THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Informatics : Informatics

Postgraduate Course: Computer Networking (Level 11) (INFR11049)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryComputer networking is a major area of interest in practical computer science. This course aims to give students a perspective on the many and diverse techniques and structures used in communications networks. Additionally it covers recent developments in the area and future trends.
Course description * Introduction: overview of current network structures; message, circuit and packet switching. Influencing factors: technology, regulation, standards and market forces.
* Applications and layered architectures: web browsing, email; the OSI Reference Model.
* Properties of media: twisted pair, co-axial cable, optical fibre, radio. Multiplexing: frequency-division; time-division, CDMA, WDM.
* SONET. Telephone network switches and signalling. Traffic and routing control. Cellular & Satellite phone networks.
* Peer-to-Peer protocol service models; ARQ protocols: Stop & Wait, Go-Back-N, Selective Repeat; transmission efficiency.
* Routing algorithms: static and dynamic; centralised and distributed; link state and distance vector routing; Bellman-Ford; Dijkstra; Flooding. Interior and Exterior Internet routing protocols.
* Traffic Management and Congestion control.
* TCP/IP architecture; IP packets, addressing, routing; IPv4 & IPv6. Voice over IP.
* ATM Networks: Adaptation Layers; Quality of Service parameters. Network management.
* Wireless networks: 802.11, Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS/UMTS.

Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections: Computer Communications, Computer Networks
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Computer Communications and Networks (INFR10074)
Co-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students also take Distributed Systems (Level 11) (INFR11022)
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements This course is open to all Informatics students including those on joint degrees. For external students where this course is not listed in your DPT, please seek special permission from the course organiser (lecturer).

Students are also assumed to have basic knowledge of Java programming.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Be able to describe different types of internet applications (including delay sensitive multimedia applications) and their associated transport and network resource allocations issues
  2. Be able to contrast between different types of wireless networks in terms of their application scenarios, architectures, resource allocation problems as well as describe cross-cutting issues such as mobility support
  3. Be able to describe various network performance metrics and their measurement methodologies and techniques
  4. Have developed an insight into cutting edge issues by understanding the research on advanced topics in networking and and summarising it in writing
  5. Have obtained hands-on experience in simulation based performance study of networks
Reading List
* James Kurose, Keith Ross, "Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach", 6th Edition, Pearson Education 2012
* L.Peterson and B Davie, "Computer Networks: A Systems Approach", 5th Edition, Morgan Kaufmann 2011
* A. Tanenbaum and D. Wetherall, "Computer Networks", 5th Edition, Pearson Education, 2013
* Additional readings in the form of other reference texts and research papers as needed
Additional Information
Course URL http://course.inf.ed.ac.uk/cn
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Mahesh Marina
Tel: (0131 6)50 5125
Email: mahesh@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Gregor Hall
Tel: (0131 6)50 5194
Email: gregor.hall@ed.ac.uk
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