SCHOOL

ENGINEERING

ACADEMIC UNIT

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

LEVEL OF STUDIES

UNDERGRADUATE

COURSE CODE

ECE_Υ424

SEMESTER

4

COURSE TITLE

Communication Networks

INDEPENDENT TEACHING ACTIVITIES
if credits are awarded for separate components of the course, e.g. lectures, laboratory exercises, etc. If the credits are awarded for the whole of the course, give the weekly teaching hours and the total credits

WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS

CREDITS

Lectures

2

Seminars

1

Laboratory

1

Add rows if necessary. The organisation of teaching and the teaching methods used are described in detail at (d).

TOTAL 4

5

COURSE TYPE

general background,
special background, specialised general knowledge, skills development

Background to Computer Communication Networks.

Basic course in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The students can develop various skills.

PREREQUISITE COURSES:

Knowledge of the COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (5th semester) are required.

(However, all the required concepts are explained in the classroom.)

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION and EXAMINATIONS:

Greek.

IS THE COURSE OFFERED TO ERASMUS STUDENTS

Yes, it is offered as a "reading course" based on English.

Students of the Erasmus program are examined in English.

COURSE WEBSITE (URL)

https://eclass.upatras.gr/courses/EE604/

Learning outcomes

The course learning outcomes, specific knowledge, skills and competences of an appropriate level, which the students will acquire with the successful completion of the course are described.

Consult Appendix A

·    Description of the level of learning outcomes for each qualifications cycle, according to the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area

·    Descriptors for Levels 6, 7 & 8 of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and Appendix B

·    Guidelines for writing Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course the student should:

• know the basic principles of computer communication networks and especially of Internet (TCP / IP protocols).

• have deeply understood the philosophy of the layers (protocol layer stack).

• know the basic purpose of each layer of the Internet and how it is achieved through protocols.

• be able to understand how a data packet is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver, and the various delay factors of packet transmission or packet loss.

• know how IP addresses are used in combination to MAC addresses (Ethernet).

·  understands the mechanism of TCP protocol for congestion control.

The student will develop skills in:

• handling IPv4 addresses.

• splitting a set of addresses into subnets.

• applying routing algorithms in order to determine the route of the packet from a transmitter to a receiver.

• interconnecting LAN's via Bridges – creation of a spanning tree.

General Competences

Taking into consideration the general competences that the degree-holder must acquire (as these appear in the Diploma Supplement and appear below), at which of the following does the course aim?

Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology

Adapting to new situations

Decision-making

Working independently

Team work

Working in an international environment

Working in an interdisciplinary environment

Production of new research ideas

Project planning and management

Respect for difference and multiculturalism

Respect for the natural environment

Showing social, professional and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues

Criticism and self-criticism

Production of free, creative and inductive thinking

……

Others……….

Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology.

Decision-making.

Working independently (numerical results are requested to be produced individually).

Team work (encouraging collaborations / exchanges of ideas).

Working in an international environment

Production of new research ideas

Criticism.

Production of free, creative and inductive thinking.

·      Introduction: Computer Networks and the Internet. What a Communication Protocol is. Protocol Layers Stack (Open Systems Interconnection – OSI). The protocol layers stack of the Internet. The Network Edge. The Network Core. Networks with Virtual Circuits and Datagrams. Delay and Loss in Packet-Switched Networks. Delay and Loss in Circuit-Switched Networks.

·      Elementary teletraffic theory

·      Application Layer (AL): Principles of AL Protocols. WEB – HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS.

·      Transport Layer (TL): The goal. The TL of the Internet. Basic multiplexing/de-multiplexing functions in TL. The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) (Segment structure, Checksum). Principles of Reliable Data Transfer. Stop & Wait protocol. Pipelining. The Transport Control Protocol (TCP). The TCP connection. Round-Trip time. Determination of the length of the "Sequence Numbers" field. Flow control. Congestion Control. Best Transmission Window Size.

·      Network Layer: The goal. The Service Model (Virtual Circuits – Datagrams). Routing. Centralized and distributed routing algorithms. Hierarchical Routing. The Internet Protocol (IP). IPv4 addresses. Subnets definition through subnet mask. Moving a Datagram from Source to Destination: Addressing, Routing and Forwarding. The ICMP Protocol. Routing in the Internet. Intra-Autonomous System Routing: RIP, OSPF. Inter-Autonomous System Routing: BGP. IPv6. Transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Inside a Router. Head of the Line Blocking. Virtual Output Queues. How a packet is routed from a sender to a recipient – relationships between IP and MAC address (Ethernet addresses).

·      Data Link Layer (DLL): The goal. The services. Broadcast channels and PPP. Adapters Communicating. Error Detection and Error Corrections Techniques. Medium Access Control protocols – Channel Partitioning Protocols: TDM, FDM,CDMA. – Random Access Protocols: CSMA, CSMA/CD (Ethernet) and CSMA/CA (WiFi). – Taking-Turns Protocols: Polling – Token Pass. The LAN as a DLL protocol. Devices for LAN interconnection – Hubs, Bridges and Switches (comparison with routers and Hosts). The Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1d) for interconnecting LAN's through Bridges.

·      LABORATORY EXCERCISES

o       Lab 1: Introduction to the Linux operating system

o       Lab 2: Files and folders administration in Linux.

o       Lab 3: Computer networks – Basic Network administration in Linux.

o       Lab 4: Network analysis using Wireshark.

o       Lab 5: Introduction to the OPNET network simulation program.

o       Lab 6: Local networks and switches. Simulation using OPNET.

DELIVERY
Face-to-face, Distance learning, etc.

Lectures (3 hours per week including 1 hour seminar) using the PowerPoint (slides from book 1) or, in the case of seminar, a chalk on the blackboard (or, marker on a whiteboard). The students are called to do homework, optionally.

Students who have learned the content of the slides (as they have been explained in the classroom), as well as the entire set of homework, are strong candidates for the best performance in the final exam (grade 10).

Note: Students attend the course while separating in two groups:

A) Students with an ODD registration number.

B) Students with an EVEN registration number.

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Use of ICT in teaching, laboratory education, communication with students

• Laboratory training is done through a computer, individually for each student.

• The course has been registered at the eclass (a distance learning system) as an Open Course.

TEACHING METHODS

The manner and methods of teaching are described in detail.

Lectures, seminars, laboratory practice, fieldwork, study and analysis of bibliography, tutorials, placements, clinical practice, art workshop, interactive teaching, educational visits, project, essay writing, artistic creativity, etc.

The student's study hours for each learning activity are given as well as the hours of non-directed study according to the principles of the ECTS

STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Description of the evaluation procedure

Language of evaluation, methods of evaluation, summative or conclusive, multiple choice questionnaires, short-answer questions, open-ended questions, problem solving, written work, essay/report, oral examination, public presentation, laboratory work, clinical examination of patient, art interpretation, other

Specifically-defined evaluation criteria are given, and if and where they are accessible to students.

Written examinations, including:

(optional) Progress Assessment Examination and Final Examination.

In order for the student to participate in the Final Examination, he/she must have successfully attended the laboratory of the course.

The grade is based on the formula:

Final Grade =

Max [(Progress × 30% + Final Examination × 70%), (Final Examination)].

Students who satisfactorily solve all homework assignments earn +0.5 in the Final Grade (after having succeeded the grade of 5.0).

- Suggested bibliography:

1) James Kurose, Keith Rose, "Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach", Pearson Education Inc. (7th edition), 2018.

2) Andrew S. Tanenbaum and David J. Wetherall, "Computer Networks", Prentice Hall (5th edition), 2011.

3) B. Forouzan,  "Computer Networks: A Top Down Approach", McGraw-Hill, 2012.