Spring 2013
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: 707.
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.
Note: ENSC Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) does not permit enrollment in ENSC 427 if you have not successfully completed ENSC 327.

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 7, 2013
  • 1. January 14, 2013 (revised)
  • 3. January 21, 2013
  • 4. January 28, 2013
  • 5. February 4, 2013
  • *. February 11, 2013
  • 6. February 18, 2013 (revised)
  • 7. February 25, 2013
  • 8. March 4, 2013 (revised)
  • 9. March 11, 2013
  • 10. March 18, 2013 (revised)
  • 11. March 25, 2013 (revised)
  • 12. April 1, 2013 (revised)
  • 13. April 8, 2013
    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 (corrected)
  • Assignment #13

    GRADING SCHEME:
    The grading scheme for each assignment is provided by the TA:
  • Assignment #1
  • Assignment #2 (revised)
  • Assignment #3
  • Assignment #4
  • Assignment #5
  • Assignment #6 (revised)
  • Assignment #7
  • Assignment #8
  • Assignment #9
  • Assignment #10
    EXAMS:

    MIDTERM EXAMS:
    Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 14:30 - 15:20, SECB 1013
    Monday, March 18, 2013, 14:30 - 15:20, SECB 1013

    FINAL EXAM:
    Saturday, April 20, 2013, 8:30 am - 11:30 am, in AQ 3149

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

    PROJECT REPORTS, PRESENTATIONS, AND DEMOS:

  • Web page describing your project, and five references are due March 17, 2013 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute).
  • Interim report is due March 24, 2013 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute), revised from March 17, 2013 (midnight: 11:59 PM + 1 minute).
  • Project class presentations will be held in class during the week of April 8, 2013.
  • Demos will be scheduled during the week of April 15, 2013.
  • 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 Wednesday, April 17, 2013 (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 (updated)
    GRADING:
    Attendance 5%, assignments 10%, midterm exams 20% (= 2 x 10%), final exam 20%, project class presentation 10%, project demo presentation 10%, and final project report 25%.
       Click here to see your scores and midterm no. 1 exam, midterm no. 2 exam, final exam, and overall scores distribution charts.
    RESOURCES: Conflict resolution
    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.
        Online version (click on "Full text - Books 24x7 limited to 5 simultaneous users" link once you access the page).
  • 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 SECB 1013
    Wednesday 14:30 - 15:20 in SECB 1013
    Location: South East Classroom Block (SECB)

    Tutorial:
    Wednesday 15:30 - 16:20 in ESIL Lab ASB 1000B/ASB 10803.

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

    PROFESSOR:

    TEACHING ASSISTANTS:

    COMPUTING HELP:

    PROJECTS:
    ENSC 427 Spring 2013 project teams
    ENSC 427 Spring 2013 project proposals (revised)
    ENSC 427 Spring 2013 projects

    Instructions for in class presentations of your ENSC 427 final projects
    Instructions for writing ENSC 427 final project reports
    IEEE Tools for Authors for writing papers. See subsection Template for Transactions, "Instructions Only".

    Samples of past projects:
    Research with OPNET at SFU
    Past course web pages are located at: http://www2.ensc.sfu.ca/~ljilja/teaching.html

    SOFTWARE TOOLS:
  • Instructions how to run OPNET
  • Running tools remotely
  • Setting the environments:
         OPNET: version 16.0.A, version 15.0.A, and version 14.0.A
         ns-2
  • ns-3 website, ns-3 tutorial, ns-3 documentation, and ns-3 wiki page
  • 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 2013
    WEB SITES OF INTEREST:
  • ENSC 427 Spring 2012
  • ENSC 427 Spring 2011
  • 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.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: Fri Mar 1 18:16:37 PST 2013.