PACE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

DEPARTMENT:

Computer Science

SUBJECT CODE/ COURSE TITLE:

CS 633/388/Data Communications and Networks

CLASS HOURS:

3/4 Hours per Week

CREDITS:

3/4

PRE/CO-REQUISITE:

CS 604/242

TEXTBOOKS:

Computer Networks and Internets, 6^th Edition by D. Comer/ Pearson Prentice Hall/ 2015

REFERENCES:

Internet. Data communications and networking magazines and journals

SEMESTER:

Fall 2015

Preparer:

Dr. A. Joseph

Course Description: This course provides a foundation in digital communications and network structures as the basis for current and emerging telecommunications and Internet systems. Topics include data, voice and video signals, information transmission (including wireless and optical media), layered networking architecture and protocols (OSI and TCP/IP), multiplexing and statistically shared media, data-link protocols, and an introduction to network and Internet strategies. Simple models for quantitative analysis of capacity and performance of network applications are introduced. Illustrations are based on current networks and Internet systems - including Internet access, wired and wireless Ethernet LANs, cellular systems, and Web facilities.

PROFESSOR’S PROFILE

Professor:	Dr. A. Joseph
Office:	163 Williams St., 2^nd floor, Room 231
Telephone:	212 346 1492
Email:	ajoseph2@pace.edu
Office Hours:	Monday (NYC) 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

COURSE PROFILE

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

Grading Policy

Final examination:	40%
In-class examinations (4 -- 30 minutes exams):	30% [best 3 of 4]
class participation:	10%
Project and its presentation:	20% (5% for presentation)
Extra credit assignment (Optional): Note: Only for students who are otherwise fulfilling all the course requirements.	10% (Due week 12 and no later)

Final grade Determination

Graduate:

Above 92%	A
90% -- 92%	A-
85% -- 89%	B+
80% -- 84%	B
75% -- 79%	B-
65% --74%	C
Below 65%	F
Note: Grades are computed to the nearest whole number.

Undergraduate:

Above 92%	A
90% -- 92%	A-
87% -- 89%	B+
83% -- 86%	B
80% -- 82%	B-
77% --79%	C+
70% -- 76%	C
65% -- 69%	D+
60% -- 64%	D
Below 60%	F
Note: Grade is computed to the nearest whole number.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students are expected to accomplish the following learning objectives and attained the corresponding outcomes by the end of the course.

Objective #1

Students will obtain a solid grounding in the concepts of data communications, networking, protocols and standards, networking models.

Outcomes

a. Show clear understanding of the basic concepts of data communications including the key aspects of networking and their interrelationship as well as protocol suites and the layered models.

b. Able to intelligently compare and contrast local area networks and wide area networks in terms of characteristics and functionalities.

c. Demonstrate an understanding of the significance and purpose of protocols and standards and their key elements and use in data communications and networking.

d. Understand the purpose of network models and able to compare and contrast Open System Interconnect (OSI) and the Internet Model.

e. Able to differentiate among and discuss the four levels of addresses (physical, logical, port, and specific used by the Internet TCP//IP protocols.

f. Able to clearly discuss different Internet services and applications as well as the client server model, the concept of transfer protocol, and socket API with their implications.

Objective #2

Students will get a sound knowledge of the physical layer – its structure, functions and services, and control over the transmission medium as well as its relationship to the data link layer.

Outcomes

a. Demonstrate the ability to discuss the relationship between data and signals as well as distinguish among and discuss their types, behavior, properties, characterization, and transmission.

b. Able to explain how noise, attenuation, and distortion affect signal traveling through a transmission medium; discuss the factors affecting data rate as well as the theoretical limits on data rate over a noiseless and a noisy channel; and show clear understanding of the different performance measures including bandwidth, throughput, latency, bandwidth-latency product, and jitter.

c. Demonstrate clear understanding of the different schemes and techniques use to convert digital data and analog signals to digital signals for parallel and serial transmission.

d. Show clear and unambiguous understanding of the process, methods, and the procedures involved in converting digital data and analog low-pass to low-pass analog signals.

e. Able to distinguish between and compare the main categories of transmission media as well as can compare and contrast their subcategories twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, radio wave, microwave, and infrared wave.

f. Can effectively discuss that bandwidth utilization is goal-oriented and involves tradeoffs by showing that multiplexing efficiently use bandwidth while spread spectrum inefficiently use bandwidth to ensure privacy and antijamming.

g. Able to differentiate between circuit-switching, message-switching, and packet-switching as well as can compare and contrast circuit-switching and packet-switching networks in terms of the processes required for use, efficiency, and delay.

h. Able to compare and contrast the data transmission modes: serial and parallel as well as synchronous, asynchronous, and isochronous with relevant examples.

Objective #3

Students will develop team-building, social, and organizational skills that they can further develop in other classes and in their professional careers.

Outcomes

a. Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in teams.

b. Demonstrate the ability for effective verbal and written communication

Objective #4

Students will get a clear understanding of the functions and services provided by the data link layer including framing, addressing, flow control, error control, logical link control, media access control, and protocols; and the data link relationship to the physical and network layer.

Outcomes

a. Able to distinguish between the different types of bit errors and can explain the concept of bit redundancy and how it is generally achieved in the facilitation of error detection and the main methods of error correction.

b. Illustratively explain the concept of Hamming distance, and the significance of the minimum Hamming distance and its relationship to errors as well as detection and correction of errors in block codes.

c. Can clearly explain the reason for the relatively widespread use of linear block codes as well as distinguish between and compare and contrast parity check codes and Hamming codes.

d. Show clear understanding of the concept, advantages, and analysis of cyclic codes including their algebraic representation; demonstratively explain the design and implementation of cyclic redundancy check; and able to compare and contrast cyclic redundancy check and checksum in terms of implementation and performance.

e. Understand the basic difference between data logical link control and media access control; can discuss logical link control with reference to framing, flow and error control, software implemented protocols (for the noiseless and noisy channel) to facilitate reliable inter-node transmission of frames; and show the ability to compare and contrast high-level data link control protocol and point-to-point protocol.

f. Demonstrate clear and unambiguous understanding of the conceptual difference between the three main classes of multiple access protocols used at the media access control sublayer of the data link layer and show the ability to identify the similarities and differences among protocols in the same class.

g. Use examples to demonstrate knowledge and clear understanding of multi-access protocols as well as static and dynamic channel allocations

Tentative Examination Schedule:

Course Section	In-class examination Dates	Projects Due date	Final Examination Date
CS 633/388/ CRNs: 71643/71819	9/24; 10/15;11/5; & 12/3/2015	November 19, 2015	December 10, 2015

Note 1: In general, the lessons will highlight inquiry-based lecture-discussion and may include storytelling. The central focus of the course will be critical thinking and problem-solving. To get the most out of the course, each student is expected to study the reading assignments and genuinely attempt each homework problem before coming to class. The idea is to come to class ready with questions about and ideas relating to the course materials and associated problems.

Note 2: In the interest of learning, it is very important to come to class prepared to learn – do all required assignments. Failure to do so could diminish your ability to get the most out of each lesson and the class. Remember that learning is action oriented. That is, it is not enough to come to class to listen to what others have to say. You should come to class prepared to become involve in all aspects of classroom activities because learning is an active process.

Note 3: It is very important you read and familiarize yourself with SCSIS Statement of Student Responsibilities (see Blackboard).

TOPICS

Weeks	Topics	Assignments
1	Introduction: Growth of computer networking; why networking seems complex; the five key aspects of networking; public and private parts of the Internet; networks, interoperability, and standards; protocol suites and layering models; how data passes through layers; headers; and ISO and the OSI seven layer reference model.	Readings: chapter 1 Problems: chapter 1/ 5, 8-11, & 13.
2-4	Internet Applications and programming: Two basic Internet communication paradigm; connection-oriented communication; client-server model of interaction; characteristics of client and server; server programs and server-class computers; multiple clients and multiple servers; server identification and demultiplexing; concurrent servers; circular dependencies among servers; peer-to-peer interactions; network programming and the socket API; sockets, descriptors, and network I/O; parameters and the socket API; socket calls in a client and server; socket functions used by both client and server; connect function used only by client and only by server; socket function used with message paradigm; application layer protocols; representation and transfer; web protocols; document representation with HTML; uniform resource allocations (URLs) and hyperlinks; web document transfer with HTTP; caching in browsers; browser architecture; file transfer protocol (FTP); FTP communication paradigm; electronic mail; simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP); Internet service providers (ISPs), mail servers; and mail access; mail access protocols (POP, IMAP); email representation standards (RFC 2822 and MIME); domain name system (DNS); domain names that begin with a service name; DNS hierarchy and server model; name resolution; caching in DNS servers; types of DNS entries; aliases and cname resource records; abbreviations and the DNS; internationalized domain names; and extensible representations (XML).	Reading: chapter 3 &4 Problem: Chapter 3/ 1-11, 17-20, & 22. Chapter 4/ 1-22, & 28.
5	Information Sources and signals: information sources; analog and digital signals; periodic and aperiodic signals; sine waves and signal characteristics; composite signals; importance of composite signals and sine functions; time and frequency domain representation; bandwidth of an analog signal; digital signal signals and signal levels; baud and bits per second; converting a digital signal to analog; bandwidth of a digital signal; synchronization and agreement about signals; line coding; Manchester encoding used in computer networks; converting an analog signal to digital; Nyquist theorem and sampling rate; and encoding and data compression.	Reading: chapter 6 Problems: chapter 6/1-22.
6	Transmission Media: Guided media (twisted pair, coaxial, and fiber optic cables) and unguided (or wireless) media (radio waves, microwaves, and infrared) transmission; taxonomy by forms of energy; background radiation and electrical noise; twisted pair copper wiring; shielding – coaxial and shielded twisted pair; categories of twisted pair cable; media using light energy and optical fibers; types of fiber and light transmission; optical fiber compared to copper wiring; infrared communication technologies; point-to-point laser communication; electromagnetic (radio) communication; signal propagation; types of satellites; GEO communication satellites; GEO coverage of the earth; low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and clusters; tradeoffs among media types including transmission impairment (attenuation, distortion, and noise); measuring transmission media and data rate (noiseless channel – Nyquist bit rate, noisy channel – Shannon capacity); effect of noise on communication including Nyquist and Shannon limits; performance (bandwidth, throughput, latency, bandwidth-latency product, and jitter); and significance of channel capacity.	Reading: chapter 7 Problems: chapter 7/ 1-12 & 18-25.
7	Reliability and Channel Coding: Three main sources of transmission errors; effect of transmission errors on data; two strategies for handling channel errors; block and convolutional error codes; example block error code --single parity checking; mathematics of block error codes and (n, k) notation; Hamming distance – distance among strings in a codebook; tradeoff between error correction and overhead; error correction with row and column parity; the 16-bit checksum used in the Internet; cyclic redundancy check (CRC); an efficient hardware implementation of CRC; and automatic repeat request (ARQ) mechanisms	Reading: chapter 8 Problems: chapter 8/ 3-16.
8-9	Transmission Modes, Modulation, and Modems: taxonomy of transmission modes; parallel and serial transmission; transmission order – bits and bytes; synchronous, asynchronous, isochronous transmission; RS 232 asynchronous character transmission; bytes, blocks and frames; timing of serial transmission; simplex, half-duplex, and full duplex; DCE and DTE equipment; carriers, frequency, and propagation; analog, modulation schemes; amplitude, frequency, and phase shift modulation; Shannon theorem; modulation, digital input, and shift keying; phase shift keying; phase shift key and a constellation diagram; quadrature amplitude modulation; modem hardware for modulation and demodulation; optical and radio frequency modems; dialup modems including V.32 and V.32bis dialup ; modems; and QAM applied to dialup.	Reading: Chapter 9 &10 Problems: Chapter 9/ 1-8. Problems: Chapter 10/ 1-4, 8-9.
9-10	Multiplexing and Demultiplexing: Concept of multiplexing; basic types of multiplexing; frequency, time, wavelength, and code division multiplexing; using a range of frequencies per channel; hierarchical FDM; synchronous TDM; framing used in the telephone system version of TDM; hierarchical TDM; problem with synchronous TDM – unfilled slots; statistical TDM; and inverse TDM.	Reading: chapter 11 Problems: chapter 11/ 1-10.
11	Local Area Networks – Packets, Frames, and Topologies: Circuit and packet switching; analog communication; local and wide area packet networks; standards for packet forma and identification; IEEE 802 model and standards; point-to-point and multi-access networks; LAN topologies; packet identification, demultiplexing, and MAC addresses; unicast, broadcast, and multicast addresses; broadcast, multicast and efficient multi-point delivery; frames and framing; byte and bit stuffing	Reading: Chapter 13 Problems: chapter 13/ 5-12.
12	IEEE Mac Sublayer: Taxonomy of mechanisms for multi-access; static and dynamic channel allocation; channelization protocols; controlled access protocols; and random access protocols. Review for Final Examination	Reading: Chapter 14 Problems: Chapter 14/ 6-11.
13	Projects Submission and Presentation
14	Final Examination.
Note 1: This course is structured around freely formed small collaborative groups in a cooperative learning environment. Students are encouraged to work together in their respective groups to form effective and productive teams that share the learning experience within the context of the course, help each other with learning difficulties, spend time to get to know each other, and spend time each week to discuss and help one another with the course work (content and assignments). Each group member is responsible for the completion and submission of each assignment. Each group member will be individually graded.
Note 2: During the first class session, student background information will be collected to get a sense of the diversity of student educational background and an assessment test will be given to determine students’ knowledge of the subject.
Team project: Students in small groups of two to four will participate in a project or research and prepare a report that involves the use of a low level or high-level programming language. In this project, students will write a program to determine the solution of a technical problem, and then demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how the program is processed in the typical digital computer system. Assignment of grade to individual students for group project will be based upon their involvement in the following items: programming, report writing, proofreading and correction of programming codes and written report, and combinations of the above.
Web support: This course is supported with most or all of the following Blackboard postings: lesson questions, lessons (PowerPoint), instructions and guidelines pertaining to the course, computer architecture and related news, group and class discussions boards, email correspondence about the course, homework solutions, examination grades, and miscellaneous course related activities and information.
Supplementary materials: Handouts in class or web postings of current events and issues affecting computer architecture. Some books that may be helpful for the course will be posted on Blackboard.
In class group/team activity and participation: Students are recommended to bring to class current newsworthy events in computer organization/architecture and related news to share with the class. Students will inform the class of the news events and their significance to computing. Devote 15-20 minutes to this activity. The collaborative groups are designed to function outside of the classroom. Collaborative group activities will be reinforced inside the class during the lessons. Student groups are encouraged to function cohesively and to participate in class activities. Devote 30-45 minutes of each class period to collaborative group activities.

Students are strongly encouraged to download posted lessons from Blackboard, review them, and should be able to ask intelligent questions about the material in these lessons.

Every effort will be made to present each lesson using the storytelling format supported with subsequent discussion and elaboration on the central points of the lesson.

The key elements of a story are the following: causality, conflict, complication, and character.

The following excerpts about collaborative learning are from research documents:

· In the university environment, educational success and social adjustments depend primarily on the availability and effectiveness of developmental academic support systems.

· Most organized learning occurs in some kind of group group characteristics and group processes significantly contribute to success or failure in the classroom and directly effect the quality and quantity of learning within the group.

· Group work invariably produces tensions that are normally absent, unnoticed, or suppressed in traditional classes. Students bring with them a variety of personality types, cognitive styles, expectations about their own role in the classroom and their relationship to the teacher, peers, and the subject matter of the course.

· Collaborative learning involves both management and decision-making skills to choose among competing needs. The problems encountered with collaboration have management, political, competence, and ethical dimensions

· The two key underlying principles of the collaborative pedagogy are that active student involvement is a more powerful learning tool than the passive attendance and that students working in groups can make for more effective learning than students acting alone. The Favorable outcomes of collaborative learning include greater conceptual understanding, a heightened ability to apply concepts, and improved attendance. Moreover, students become responsible for their own learning is likely to increase their skills for coping with ambiguity, uncertainty, and continuous change, all of which are characteristics of contemporary organizations.

Who creates a new activity in the face of risk and uncertainty for the purpose of achieving success and growth by identifying opportunities and putting together the required resources to benefit from them?

Creativity is the ability to develop new ideas and to discover new ways of looking at problems and opportunities

Innovation is the ability to apply creative solutions to those problems and opportunities to enhance or to enrich people’s lives.

Each group may be viewed as a small business that is seeking creative and innovative ways to maximize its product, academic outcome or average group grade. A satisfactory product is the break-even group average grade of 85%. Groups getting average grades above 85% are like profitable enterprises.

Pace University

Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems

Academic Information and Policies

(http://www.pace.edu/seidenberg/seidenberg-current-students/academic-information-and-policies)

Policy on Student Class Behavior

Learning in a class is the responsibility of the student. The student must attend class, complete assignments, take tests, and seek help when needed. It is the job of the professor to guide the learning process through lectures, assignments, and evaluation of student work. But learning cannot occur without the active participation of the student both in and outside of class. In class, students are expected to talk and participate when it is appropriate to do so and to be respectful to faculty and fellow students, when they are speaking or working. In addition, students are expected to turn off their cell phones and beepers prior to the start of the class.

Students who disrupt class or who prevent others from participating in classroom activities may be subject to removal from class and other University disciplinary action.

Procedure for Students with Disabilities Who Wish to Obtain Accommodations for a Course

Students with disabilities who wish to obtain an accommodation or auxiliary aid for a course or program at the University, must contact the University’s Counseling/Personal Development Office. In New York, call x11526. In Pleasantville and White Plains, call x33710. Trained professional counselors will:

Evaluate a student's medical documentation; conduct appropriate tests or refer the student for same; make recommendations for a plan of accommodation; and contact professors and pertinent administrators (with the student’s permission) to arrange for the recommended accommodations.

Professors are not authorized to provide accommodations or aids prior to a student’s arranging for same through the Counseling/Personal Development Center. Professors are not authorized to contact the Counseling/Personal Development Center on a student’s behalf. Students must contact the Counseling/Personal Development Center directly in order for the University to be placed on notice of a request for accommodation. In order to insure that the Counseling/Personal Center has sufficient time to process student requests, students should contact the Center at the earliest possible time, in advance of the need for the accommodation, preferably before the semester begins. For more information consult the Counseling Services Web site.

Following this procedure will ensure timely and efficient handling of requests for accommodation or auxiliary aids.

Procedure for Students Who will be Absent for an Extended Time

Students who are ill or will be out for an extended amount of time are responsible for contacting each of their professors and for making up all work that is missed.  Students are also urged to notify the Dean's Office of all extended absences.

Policy for Incomplete Work and Receiving a Grade of “I”

Students are responsible for completing and submitting all course work by the deadlines indicated by the instructor. It is at the discretion of the instructor to assign a grade of “I” to a student who, for documented reasons, cannot complete the required course work prior to the end of the term. The instructor determines the amount of time allotted to complete the course work, up to a maximum of six weeks. 

It should be noted that receiving a grade of “I” might affect a student’s financial aid package and/or graduation status.

Policy Regarding Academic Integrity of the School of CSIS

1. Definition.

Students must accept the responsibility to be honest and to respect ethical standards in meeting their academic requirements. Integrity in the academic life requires that students demonstrate intellectual and academic achievement independent of all assistance except that authorized by the instructor. The following constitute academic dishonesty. The list is not necessarily inclusive.

a. Exams

i. Copying from another student's exam.

ii. Deliberately allowing other students to see and copy from your exam.

iii. Using notes or calculators without permission from the professor or proctor.

iv. Passing notes or calculators to other students without permission.

b. Papers and projects

i. Using others’ writing without proper reference.

ii. Copying code or work from other students outside a team environment. This could be either from printouts and notes or from electronic media. This includes copying the structure of a program while changing cosmetic details such as identifiers and comments.

iii. Deliberately allowing other students to copy your code or work, again either from printouts, notes or from electronic media. (This does not preclude a student “helping” another on a project as long as it is limited to giving information/hints and not code/solutions.)

iv. Submitting a paper, program, or project that was done by someone else.

v. Collaboration with one or more other students without the prior permission of the instructor.

2. Consequences.

The following consequences will be affected:

a. The first student offense may result, at the discretion of the instructor, in penalties including a zero on the offending course work or an F for the offending course.

b. The second student offense in any course may result in an F for the offending course.

c. The third student offense in any course may result in dismissal from the University.

d. The Dean's office shall keep a student record of all student offenses occurring in courses offered by the School of CSIS including the first offense. This record will be destroyed when the student graduates from the University. The record will be associated with the student and not with any particular course.

3. Procedures for determining an offense.

The following procedures will be used:

a. If the student admits to the offense, the appropriate penalty shall be enforced.

b. If the student contests the charge, the Chair of the department in which the course was offered will make a decision as to the facts of the case. If the professor is also the Chair, this step could be skipped.

c. If the student disagrees with the Chair's decision, he or she may request a hearing from the Undergraduate or Graduate Scholastic Standing Committee, depending upon the student's status. The Committee shall make a recommendation to the Dean concerning the facts of the case.

d. Both the professor and the student may submit to the Committee relevant information in writing. The professor and/or the student also may appear before the committee, but usually not concurrently. No others may attend the Committee hearing, but the Committee may also consider the written statement of witnesses and other concerned persons.

e. The decision of the Dean shall be final.

f. A confirmed student offense shall be entered into the student’s record in the Dean’s office.

The university disabilities statement:

Procedure for students with disabilities who wish to obtain reasonable accommodations for a course:

The University's commitment to equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities includes providing reasonable accommodations for the needs of students with disabilities. To request an a reasonable accommodation for a qualified disability a student with a disability must self-identify and register with the Office of Disability Services for his or her campus. No one, including faculty, is authorized to evaluate the need for or grant a request for an accommodation except the Office of Disability Services. Moreover, no one, including faculty, is authorized to contact the Office of Disability Services on behalf of a student. For further information, please see Resources for Students with Disabilities at www.pace.edu/counseling/resources-and-support-services-for-students-with-disabilities.