Cleveland State University
Data Communication and Computer Networks
CIS 554/454, Section 1
Spring 2008
TTH, 1: 00 pm - 2: 50 pm, BU117
Instructor: Sanchita Mal-Sarkar
Office location: BU 345
E-mail: s.malsarkar@csuohio.edu
Web page: http://grail.cba.csuohio.edu/~sanchita/sanchita.html
Office phone number: (216) 523 7524
Office Time: 10: 00 am. - 12: 00 noon (T/TH), other time by appointment.
Prerequisite: CIS 345: Operating Systems Principles
Course Objective:
This course introduces the principles of data communications and computer networks. Topics include
characteristics of physical transmission media, transmission principles, modems, multiplexers, data link
protocols, mechanisms for error detection/correction, flow control, network topology, survey of existing
networks, networks layers from the ISO OSI reference model, and TCP/IP.
Text:


Halsall, Fred (1996), Data Communications, Computer Networks and Open Systems, 4th edition,
Addison-Wesley.
Stevens, W. R., Fenner, B., and Rudoff, A. M. (2006), UNIX Network Programming: The Sockets
Networking API, 3rd edition, Addison-Wesley.
Reference: Tanenbaum, Andrew S. (1996), Computer Networks, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall.
Supplies: Each student is required to have three 3 1/2" floppy disks (1.44 MB). These diskettes are
required for homework assignments.
Grading Scheme:
Your course grade is based on your overall performance through the entire semester.
The relative weights for the final grade are the following:
Item
Points
Percentage
Assignments
200
20 %
Project
100
10 %
Midterm
200
20 %
Quizzes
100
10 %
Final
400
40 %
1
Grading Scale:
Points
Grade
900 - 1000
A, A-
800 - 899
B+, B, B-
700 - 799
C+, C
600 - 699
D
Less than 600
F
Last day to drop:
Last day to withdraw:
(Without W grade)
Friday, Jan 25, 2008 (at 8:00 pm)
(With W grade)
Friday, Mar. 28, 2008 (at 8:00 pm)
Examination Policy:
All examinations and quizzes are closed book and closed notes. Dates of the midterm and quizzes are
provided in this syllabus.
Final Exam Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 1:00-3:00 pm in BU 117.
Quizzes: Approximately 2 short quizzes to be given throughout the course.
Assignments:
Approximately 4 assignments will be given throughout the course. All assignments are due at the
beginning of class on the specified date. All assignments must be individually and independently
completed and must represent the effort of the student turning in the assignment. If two or more
students submit substantially the same solution or program, in the judgment of the Instructor, the
solution will be considered a group effort. Both or all involved in a group effort will receive a zero for
that assignment. A student submitting a group effort assignment more than once will automatically
receive an "F" for the course.
All assignments are to be completed by computer - handwritten assignments will not be accepted.
Each assignment must have a cover page indicating your name, class, section, due date, and a listing of
the assignment components. You will lose points if you do not include a cover page.
Late Assignments:
An assignment is to be turned in at the beginning of the class period in which it is due. An assignment
turned later than the due date and time will be penalized 10% of the total points attained for that
assignment, for each day late. No late assignment will be accepted after three days of due date.
2
Make-Up Exams:
Make-up exams will be given only in the case of serious need and only when the instructor is notified
PRIOR to the exam time. In case of a missed exam, valid reason must be provided along with supporting
document (e.g. doctor's note). The doctor's note MUST state that you were unfit to take the exam, not just
that you visited the doctor that day. Without proper documentation, no marks will be given for a missed
exam.
Course Schedule:
The tentative schedule of topics and their order of coverage is given in the table below. Assignments are
subject to change.
Date
Topic
Tues 1/15/2008
Introduction
Thurs 1/17/2008
Characteristics of physical transmission media
Tues 1/22/2008
Modems and Multiplexers
Thurs 1/24/2008
Transmission principles
Tues 1/292008
Binary & Hexadecimal Systems
Thurs 1/31/2008
Error detection and correction
Tues 2/5/2008
Error detection and correction
Thurs 2/7/2008
Data compression: Huffman coding
Tues
Networks: Flow control & error control
2/12/2008
Special Days
Thurs 2/14/2008
Quiz, Flow control
Tues 2 /19/2008
Networks: Static routing & Dynamic routing
Thurs 2/21/2008
Networks topology: physical & logical topology:
Tues 2/26/2008
Bus, Tree, Star, Ring
Thurs 2/28/2008
Tues 3/11/2008
Complex Networks: De Bruijn graphs, ShuffleNet,
Manhattan networks
Network Security: Firewalls
Channel access methods: Contention, polling, Token
passing
Switching techniques: Circuit, Message, and Packet
switching techniques
No class
Spring Recess
Thurs 3/13/2008
No class
Spring Recess
Tues 3/18/2008
LAN, MAN, and WAN
Thurs 3/20/2008
Network architecture, protocols, and standards
Tues 3/25/2008
OSI RM
Tues
3/4/2008
Thurs 3/6/2008
Quiz 1
3
Thurs 3/27/2008
TCP/IP, Review for Midterm
Tues 4/1/2008
Midterm
Thurs 4/3/2008
TCP/IP
Tues 4/8/2008
IP addressing & Supernetting
IPv6 addressing
Internetworking: Repeaters, Bridges, Routers, and
Gateways
Presentation
Thurs 4/10/2008
Tues
4/15/2008
Thurs 4/17/2008
Presentation
Tues 4/22/2008
Presentation
Thurs 4/24/2008
Presentation
Tues 4/29/2008
Routing Protocols: BGP, RIP, OSPF
Thurs 5/1/2008
ATM, Discussion about final exam
Midterm
4