This is an equalization course offered at the master students of Telecommunications Engineering for filling gaps in their background on  communications networks. The goal of the course is to teach students the basic concepts for understanding, modelling, and analyzing computer communications networks and the Internet. Moreover, the course provides the students with the instrument for understanding common applications based on data exchange between remote hosts.

Lectures provide some highlights of the main course topics and it is expected that the students go more in depth in studying the teaching material and books suggested according to the guidelines provided. Exercises will be proposed during the course on all topics.

1. Knowledge and understanding

Students will learn how to:

- Identify the main components of the Internet infrastructure and understand a network protocol

- Describe a computer network system in terms of functions and relations between network layers

- Describe the information transfer modes in terms of packet switching, circuit switching, datagram and virtual circuits

- Understand the main known algorithms for routing, flow and congestion control, error recovery

- Use some basic tools to analyze Internet traffic and simulate a computer network

2. Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will be able to:

- Model packet switching networks so to analyze simple transfer of packets through simple networks, to calculate and predict paths and arrival and transfer times

- Understand how remote applications exchange data across the Internet exploiting the transport protocols

- Use a layered approach to analyze and design a system

- Understand simple configuration and management operations of basic equipment, such as routers, switches and hosts

- Configure IP addressing schemes of public and private networks

3. Making judgement

Students will be able to:

- Appreciate the importance of the layered approach in network design and standardization

- Identify the most critical parameters for the correct operation of net applications, according to their quality-of-service requirements

- Understand the relations between service providers and network operators and the main players of the Internet economy

4. Communication

Students will learn to:

- Write and describe basic network technologies at different levels of detail, also by comparing them with respect to specific aspects

- Master the main representations techniques (time diagrams, flow charts, etc.) used to analyze networks

- Present ideas and topics to their colleagues, so to work in groups to the solution of exercises and application examples during the course

Main topics

• Basics of communication networks
• Functional and layered models (services, protocols, primitives, TCP/IP model)
• Application layer (examples of application protocols)
• Transport layer (socket interface, UDP and TCP, flow and congestion control)
• Network layer (Network function and routing, addressing, forwarding, IP, ARP, routing protocols)
• Link layer (framing, error control and ARQ, flow control, link layer protocols, Ethernet, bridging)

Exercises will be presented for all the topics. For selected topics, some software tools for analysis and simulation will be presented during lectures in short lab sessions. It is expected that students will make more experience about the use of the tools at home.

No specific prerequisites are needed for this course

The assessment is based on a written exam at the end of the course, comprising both practical exercises (2-3) and theoretical open questions (2-3) on all covered topics.

The active participation to the course (both lectures and exercise sessions) will be rewarded in the final score with extra points (up to 3).

30 cum laude will be assigned when the total score is greater or equal to 31.5.

Students may be asked for an additional oral exam at the discretion of the teacher in exceptional cases.