COURSE TITLE: ECE 333 Introduction to Communication Networks

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Data communication basics, Telephone, cellular, cable and computer networks, Layered network architectures, models, and protocols, Switching, routing, flow control, and congestion control, Medium access control, ARQ, and local area networks. Queueing models and network performance analysis.

REQUIRED TEXT: Andrew Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, Prentice-Hall, 4th Edition, 2003.

REFERENCE TEXTS: Jean Walrand, Communication Networks, A First Course, McGraw Hill, 2^nd Edition, 1998.

COURSE COORDINATOR: C. C. Lee

COURSE GOALS: To introduce students with technical backgrounds to the major concepts, evolution trend, architecture, standards, technologies, design, and performance evaluation, of telecommunication and computer networks.

PREREQUISITES: ECE 302 or equivalent basic probability theory

PREREQUISITES BY TOPIC:

1. Basic probability theory.

2. Experience with the Internet.

DETAILED COURSE TOPICS:

1. Data communication basics - modulation, multiplexing, digitizing, source and channel coding, spread spectrum (2 weeks)

2. Network technologies, evolution, and integrated service – telephone network, cellular networks, cable networks, computer networks and Internet (2 weeks)

3. Introduction to computer networks – layered communication architecture, models and protocols, circuit switching and packet switching, latency (1 week)

4. The network and transport layers: IP and Internet, routing algorithms, congestion control, TCP and UDP (2 weeks)

5. Local area networks – the 3-layer architecture, link-layer flow control, error control and ARQ techniques, medium access control protocols: ALOHA, CSMA/CD, Ethernet, token ring, FDDI, wireless LAN, basic queueing systems and LAN performance analysis (2+ weeks)

6. ATM and selected topics (1- week)

COMPUTER USAGE: Some homework and optional project involve programming

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS:

Problem Set 1: bandwidth and spectrum, attenuation, signal-to-noise ratio, equalization and companding

Problem Set 2: Digitization, TDM,. Source and channel coding, channel capacity

Problem Set 3: ARP and RARP, source and channel coding, Erlang formula, SONET

Problem Set 4: Hierarchical telephone switch network, telephone switch architecture, cellular network capacity and frequency reuse

Problem Set 5: IP addressing, network latency and throughput, CIDR, Bellman-Ford routing algorithm

Problem Set 6: Dijkstra shortest-path algorithm, flooding, TCP congestion control and flow control.

Problem Set 7: Link-level flow control, error control, and ARQ, ALOHA, Ethernet

Problem Set 8:. Basic Queueing systems and LAN performance evaluation

PROJECT:

Software design for implementing routing protocols

OBJECTIVES:

When a student complete this course, s/he should:

1. understand a broad range of telecommunication and computer network technologies

2. be equipped with the basic knowledge of data communication fundamentals critical for designing, selecting, or integrating these network technologies

3. understand circuit switching and packet switching technologies and their pros and cons with respect to different traffic types.

4. be able to calculate transmission, propagation, and queueing delays.

5. understand the meaning and power of a layered architectural model.

6. be able to apply and implement different types of addressing and routing techniques

7. be able to build basic probability models of network phenomena.

8. understand major network performance issues and be able to analyze the performance of basic LAN

9. able to explain Internet addressing, naming, and routing, congestion control, and QoS

10. able to analyze ARQ protocols.

ABET CONTENT CATEGORY: 100% Engineering (Design component).