By the end of the course the students will be able to
- identify the end systems, switching devices, links and protocols
- state the fundamental architectural choices to structure the core of the computer networks and define and compare the circuit and packet switching approaches
- define the layered architectures, list the layers used in the ISO OSI Reference Model and the Internet Protocol Stack and explain the roles of each layer
- explain the basic services provided by computer networks, discuss the service requirements of a network application and define connection oriented and connectionless communication
- classify network applications and describe the client server and the peer to peer network application architectures
- develop network applications
- describe the basic error detection and correction mechanisms
- describe basic mechanisms used in reliable data transfer protocols
- describe the addressing mechanisms used in the Internet
- define and discriminate forwarding and routing in network core devices
- define, compare and contrast congestion control and flow control and explain the basic flow and congestion control mechanisms used in computer networks
- classify routing algorithms and describe link state and distance vector routing algorithms
- classify medium access control mechanisms and evaluate and discuss performances of the well-known medium access control protocols
- describe the organization and basic operation of an Ethernet network
- define and discriminate transmission, propagation, nodal processing and queuing delays
- explain the causes of packet losses in computer networks
- formulate delay, loss, throughput and utilization in packet switched networks
- explain the basic cryptography, confidentiality, integrity and authentication concepts
- describe the most widely used protocols in the Internet
- construct computer networks