Required Readings

Week 1: Introduction to Networking & Decimal, Binary, Octal and Hexadecimal numbers

Quiz Date: September 28

Topics

• Read Introduction to Networking (take note of any terms you aren't familiar with and ask about them on the forum)
• Watch the Kahn Academy video on Binary Numbers
• Read the Learning About Computers Binary Tutorial (which also covers Hexadecimal)
• Use Kerry Veenstra's dynamic page on Binary and Hex to play around with Binary
• Read about Decimal, Binary, Octal, and Hexadecimal in the TCP guide.
• Read about Boolean and Logical Functions in the TCP guide.
• Watch Vi Hart's Binary Hand Dance (optional, but your instructor finds it charming)

Action Items

• Familiarize yourself with the TCP/IP guide and how to navigate it.
• Post your name, a short introduction to yourself, and your favorite website to our forum.
• Become comfortable with Binary and Hexadecimal and check your understanding here (Binary), here (Hex), and here (Bitwise AND).
• Lab 1 will help you with Binary, Hex, and Bitwise ANDs. Due Midnight, Monday, Sept 26.
• Start creating your Google Site.  You can have it readable by all, or by only the Instructor and TAs of this course.  If you have other Google Sites, feel free to reference them.  Due Monday, Oct 3.

Week 2: Physical Layer

Quiz Date: October 5

Topics

• Wikipedia on Quantization, 
• Wikipedia on Sampling,  and 
• Wikipedia on Nyquists's Theorem (everything past the first two paragraphs on Nyquist's Theorem is too advanced for this class's subject matter).
• Optional: DCN - Error Detection & Correction

Action Items ( due monday at midnight)

• Lab 2 will help you with tunderstanding quantization.
• Lab 3 will help you with understanding Parity Bits.
• Make sure your website is viewable by both TAs and your instructor.

 

Week 3: Data Link Layer

Quiz Date: October 12

Topics

•  Our book still doesn't have that much on things at the low level, so we will continue to rely on lecture and Wikipedia. 
• The Open System Interconnection (OSI) Referene Model>OSI Reference Model Layers>Data Link Layer(Layer 2)
• Wikipedia on Ethernet
• Pay particular attention to the section on Carrier \ Sense Multiple Access Collision Control
• Also  Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Avoidance
• Wikipedia on Cell carrier channel access methods

Action Items

• Lab 4 will help you understand LANs, MAC addresses, and Ethernet  (Due Midnight Monday Oct 10)

Week 4: More Data Link Layer

Quiz Date: October 21 (friday)

Topics

•  Our book still doesn't have that much on things at the low level, so we will continue to rely on lecture and Wikipedia. 
• The Open System Interconnection (OSI) Referene Model>OSI Reference Model Layers>Data Link Layer(Layer 2)
• Wikipedia on Ethernet
• Pay particular attention to the section on Carrier \ Sense Multiple Access Collision Control
• Also  Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Avoidance
• Wikipedia on Cell carrier channel access methods

Action Items (Due Monday, October 17 at 11:59pm)

• Lab 5 will help you understand wireless LANS and Lab 6 will help you understand Collison Domains 

Week 5,6: Internet Layer

Quiz Date: October 29 and November 2

Topics

Our book becomes useful around now, but it has far more nuts and bolts than we need to worry about. 

• IP Overview from our text
• IPv4, IP addressing, IP Datagram Encapsulation
• Wikipedia on IP and Wikipedia on IP addresses
• Tutorial on subnet addresses and IP ranges without Binary
• Routing Protocols (I suggest paying the most attention to BGP). 
• Wikipedia on BGP,  Wikipedia on Packet Forwarding

Action Items (Due Monday, Oct 24 at 11:59 pm)

• Lab 7 will help you understand IP addresses  (some of it is way too advanced for this part of the course.  Try it anyway.)

• No new lab for week 6.

Week 7,8: TCP

Quiz Dates: Nov 9, 16

 TCP:

• Every subsection in the TCP and UDP Protocols section is pertinent.
• Wikipedia on TCP, Wikipedia on UDP, Wikipedia on Ports
• Host Tables and DNS (Domain Name System)

Action Items

• Lab 8 will help you understand IP addresses (Due Nov 7)

• Lab 9 will help you understand more deeply (Due Nov 14)

Week 9: Encryption and Security

Quiz Date: Nov 21

 Encryption and Security:

• Your deleted Facebook pictures aren't really deleted
• Gizmodo on Secure Google Searche
• Gizmodo on protecting yourself online
• The Daily What on Click-Jacking
• Gnu on PGP
• Your ISP will begin policing you soon

 

Action Items

• Lab 10 will help you understand more deeply (Due Nov 21)