pete > courses > Computer Networks (CSCI 0431), Spring 2025
Computer Networks (CSCI 0431), Spring 2025
| Who | Peter C. Johnson (pete@midd) |
| Where | 75 Shannon St Room 202 |
| When | Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:15pm–3:30pm |
Schedule (tentative)
| 10 Feb | intro/overview Assignment 0 available |
| 12 Feb | The Physical Layer Assignment 1 available |
| 17 Feb | Link Layer I: SLIP & PPP |
| 19 Feb | Link Layer II: Ethernet |
| 24 Feb | Link Layer to Network Layer |
| 26 Feb | Network Layer I: IP intuition Assignment 2 available |
| 03 Mar | Network Layer II: IP details |
| 05 Mar | helpers: ICMP & ARP |
| 10 Mar | Internet structure |
| 12 Mar | workshop |
| 24 Mar | Transport Layer: UDP; application: DHCP |
| 26 Mar | application: DNS I |
| 31 Mar | application: DNS II |
| 02 Apr | Transport Layer: TCP I (concepts) Assignment 3 available |
| 07 Apr | ITS visit |
| 09 Apr | zoom out |
| 14 Apr | TCP II: protocol details |
| 16 Apr | workshop |
| 21 Apr | TCP III: continued (notes in previous) |
| 23 Apr | cryptography |
| 28 Apr | code review |
| 30 Apr | Zale Young visit |
| 05 May | TCP IV: windows |
| 07 May | applications: HTTP & SMTP Assignment 4 available |
| 12 May | office hours: 11am–1pm |
| 13 May | office hours: 11am–1pm |
| 15 May | office hours: 11am–1pm |
| 16 May | office hours: 10am–11am and 1pm–2pm |
| 19 May | office hours: 11am–1pm |
| 20 May | office hours: 11am–1pm |
Coursework
Coursework will consist of weekly-ish programming assignments, a midterm exam, and a final exam. All three will feature core and extended components.
To earn a C, you must complete the core components of all coursework.
To earn a B, you must complete some portion of each of the extended components.
To earn an A, you must complete more extended components of each.
All coursework items (assignments and exams) will specify which components are core, which extended components must be completed for a B, and which extended components must be completed for an A.
Revisions
As with Systems Programming, you will have time to revise and resubmit your assignments, in case initial submissions do not meet the requirements. For each assignment, you will have 1 week from the date of receiving feedback to make your final submission; you may ask for feedback multiple times during that period, but the 1-week deadline is firm.
Exams
Both midterm and final will be overnight take-home exams to provide ample time. Midterm date is TBD. For the final, you will pick up the exam from me at any point during finals period (18 May–23 May) and submit your answers to me no more than 24 hours later.
Collaboration
All coursework will be completed and submitted individually. For further guidelines, see the Academic Integrity section below.
Software
All of the software we will be using is open source (and therefore free to use and modify).
References
There is no required textbook. If you desire reference material beyond the course notes I will make available to you, consider the following.
- TCP/IP Illustrated Vol. I, W. Richard Stevens (1 copy available in Armstrong, 1 copy available in my office)
- The C Programming Language, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie (1 copy in available in Armstrong, 1 copy available in my office)
- Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, James Kurose and Keith Ross (1 copy available in my office)
- Computer Networks, Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie (1 copy available in my office)
- Computer Networks, Andrew Tanenbaum (1 copy available in my office)
Academic Integrity
All work submitted in this course must be your own and no-one else’s. On all coursework, any assistance that is not explicitly allowed is prohibited; ask me for clarification if there is confusion at any point. You may discuss assignments with other students, but you may not view other students’ solutions, no matter how preliminary. Rule of thumb: don’t talk to other students around an open computer screen. You may not discuss exams with anyone except me.
If I determine that the work you submit is not your own, you will earn no credit for that piece of work and you will not be permitted to resubmit it. Such work includes, but is not limited to, solutions that are in any way informed by large language models such as ChatGPT.
When in doubt, ask.
Mask Policy
In 75 SHS 202, during class, masks are optional. If you feel gross, don’t come. (Detailed notes will be posted for catching up; Zoom is not an option.) If you recently felt gross and feel up to attending, please wear a mask.
In my office, for the forseeable future, masks are required.
ADA
Students who have Letters of Accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact me as early in the semester as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. For those without Letters of Accommodation, assistance is available to eligible students through the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Please contact ADA Coordinators Jodi Litchfield, Peter Ploegman, and Deirdre Kelly of the DRC at ada@middlebury.edu for more information. All discussions will remain confidential.