Communication Protocols and Internet Architectures

Harvard University Extension School

CSCI E-40, Fall 2016

Lectures: Monday nights, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Classroom information will be available in August
Online Course: This course is part of the Extension School's Online Education Program.
The lectures, which are given at Harvard each week, will be recorded and
made available to all registered students via the Internet. Please review
information about online courses on the website:
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/academics/courses/types-courses
Instructor: Len Evenchik
Lecturer in Extension
Harvard University
Division of Continuing Education
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-3722
evenchik@fas.harvard.edu
Web Site: https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/18367
Sections: Time and location for optional sections will be posted on the website.
Textbooks and Readings:
1. Required Text: Internetworking with TCP/IP Volume One - 6th Edition
by Douglas E. Comer
Publisher is Pearson, 2014
Note: you must have the 6th edition since prior versions are out of date.
2. Protocol specifications (RFCs) and other readings will also be assigned.
Assignments and Grading:
There will be 5 homework assignments (approximately 30% of the grade), a
midterm (approximately 30%) and a final exam (approximately 40%.)
Academic Accessibility and Accommodation:
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic
community. The Disability Services Office offers a variety of accommodations
and services to students with documented disabilities. Please visit
www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/disability-services-
accessibility for more information.
Academic Integrity:
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on
academic integrity (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-
conduct/academic-integrity) and how to use sources responsibly. Not knowing
the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting "the
wrong draft", or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable
excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To
support your learning about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard

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 Extension School Tips to Avoid Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-
policies/resources/tips-avoid-plagiarism), where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide
to Using Sources and two, free, online 15-minute tutorials to test your
knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are anonymous open-
learning tools.

CLASS SCHEDULE
Lecture #1, August 29, 2016
Topics: Network Models and Network Architectures, Protocol Design Issues,
Network Building Blocks: Transmission, Multiplexing and Switching
No lecture, Sept. 5, 2016 Labor Day Holiday, No lecture
Lecture #2, Sept. 12, 2016
Topics: Protocol Layering and Protocol Framework (SP3), Link Level Protocols,
IETF and the Internet Standards Process
Lecture #3, Sept. 19, 2016 Homework #1 due
Topics: LAN Protocols, LAN Design and Implementation, Ethernet Switching,
Wireless Networks, 802.11
Lecture #4, Sept. 26, 2016
Topics: Internet Protocol (IP) Design, Internet Addressing
Lecture #5, Oct. 4, 2016 Homework #2 due
Topics: Internetworking and Routing, VLANs
No lecture, Oct. 10, 2016 Columbus Day Holiday, No lecture
Lecture #6, Oct. 17, 2016
Topics: IPv6 Protocol Design, IPv6 Addressing
Lecture #7, Oct. 24, 2016
Topics: Transport Layer Protocol Design, TCP and UDP
Lecture #8, Oct. 31, 2016 Homework #3 due on Friday Nov. 4th
Topics: TCP Congestion Control, Connection Management,
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Lecture #9, Nov. 7, 2016
Topics: Application Layer Protocols
Domain Name System (DNS)

Online Midterm Exam, Thursday, November 10, 2016 (Tentative Date)

The midterm will be an open-book online exam. The exam is two hours long and it will
be available via a secure website. As currently planned, the exam will be available to
you between 12:05 am and 11:55 pm (Boston time), and once you login and start the
exam, you will have two hours to complete it. Additional logistics information will be
available in October.

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Lecture #10, Nov. 14, 2016
Topics: Email Protocols (SMTP), Email Management and SPAM
Network Security (part 1)
Lecture #11, Nov. 21, 2016
Topics: Network Security (part 2)
Lecture #12, Nov. 28, 2016
Topics: IP Telephony and Internet Video,
Network Quality of Service (QoS)
Lecture #13, Dec. 5, 2016 Homework #4 due
Topics: Networking for the Internet of Things (IoT),
Lecture #14, Dec. 12, 2016 Homework #5 due
Topics: Network Architectures for Cloud Computing and SDN

In-Class FINAL EXAM, Dec. 19, 2016

In-class, closed-book, two hour exam will be held at Harvard for all
students in the New England area. Logistics information for proctored
exams will be available on the course website for distance students.

Page 3 of 3, July 21, 2016 Note that this syllabus will be updated as needed. 2012 - 2016 Len Evenchik