BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI
WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING PROGRAMMES DIVISION
SECOND SEMESTER 2013- 2014
COURSE HANDOUT
Course No. : CS ZG525
Course Title : Advanced Computer Networks
Instructor : Virendra Singh Shekhawat (vsshekhawat@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in)
Course Description
This is a graduate level course on computer networking and assumes a student has a basic
familiarity with networking concepts. We will discuss around 25 research papers on various aspects
of computer networking. This course will introduce students to the basic design principles on which
today's networks are based along with the current and emerging research topics in computer
networking. In addition, this course will cover some recent proposals to improve network
performance, functionality and scalability. The emphasis of the course is on topics in wide-area
networks and measurement methodologies for Internet experiments. The tentative list of topics to be
covered are: Internet Architecture & Principles, Congestion/flow control, Traffic Engineering and
traffic analysis, network measurements, Inter & Intra domain routing principles and design
challenges, Multicast, Overlay networks (P2P), Wireless networks, Content Distribution Networks
(CDN), Software Defined Networks (SDNs) and Cloud & Data Center Networks.
Scope and Objectives
To understand the state of the art in network protocols, network architecture, and networked systems.
To develop a strong understanding of the core concepts of computer networks
To understand how to engage in networking research
Prescribed Text Book
There is no prescribed text book for this course. The course contents mainly covered through
research papers. The download links for these research papers have been provided in the Plan of
Study section of this handout.
Note: Students can consider referring either of the following reference books for the fundamental
concepts of computer networks.
Reference Books
[R1] Kurose James F and Keith W. Ross: Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the
Internet, Pearson Education, 5th Edition, 2012.
[R2] L. Peterson and B. Davie, Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, Fourth Edition, Elsevier, 2007
[R3] Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, Fourth Edition, Pearson Education, 2006.
CS ZG525 (Course Handout) Second Semester 2013-2014 Page 2
The course topics are categorized under four modules:
Module Topics Learning Objectives
No.
Internet History & IP Architecture: To understand the Internet Design Philosophy.
Overview of network building blocks, Pitfalls in existing design and future Internet
M1 Network architecture, layers and protocols, design proposals.
Internet design: Challenges and Solutions
Resource Management: Congestion control To understand the network congestion problem
principles, Hop-by-hop vs. End-to-end and how it is handled so far. Limitations with
congestion control, Explicit vs. Implicit existing solutions and probable solutions.
M2 Feedback, Fair Queuing, Flow control, TCP
variants (Tahoe, Reno, Vegas, New-Reno,
SACK), TCP performance challenges and
improvement for Wireless Networks
Internetworking: Design Principles, IP To understand the interconnection of different
Design, Intra domain Routing (RIP, OSPF), networks and protocols involved. The focus will
Inter-domain Routing (BGP), Adaptive be on the control and management related issues.
M3 Routing, Multipath and QoS Routing, Issues with current systems and their solutions.
Multicast Routing, Multi Protocol Label
Switching (MPLS) and Generalized-MPLS
Network Applications & Emerging Topics To understand the service specific networks and
in Networks: Overlay Networks, P2P their characteristics, challenges and solutions
Networks, Content Distribution Networks,
M4 Data Center Networks, Software Defined
Networks (SDNs)
Plan of Self Study
S. No. Topics Reading List with Reference
M1: Internet History & IP Architecture
1 Internet Architecture and The Design Philosophy of The DARPA Internet
Functionalities Protocols: ccr.sigcomm.org/archive/1995/jan95/ccr-9501-
clark.pdf
A Brief History of the Internet:
sigcomm.org/sites/default/files/ccr/papers/.../1629607-
1629613.pdf
2 Trade-off for functionality End-to-End Argument in System Design:
implementation (like recovery web.mit.edu/Saltzer/www/publications/endtoend/endtoend
from crashes, security, .pdf
reliability etc.) at lower layers
vs. higher layers
3 Next generation Internet design Tussle in Cyberspace: Defining Tomorrow’s Internet:
and challenges. Future Internet groups.csail.mit.edu/ana/Publications/PubPDFs/Tussle20
design projects: Named Data 02.pdf
Networks (NDN) A Survey of the Research on Future Internet
Architectures:
www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/papers/ftp/internet.pdf
NDN Project Technical Report:
named-data.net/wp-content/uploads/TR001ndn-proj.pdf
CS ZG525 (Course Handout) Second Semester 2013-2014 Page 3
S. No. Topics Reading List with Reference
M2: Resource Management
4-5 Congestion Control Principles, Congestion Avoidance and Control:
TCP Congestion Control www.ee.lbl.gov/papers/congavoid.pdf
Models Analysis of Increase and Decrease Algorithms for
Congestion Avoidance in Computer Networks:
www.cs.columbia.edu/~danr/courses/6761/Summer03/wee
k4/aimd.pdf
6 Network Assisted Congestion Analysis and Simulation of a Fair Queueing
Control: Fair Queuing (FQ) & Algorithm:cseweb.ucsd.edu/classes/wi01/cse222/papers/d
Core State less Fair Queuing emers-fq-ire90.pdf
(CSFQ) Core-Stateless Fair Queueing:- Achieving Approximately
Fair Bandwidth Allocations in High Speed Networks:
www.cs.berkeley.edu/~istoica/papers/csfq-sig98.pdf
7 Random Early Detection Random Early Detection Gateways for Congestion
(RED), Explicit Congestion Avoidance:www.icir.org/floyd/papers/early.twocolumn.pd
Control Protocol (XCP) f
Congestion Control for High Bandwidth-Delay Product
Networks:http://www.cs.toronto.edu/syslab/courses/csc22
09/06au/papers/xcp.pdf
8 TCP Performance and Wireless A Comparison of Mechanisms for Improving TCP
Links Performance over Wireless Links:
daedalus.cs.berkeley.edu/publications/sigcomm96.pdf
Understanding TCP fairness over Wireless LAN:
research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/ramjee/papers/tc
pfair03.pdf
9 Review Session
Syllabus for Mid-Semester Test (Closed Book): Topics in S. No. 1 to 9
M3: Internetworking
10 Limitations of Traditional IP Traffic Engineering with Traditional IP Routing
Routing Protocols and Traffic Protocols:www.cs.princeton.edu/~jrex/papers/ieeecomm0
Engineering (TE) Requirements 2.pdf
for ISPs, TE and MPLS Traffic Engineering with MPLS in the Internet by Xipeng
Xiao:
http://homes.cs.washington.edu/~arvind/cs425/doc/traffic-
mpls.pdf
11 Inter-domain Routing and Some Foundational Problems in Inter-domain Routing:
Policy based Routing, BGP nms.csail.mit.edu/papers/camera.pdf
protocol fundamentals and BGP Routing Policies in ISP Networks:
challenges www.cs.princeton.edu/~jrex/papers/policies.pdf
Some Fundamental Problems in Inter domain Routing
[Nick Feamster]
Understanding BGP Mis-configuration:
conferences.sigcomm.org/sigcomm/2002/papers/bgpmisco
nfig.pdf
12 Multicast Routing Protocols, A Reliable Multicast Framework for Light-weight
Framework for Scalable Sessions and Application Level Framing:
Multicast Routing ee.lbl.gov/papers/srm_ton.pdf
13 Application Level Multicasting Scalable Application Layer Multicast:
(ALM) Protocol Design pages.cs.wisc.edu/~suman/pubs/sigcomm02.pdf
Criterion
S. No. Topics Reading List with Reference
M4: Network Applications & Emerging Topics in Networks
14 Overlay Networks: Advantages Resilient Overlay Networks: nms.lcs.mit.edu/papers/ron-
and Challenges, Routing sosp2001.pdf
Overlay: Resilient Overlay
Networks (RON)
15 Lookup Problem in P2P Chord: A Scalable Peer-to-peer Lookup Service for
Networks, Scalable P2P Lookup Internet Applications:
Service for Internet pdos.csail.mit.edu/papers/chord:sigcomm01/chord_sigco
Applications: Chord Protocol mm.pdf
16 Content Distribution Networks, A Taxonomy and Survey of Content Delivery Networks:
Data Center Network www.cloudbus.org/reports/CDN-Taxonomy.pdf
A Scalable and Flexible Data Center Network:
research.microsoft.com/pubs/80693/vl2-sigcomm09-
final.pdf
17 Software Defined Networks Composing Software-Defined Networks:
(SDNs) Architecture, frenetic-lang.org/publications/composing-nsdi13.pdf
Communication layer between Open Flow:- Enabling Innovation in Campus Networks:
Forwarding and Control layer of ccr.sigcomm.org/online/files/p69-v38n2n-mckeown.pdf
SDN Architecture: Open-Flow
Protocol
18 Review Session
Syllabus for Comprehensive Exam (Open Book): All topics given in Plan of Self Study
Evaluation Scheme:
EC No. Evaluation Component Duration Weigh- Day, Date, Session,Time
& tage
Type of Examination
EC-1 Assignment/Quiz ** Details to be announced on 15% ** Details to be announced on
LMS Taxila website by LMS Taxila website by
Instructor Instructor
EC-2 Mid-Semester Test 2 Hours 35% Sunday, 16/02/2014 (AN)*
(Closed Book)* 2 PM – 4 PM
EC-3 Comprehensive Exam 3 Hours 50% Sunday, 06/04/2014 (AN)*
(Open Book)* 2 PM – 5 PM
** Please check the details by January 10, 2014 on LMS Taxila web site.
AN: AfterNoon Session; FN: ForeNoon Session
Closed Book Test: No reference material of any kind will be permitted inside the exam hall.
Open Book Exam: Use of any printed / written reference material (books and notebooks) will be permitted inside the exam hall.
Loose sheets of paper will not be permitted. Computers of any kind will not be allowed inside the exam hall. Use of calculators will
be allowed in all exams. No exchange of any material will be allowed.
Note:
It shall be the responsibility of the individual student to be regular in maintaining the self study schedule as given in the course
handout, attend the online/on demand lectures as per details that would be put up in the BITS LMS Taxila website www.taxila.bits-
pilani.ac.in and take all the prescribed components of the evaluation such as Assignment (Course Page on LMS Taxila), Mid
Semester Test and Comprehensive Examination according to the Evaluation Scheme given in the respective Course Handout. If the
student is unable to appear for the Regular Test/Examination due to genuine exigencies, the student must refer to the procedure for
applying for Make-up Test/Examination, which will be available through the Important Information link on the BITS LMS Taxila
website www.taxila.bits-pilani.ac.in on the date of the Regular Test/Examination. The Make-up Tests/Exams will be conducted only
at selected exam centres on the dates to be announced later.
Instructor-in-Charge
