IT 360: Introduction to Data Communication and Networking

IT 360: Introduction to Data Communication and Networking

Contents

• Catalog Description
• Prerequisites
• Schedule
• Detailed Description
• Topics
• Objectives
• Textbook

Catalog Description

This course covers basic concepts related to data communication and networking. Topics addressed will include the OSI model, the Internet model, network management, network protocols and data security.

Prerequisites

• IT 210(4) Fundamentals of Programming (or ISYS 210)

This course (IT 350) is a prerequisite for the following IT course(s):

• IT 460: Network and Security Protocols

Schedule

This course is normally scheduled every fall and spring semester.

Detailed Description

(under construction...)

Topics

The following content areas will be covered.

1. Introductory concepts
2. Socket programming
3. Physical layer and data transmission concepts
4. Data layer concepts
5. Network layer concepts
6. Transport layer concepts
7. Application layer concepts

Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to

• know about TCP and OSI reference models and the networking terminology
• know about the various network topologies and their impact on cost, performance and security
• have general knowledge of TCP and UDP sockets and their programming APIs
• implement an application-layer protocol simulator or protocol communicator
• identify physical layer characteristics given some data and security constraints
• understand the advantages and disadvantages of analog and digital communications
• understand FDM, TDM and WDM multiplexing
• compute transmission speeds and quality requirements (amount of error detection power required for a given medium and quality level)
• perform framing based on characters (BSC) and bits (HDLC)
• perform error detection using LRC, VRC, and CRC
• perform error correction using hamming code
• understand and simulate medium access control protocols (CSMA /CD /CA)
• perform flow control using stop-and-wait, go-back-n, and sliding window protocols
• program an error detection/correction software application
• understand routing concepts of host-to-host delivery, internetworking, addressing, ARP, ICMP, IPv4 and IPv6
• understand and simulate routing protocols (DVR and LSR)
• understand the network-layer needs for security and the available options and costs
• understand process-to-process delivery using UDP and TCP, congestion control techniques and quality of service requirements
• program a socket-based software application using UDP and TCP
• understand HTTP, DNS, SMTP, FTP, multimedia streaming, VoIP, digital signatures, internet security protocols, PGP, VPNs, firewalls
• understand the symmetric-key cryptography and public-key cryptography
• perform encryption and decryption using symmetric keys (traditional ciphers)
• program a software application implementing an encryption/decryption algorithm

Textbook

Final textbook choice is determined by the instructor.