CSE 222a: Computer Communication Networks Syllabus

Textbooks

(Optional) Practical TCP/IP Sockets in C, 2nd ed., by Donahoo and Calvert. This book provides a practical, hands-on guide for network programming in C and C++, and is an invaluable reference. An online companion site for the book is available at the book's website.
(Required) The Datacenter as a Computer: An Introduction to the Design of Warehouse-Scale Machines, 2nd ed., by Barroso, Clidaras, and Hölzle. This is a very interesting book that describes how the data centers at Google are designed, built, and operated. A physical copy of this book is available at the bookstore, however you can also read this book for for free online.
(Required) Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, 5th ed., by Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie. The 4th edition of the book is likely to work fine, and so if you have that you should not need to buy the 5th edition. Available at the UCSD bookstore, or Amazon.

Grading

50% Project
40% Quizes (in-class or take-home)
10% Class participation

The major portion of this course will consist of a term research project, carried out in teams of three or four, culminated by a paper and poster session. I will provide a number of ideas that can serve as a starting point for many projects. Students can also work with the TAs to define a separate project in an area related to the course. The project will make up the bulk of the course. Students will spend the first part of the course defining the project and researching related work. The actual work on the project will be completed in the last six weeks of the course.

Schedule

Also available as an ical file that you can subscribe to.

Date	Topics	Notes	Readings
Part 1: Review: Packet-switched networks
Thu 09/24	Class overview and introduction [pdf]
Tue 09/29	Layering and end-to-end [pdf]		P&D Chapters 1-2, SRC84
Thu 10/01	Packet forwarding [pdf]		P&D Chapter 3, CK74
Tue 10/06	Routing [pdf]		P&D Chapter 4, Pax97
Part 2: Software defined networking
Thu 10/08	Active and overlay networks [pdf]	Project groups due	We98
Tue 10/13	Software defined networking [pdf]	Project ideas due	KC+10
Thu 10/15	P4: Programming the network data plane [pdf]		BD+14, Tutorial
Part 3: Data center networks
Tue 10/20	Data center networks [pdf]		ALV08
Thu 10/22	Data center experiences [pdf]	Project proposals due	SO+15
Tue 10/27	L2 in the data center [pdf]	Other helpful slides are located here	MP+09
Thu 10/29	Hybrid networks [pdf]		FP+10
Part 4: Wide-area networks
Tue 11/03	US long-haul fiber optics [pdf]	Project checkpoint	DB+15
Thu 11/05	Alternative routing mechanisms [pdf]		GG+09
Tue 11/10	Wide-area traffic engineering		JK+13
Thu 11/12	Wide-area security		LL+15
Part 5: Congestion control
Tue 11/17	Hotnets 2015	Class cancelled
Thu 11/19	Congestion control [pdf]		DM05
Tue 11/24	Data center TCP [pdf]	Project checkpoint	AG+10
Thu 11/26	Thanksgiving	University holiday
Tue 12/01	Multi-path TCP [pdf]	PDF/PPTX draft of your poster due	WR+11
Thu 12/03	Optional in-class project workshop
Tue 12/08	Project poster session	8am until 11am, location CSE 1202; project write-up due