EECE 4371/5371: Mobile and Wireless Networks

Instructor:
John Beck - john.beck@vanderbilt.edu
Office location: FGH 314
Office hours: TR 5:30-6:30pm

Teaching Assistant:
Maria Gorchichko - mariia.gorchichko@vanderbilt.edu
Office location: Stevenson 5626 (Stevenson Center 5, 6th floor)
Office hours: Mon, 12:30-2:30; Wed, 11:30 - 1:30 - starting September 9.

Textbooks:
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach​, Kurose and Ross, 7th Edition
TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols​, Fall and Stevens, 2nd Edition
Computer Networking: Principles Protocols and Practice​, http://cnp3bis.info.ucl.ac.be

Course Objectives:
This course provides an overview of the field of voice/data local-and wide-area networks (LANs
and WANs), as well as next-generation converged networking techniques. The proliferation of
distributed computing applications through networking services (such as cable modems, xDSL,
WIFI/WiMAX, LTE, and ad-hoc mobile networks) makes knowledge of the underlying protocols
and theories of these networking technologies essential. Moreover, by developing a concrete
understanding of networking architectures, protocol design, and converged networks, students
will have the requisite background to make critical design and implementation decisions for
hardware and software communication through LANs and WANs.

The EECE 4371/5371 course will focus on the key concepts associated with LANs and WANs. It
will first introduce students to transmission fundamentals and protocol architectures associated
with LAN and WAN technology, such as techniques for flow control, time synchronization,
multiplexing, and congestion control. This subject matter will be followed by a study of widely
used asynchronous and synchronous networking architectures, such as ATM and SONET. The
emphasis of the course will be on ISO OSI reference model and its relationship to traditional
and next-generation convergent LAN/WAN technologies and applications.

The EECE 4371/5371 course will be a projects course that will provide students with in-depth
opportunities to implement applications and services based upon the concepts covered in EECE
4371/5371. Course assignments will involve network programming in Java, smartphone/tablet
application development using Google Android devices, network protocol design and class
presentations.

Class Schedule:​ TR 4:00 - 5:15pm FGH110

Overview of Topics:
• Taxonomy of Communication Networks
• Packet Switched and Circuit Switched Networks
• Synchronous, Time, and Frequency Division Multiplexing
• Socket Programming
• Performance Metrics
• Protocol Architectures
• The Internet Protocol
• Addressing (IP) and Naming (DNS)
• Transport Layer, TCP
• Flow Control and Congestion Control
• HTTP and the World Wide Web
• Link Layer, Encoding and Modulation, Framing
• Ethernet
• Wireless Transmission
• Wireless MAC Protocols
• Routing
• Quality of Service
• Voice over IP, SIP
• Firewalls, Security
• Network Packet Analysis (Wireshark)
• Android programming

Grading:
There will be 5 graded quizzes throughout the course. The quizzes will largely be based on
material presented in class. It is therefore essential that you attend class in order to prepare for
the quizzes. There will be no 'makeup' quizzes unless you receive permission from me before
the quiz.

There will be no midterm or final exam.

Weighting:
• 50% Quizzes
• 30% Assignments and in-class design problems
• 20% Class project

Note that I reserve the right to change the weights during the course of the semester.

EECE 4371/5371 Class Outline:

The general outline of the course is below. Adjustments to the topics and scheduling may be
made depending on class interest and time.
1 22 Aug Th Introduction, Overview, Challenges

2 27 Aug T Networks and Protocols: a Taxonomy of Communication

Networks, Multiplexing

3 29 Aug Th Socket programming: UDP and TCP in Java

4 3 Sep T Android primer

5 5 Sep Th Performance: Metrics, Evaluation techniques

6 10 Sep T Network Architecture: OSI Model, IP Suite

7 12 Sep Th Android: small application

8 17 Sep T The Internet Protocol, IP Addressing, Network Address Quiz

Translation

9 19 Sep Th Java/Android: network programming

10 24 Sep T IP Forwarding, Routing, Android: network programming

cont'd, multithreading

11 26 Sep Th Transport Layer, TCP Protocol

12 1 Oct T Domain Name Service, DNS protocol Quiz

13 3 Oct Th The World Wide Web, HTTP protocol

14 8 Oct T The Link Layer, Framing, MAC

15 10 Oct Th Ethernet, CSMA/CD, Hubs, Bridges, Switches, Routers

16 15 Oct T Hands-on Quiz

17 17 Oct Th Wireless, TDMA, CSMA/CA, OFDM, low-power MACs

18 22 Oct T Hands-on

19 24 Oct Th Fall Break, no class

20 29 Oct T Bootstrapping, ARP, DHCP, ICMP

21 31 Oct Th Hands-on

22 5 Nov T Flow control, Congestion control, Interdomain Routing

Protocol (BGP)

23 7 Nov Th 5G Networks
24 12 Nov T TCP revisited, Handshaking, Reliability, Congestion Quiz
detection

25 14 Nov Th Hands-on

26 19 Nov T Security, Symmetric cryptography, Public key

cryptography, Attacks, QoS, ATM

27 21 Nov Th Firewalls, Wireshark, Hands-on Quiz

26 Nov T Thanksgiving Break, no class

28 Nov Th Thanksgiving Break, no class

28 3 Dec T Project demos

29 5 Dec Th Project demos