Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology
VKSF-341
Data Communications and Computer Networks
Spring 2003
REMINDER: The information in this syllabus is subject to expansion, change, flexibility and evolution!
Instructors:
Office Hours:
Class Hours
George Barido
See web page for hours
Office: Bldg. 86-1133
http://www.it.rit.edu/~glb
 475 – 4644
 glb@it.rit.edu
or schedule outside office door.
Section: 03
TR 6-7.50pm
Bldg. 86-1150
Sharon Mason
See web page for hours
Section: 02
Office: Bldg. 70-2155
http://www.it.rit.edu/~spm/
 475 – 6989
 spm@it.rit.edu
or schedule outside office door.
TR 2:00 – 3:50
Bldg. 70-2690
Nirmala Shenoy
Office: Bldg. 74-2063
 475 – 4887
 ns@it.rit.edu
See schedule outside office door
http://www.it.rit.edu/~ns/
Section: 01
TR 10.00 –11.50am
Bldg. 70-2690
Course Text and Materials
Forouzan,B Introduction to Data Communications and Networking 2nd ed. , McGraw-Hill
Handouts & Online Readings as assigned
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to data communications hardware and software,
and use of these components in computer networks. Topics include but are not limited to
communication system components, communications software, packet switching,
common carrier issues, wide area networks vs. local area networks, and performance
considerations.
Course Objectives
Through instruction in data communications and computer network definitions and concepts
students will be given the opportunity to:
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Learn the definition of data communications and telecommunications, and the
impact/issues they have in common business applications and management.
Learn the definitions, concepts, and principles, related to the conversion of voice, data,
video and image to digital form.
Learn the data communications and telecommunications models, topologies, protocols,
standards and architectures in use today.
Learn the concepts and the “building blocks” of today’s data communication networks
such as bridges, routers, and cabling.
Learn the basic physics concepts as they apply to the data communications area.
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology

Learn the basic concepts and terminology of local area and wide area networking.
First Class
Every student must have an IT First Class Account. If you do not have one go to the IT
lab in Building 10 or 70 and an IT Lab Assistant will establish one for you. This is the
vehicle that will be used to send you information regarding the course. If you normally
receive your mail somewhere else, make sure you forward your First Class mail to your
usual mailbox. Drop boxes will also be used for the submission of certain material
throughout the quarter. The instructor will tell you which assignment must be submitted
to the drop box. Some assignments may also be posted in the conference for you to
download another copy.
Web Page
This course will use the main web page of http://www.it.rit.edu/~netsyslb/vksf341/ for all
postings, announcements, references, readings, and assignments for this course. This
page will be kept up-to-date as the course progresses and should be checked often for
new material and changes that your instructor may make.
E - Mail
E-mail will be used for individual communication. E-mail may also be used occasionally
to broadcast messages to the entire class. It is your responsibility to read your electronic
mail frequently. Should you communicate to your instructor something in electronic mail
that should be shared with the class (e.g., you discover an error on a web page or in an
e-mail message), it may be posted to the entire class. Instructors try to check their mail
several times a day. See the table above for your instructor’s email address.
Grading
Deliverable
3 Quizzes
Each quiz 14 (points)
3 Homework Assignment
(each HA -7, 8 and 8 points)
Paper Assignment
Percent of Grade
Programming Project
Final
10
15
42
23
10
Information Technology's policy is students have one academic quarter to challenge
their course grade (Final letter grade). Quiz and other grades must be challenged within
a one-week period of receiving them from the instructor.
Examinations / Quizzes
Written examinations/quizzes are designed to test your mastery of terms, concepts, and
the successful application of those terms and concepts. Short answer, multiple-choice,
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology
and fill in the blank test the first of these; short answer questions and problems test the
second. Other questions are designed to test your ability to apply a specific skill, e.g., to
create or label a diagram. All exams will be analyzed after they have been administered;
the instructor will look for—and eliminate—invalid or poorly formed questions.
All examinations/quizzes are closed book and calculators are not allowed during any
examination/quiz. You must prepare a hand-written one-sided 8 ½ by 11 inch “study
guide” for each examination and quiz you take and bring it to your examination. These
study guides must have your name in the upper left-hand corner. These sheets will be
turned in and will be checked by your instructor. If you don't turn in a crib sheet with
your exam there is a 10-point penalty. The quizzes will be given during regularly
scheduled class time. The final exam will be on week 11 with NO exceptions.
Homework Assignments
Homework assignments will be distributed one week prior to the quiz and should be
submitted the weekday prior to the quiz day. This is an individual assignment designed
to test your mastery of topics covered up to that week. Preparing the solutions for the
home work assignment will help you to partly get ready for the quiz. No handwritten
assignments will be accepted.
Paper Assignment
A three page paper related to the concepts of data communications will be assigned.
This will be an individual assignment. The paper will have to submitted to turnitin.com,
which will check for authentic contribution from you. Details of this will be given in the
class.
Programming Project
There will be a programming project due on the 6th week. This project will involve writing
a program to use one or more of the concepts learned during the quarter. The specifics
of the project will be given out with the assignment handout. The handout should be
available during the 2nd week of the quarter. Any language as specified by the
instructor may be used for the project. The grade will be based on functionality, coding
style, clean code, comments, accomplishment of requirements, and imagination (doing
more than the minimum requirements).
The code should be submitted as a ZIP file to the dropbox, details of which will be given
in the class by the instructor. Failure to submit in the proper place will result in 0 for the
project. The zip file should be named yourlastname_yourfirstname.zip.
Failure to zip the files or to name the file appropriately will result 10% point
deduction each for the project
Class Participation
Attendance in lecture is not checked or documented. It is assumed, however, that you
will attend the lectures. Your actions in the classroom should reflect the standards of
behavior set in the commercial environment: you should be respectful of your
classmates, the professor, and the course support personnel (the note-takers and
interpreters) and you should willingly participate when asked to do so.
Exercises & Bonus Points
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology
Three exercises will be given during the quarter. These exercises will help you in the quizzes.
The exercises have to be completed during the class hours. You can take help of your friends
(but not copy the solutions from your friend) or the instructor, and submit at the end of the class.
These exercises will be marked. If you get above 90% in the three exercises you will be given 3
bonus points, if you get between 80% and 90% you will be given 2 bonus points. If you get
between 70% to 80% you will be given 1 bonus points. These bonus points will be added to
your final course total, only if your total is above 80%.
Announcements and my website:
Any announcements on the deadlines and other material related to my lecture session will be
put up on my website ww.it.rit.edu/~ns. Check this website regularly.
Tentative Course Schedule for VKSF-341
Assigned Book
Reading
Activities
Week 1
Intro, Protocols, Topology, OSI
Model, & Standards
Chapters 1-3
Paper assignment,
programming
assignment to be
given
Week 2
Basic Electricity and Magnetism
Handouts
Week 3
Signals
Chapter 4
HW 1 to be given ,
Paper Assm’t due
Week 4
Encoding & Modulation
Chapter 5
HW 1 due & Quiz 1
Week 5
Data Transmission Interfaces
Chapter 6
Week 6
Transmission Media
Chapter 7
HW 2 given,
Programming
Assignment due
Week 7
Error Detection & Correction
Chapter 9
HW 2 due &Quiz 2
Week 8
Data Link Control, Data Link
Protocols
Chapters 10-11
Week 9
Multiplexing, Packet Switching &
Circuit Switching
Chapters 8 & 14
Week 10
/ Catch-up
Week of
Topics
Finals Week
HW 3 given
HW 3 due &Quiz 3
Comprehensive Final Exam
Depending on class-comfort pace, the topics may not be exactly covered on the date specified. Accordingly
the topics for the Quiz will be adjusted. Unless otherwise noted, all activity deadlines are the end of class on
the days specified.
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology
Important RIT Deadlines
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Last day of add/drop is March 17th 2003
Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” is April 18th, 2003
The deadline for withdrawing from a course with a W grade is the end of the 6th week of
the quarter. Forms may be obtained from your department office and need instructor
signature.
Academic Dishonesty Policy
Plagiarism, and other academic actions contrary to RIT’s code of conduct and the IT Academic Honesty
policy will be addressed in accordance with these policies. See attached copy.
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACADEMIC
DISHONESTY POLICY1
The following statement is the Policy on Academic Dishonesty for the Department of Information
Technology:
The Department of Information Technology does not condone any form of academic dishonesty.
Any act of improperly representing another person's work as one's own (or allowing someone else to
represent your work as their own) is construed as an act of academic dishonesty. These acts
include, but are not limited to, plagiarism in any form or use of information and materials not
authorized by the instructor during an examination or for any assignment.
If a faculty member judges a student to be guilty of any form of academic dishonesty, the student will
receive a failing grade for the course. Academic dishonesty involving the abuse of RIT computing
facilities may result in the pursuit of more severe action.
If the student believes the action by the instructor to be incorrect or the penalty too severe, the
faculty member will arrange to meet jointly with the student and with the faculty member's immediate
supervisor. If the matter cannot be resolved at this level, an appeal may be made to the Academic
Conduct Committee of the college in which the course is offered.
If the faculty member or the faculty member's immediate supervisor feels that the alleged
misconduct warrants more severe action than failure in the course, the case may be referred to the
Academic Conduct Committee. The Academic Conduct Committee can recommend further action to
the dean of the college including academic suspension or dismissal from the Institute.
The following definitions will be used to clarify and explain unacceptable conduct. This is not
intended to be an exhaustive list of specific actions but a reasonable description to guide one's
actions.
1
You are strongly encouraged to review the following web sites which give information on
writing skills and examples of plagiarism:
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.htm
http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html
http://www.rhodes.edu/kamhi/center/plagiarism.html
http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Communications/Writing/Plagiarism/
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Rochester Institute of Technology
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Department of Information Technology
CHEATING includes knowingly using, buying, stealing, transporting or soliciting in whole or part the
contents of an administered/unadministered test, test key, homework solution, paper, project,
software project or computer program, or any other assignment. It also includes using, accessing,
altering, or gaining entry to information held in a computer account or disk owned by another.
COLLUSION means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work or
computer work (including electronic media) offered for credit. Final work submitted by a student
must be substantially the work of that student. Collaboration on an assignment is expressly
forbidden unless it is explicitly designated as a group project. When there is any doubt, a student
should consult the instructor (NOT ANOTHER STUDENT) as to whether some action is considered
collusion.
Whenever there is any question as to whether a particular action is considered academic
dishonesty, the instructor should be consulted.
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