Brief Course Description

This course introduces basic elements of modern computer and telecommunication networks. A hybrid five-layer reference model resembling the popular TCP/IP model will be discussed. In each layer, the state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies are introduced. These include, for example, Fiber-optic and Mobile/Cellular communications in the Physical Layer; Wavelength/Time Division Multiple Access Protocols in the Data Link Layer; Unicast and Multicast protocols in the Network Layer; TCP/UDP and ATM Adaptation Layer Protocols in the Transport Layer; and Network Security in the Application Layer.

Teaching staff and related info

  • Instructor
    • Hung Q. Ngo ( hungngo [at] cse )
    • Office Hours: 9:30-10:30am
  • Teaching assistants
    • Mr. Anand N. Sathyaraja ( ans25 [at] buffalo ). 
      • Office hours: Thursdays 2-4pm.
    • Mr. Aditya S. Wagh ( aswagh [at] buffalo )
      • Office hours: Tuesdays 12-2pm

Required Textbook

Kurose-Ross Book

James F. Kurose, Keith W. Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 5/e, ISBN: 0-13-607967-9, Pearson Addison-Wesley.

Prerequisites

basic C programming in the Unix environment, elementary probability, statistics, computer architecture, basic knowledge on the Unix operating system (processes, file IO), elementary data structures and algorithms (stacks, queues)

Reference books:

It would be very helpful for the programming assignments if you have Stevens' "Unix Network Programming".

  • W. Richard Stevens, "UNIX Network Programming : Networking APIs : Sockets and XTI : Volume 1, Second Edition ", Prentice Hall, Oct 1997, ISBN: 013490012X.
  • W. Richard Stevens, "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Evironment," Addison-Wesley, 1992, ISBN 0-201-56317-7.
  • Larry L. Peterson and Bruce S. Davie, Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 4th edition, The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Networking.
  • Andrew Tanenbaum, Computer Networks Prentice Hall PTR; 4 edition (August 9, 2002), 912pp.
  • Douglas E. Comer, "Internetworking with TCP/IP, Volume 1: Principles, Protocols, and Architectures, Fourth Edition 4TH ", Prentice Hall, Feb 2000, ISBN: 0130183806
  • Paul Albitz and Cricket Liu, " DNS and BIND " , O'Reilly & Associates, May 2001
  • Simson Garfinkel and Gene Spafford, " Practical UNIX and Internet Security ", O'Reilly & Associates, October 1995
  • Leonard Kleinrock, " Queueing Systems: Theory, Vol. 1 ", Wiley, John & Sons, January 1975
  • Leonard Kleinrock (Editor) " Queueing Systems Volume 2: Computer Applications ", Wiley, John & Sons, April 1976
  • W. Richard Stevens and Gary R. Wright, "The TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols", Addison Wesley Longman, Dec 1993, ISBN: 0201633469
  • W. Richard Stevens and Gary R. Wright, "The TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2: The Implementation", Addison Wesley Longman, Jan 1995, ISBN: 020163354X
  • Morris H. DeGroot, Mark J. Schervish, "Probability and Statistics", Addison Wesley; 3 edition (October 10, 2001), 816pp.
  • Rick Durrett, "Essentials of stochastic processes", Springer; 1 edition (July 30, 1999), 281pp.
  • Ronald W. Wolff, "Stochastic modeling and the theory of queues", Prentice Hall (January 31, 1989), 560pp