  • M. De Prycker, Asynchronous Transfer Mode: Solutions for Broadband ISDN, Ellis Horwood, 1991.
  • I. Katzela, Modeling and Simulating Communication Networks, A Hands-on Approach Using OPNET, Prentice Hall, 1999.

    • Check the status of the books on reserve for ENSC 427 by typing "ENSC 427" (with the space) in the search window.

    JOURNALS:
  • IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials
  • IEEE Network, The magazine of global information exchange
  • IEEE Communications Magazine
  • ACM Computer Communication Review
  • IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications
  • IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
    SCHEDULE:
    Lectures:
    Monday 14:30 - 16:20 in AQ 3154
    Wednesday 14:30 - 15:20 in AQ 3154
    Tutorial:
    Wednesday 13:30 - 14:20 in ESIL Lab ASB 1000B/ASB 10803.
    Tutorials to be held in BLU 10021 will be announced on a per need basis.
    Ljiljana Trajkovic ljilja at cs.sfu.ca

    Projects:
    ENSC Undergraduate Computer room: ESIL Lab ASB 1000B/ASB 10803 (open lab).

    PROFESSOR:

    TEACHING ASSISTANT:

    COMPUTING HELP:

    PROJECTS:
    ENSC 427 Spring '11 project teams
    ENSC 427 Spring '11 project proposals
    ENSC 427 Spring '11 projects

    Samples of past projects:
    Research with OPNET at SFU
    ENSC 427 Spring '10 projects
    ENSC 427 Spring '09 projects
    ENSC 835 Spring '11 projects
    ENSC 895 Spring '10 project
    ENSC 835/CMPT 885 Spring '09 projects
    ENSC 835/CMPT 885 Spring '08 projects
    ENSC 835/CMPT 885 Spring '06 projects
    ENSC 835/CMPT 885 Fall '03 projects
    ENSC 833/CMPT 885 Spring '03 projects
    ENSC 835/CMPT 885 Spring '02 projects
    ENSC 833/CMPT 885 Spring '01 projects
    ENSC 894/CMPT 885 Spring '00 projects
    Instructions for in class presentations of your ENSC 427 final projects
    Instructions for writing ENSC 427 final project reports

    SOFTWARE TOOLS:
  • ENSC Undergraduate Computer Lab
  • Running tools remotely
  • Setting the environments:
         OPNET: version 16.0.A, version 15.0.A, version 14.0.A, version 12.0.A, version 11.0.A, and version 10.5.A
         ns-2      Ptolemy      AutoClass      Splus
  • ns-2 simulator and documentation
      BlueHoc: Bluetooth Performance Evaluation Tool
      Network Designer (NetDes) with ns Java applet
  • OPNET main page
  • Ptolemy
  • Omnet++
  • S-PLUS for Unix and S-PLUS for Windows

    TRAFFIC TRACES:
    Locally available short traces:

  • Star Wars data:
      VBR Frames: trace and its description.
      MPEG Frames: trace and its description.
      Trace for ns StarWars trace for ns (14 MBytes) and its description.
  • News recorded video data: news.IPB, news.I, news.P, news.B, and their description.
  • Short extracts from Bellcore Ethernet traces:
      tpAug89_2000.TL, pOct89_2000.TL, OctExt_2000.TL, and their description.
    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
    Email messages with hints and answers to some frequently asked questions:
    FAQ in 2011
    FAQ in 2010
    FAQ in 2009
    FAQ in 2008
    FAQ in 2006
    FAQ in 2003
    FAQ in 2002
    FAQ in 2001
    FAQ in 2000
    WEB SITES OF INTEREST:
  • ENSC 427 Spring 2010
  • ENSC 427 Spring 2009
  • Communication Networks Laboratory
  • UCB EE228a Communication Networks: Internet, Ethernet, ATM Slides
        In case you have problems accessing it from UCB, here is the local file.
    Acronyms:
  • Dictionary of Acronyms in Communications and Informatics (DACI)
  • http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov:80/fs-1037/
  • http://www.csrstds.com/acro-a-d.html
    General references:
  • What is page
    Documents:
    Internet Requests for Comments (RFC) site:
  • IETF
    Organizations:
  • International Telecommunication Union
  • The Internet Engineering Task Force
  • The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
  • American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
  • European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
  • Gigabit Ethernet Alliance
  • Digital Audio Visual Council (DAVIC)
    Forums:
  • Broadband Forum
  • Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF)
  • North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF)
    Other resources:
  • MPLS Resource Center
  • Optical Networking Page
  • The SONET Home Page
  • Protocols for Adaptive Mobile and Wireless Networking
  • CDMA Development Group
  • National Laboratory for Applied Network Research (NLANR)
  • Cisco networking page
    Daily news of interest:
  • Wired News: DoS: Defense Is the Best Offense
    Tools:
  • Ethereal: A network protocol analyzer
  • GNU Zebra: Free routing software
    Sites with traffic traces:
  • StarWars traces from Telcordia (not available)
  • StarWars trace for ns (not available)
  • MPEG-4 and H.263 encoded videos from TU Berlin
  • Internet Traffic Archive
  • Traces from the National Laboratory for Applied Network Research
    Fun things:
  • RFC 1121
  • RFC 1149
  • RFC 2100
  • UC Berkeley EECS20: Structure and Interpretation of Signals and Systems
    INFO:
    TOPICS WEEK IN REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS EXAMS TEXTBOOKS

    SCHEDULE STAFF PROJECTS TOOLS WEB SITES INFO

    Created by
    Ljiljana Trajkovic
    ljilja at cs.sfu.ca
    Last modified: Monday, April 25, 2011 9:02:54 PM PDT.