ECE 671 Course Outline

Instructor: Prof. Aura Ganz
Office: Knowles Engineering Building 309F
Office Hours: T, Th, 2.30-3.30
email: ganz@tikva.ecs.umass.edu
Teaching Assistant: Jianxin Wang, jwang@tikva.ecs.umass.edu
Text: A. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks , Prentice Hall 3rd Edition. Recent publications will be used.

Course structure

In this course we will introduce a new remote learning internet based tool that will help students study and train in computer networks. The homeworks and projects in this course will be a basis for developing this novel tool. The homework assignments are worth a total of 30% of your grade. The students will have to make up questions and multiple choice answers on the topics provided in the assignment. The submission will be done by email in a specific format. There will be 2 programming assignments worth 10% of the final grade. The final project which will count as 20% of your grade, will cover a timely networking topic. We will begin by discussing your projects early in the semester. A presentation will be associated with the project worth 10% of the grade. The presentations will take place in the last two weeks of the semester. A set of questions similar to the homework assignments format will also be accompanied with the project. Detailed description of the project submission format will be provided. There will be two quizzes, worth 30% of your final grade.

You are to work in groups of two students on your final project.

The course will cover:
  1. Principles of layered protocol architectures

  2. Communication subnetwork design

  3. Transport Layer Protocols

  4. Implementations of network design principles in:


  5. Introduction to system simulation

  6. Introduction to Quality of Service and multimedia networks.