CS 410/510: Special Topics in Communication Networks (Spring 2018)
Instructor: Ehsan Aryafar
Time and Location: Tuesdays and Thursdays; 16:40 - 18:30; FAB 47
Office Hours: Thursdays; 15:30 - 16:30; FAB 120 - 11
Course Description and Objectives:
This course presents an introduction to design and analysis of networked systems with particular emphasis on communication networks and systems. The first half of the course is lecture based and covers topics such as media access, routing, traffic modeling, congestion control, and network architecture. Mathematical tools such as random processes, optimization theory, game theory, and learning theory will be used for network modeling and analysis. The second half of the course is seminar based where we will study recent literature on network optimization and analysis. The goal of this part of the course is to introduce students to advanced networking concepts, and computer networking research methodologies such as problem formulation, literature research, scientific experimentation, and performance evaluation.
Prerequisites:
Topics are self-contained so that a background in networking or math is not required.
Students are expected to be familiar with a programming language (e.g., MATLAB, Python, C/C++) to analyze data and plot the results. Students should be comfortable with reading scientific papers (Here is a guide to
read a scientific paper).
Course Material:
Required and Reference Textbooks: The course has no required textbook. The course is based on lecture notes and a list of research papers from recent conferences and journals, both will be provided by the instructor. The following textbooks can serve as reference:
1. "Networked Life" by M. Chiang;
2. "Communication Networking: An Analytical Approach" by A. Kumar, D. Manjunath, and J. Kuri;
Schedule: Tentative
schedule of the course.
All homework are due exactly one week after they are announced and should be received before the class starts. No points will be given to late homework.
Course Structure and Grading:
Class Participation: 10%
Protocol and Math Assignments: 20%
Paper Review: 10%
Seminar Presentation: 20%
Exam: 40%
Protocol and Math Assignments: There will be two such assignments. The assignments may require designing a new protocol, applying mathematical concepts to a protocol, or running simulations.
Paper Review and Seminar Presentation: In the second half of the course, students
will be provided with two papers every week. You will be asked to read the papers and write a short review for only one paper (1 page) and explain the important aspects of the paper (central idea, strengths, and weaknesses). The review format will be provided to the students beforehand. There will be only a single review assignment for the entire course. Each student will also do a single oral presentation of one of the papers.
Exam: There will be a single in-class exam (tentatively scheduled for Tuesday May 22nd). The exam will be based on the topics that are covered in the class. The exam will be open-book and open-notes.