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COMN: COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKS (Spring 2012) - EXAMINABLE MATERIAL

Exam will have the typical format - you have to answer any two from three questions. You are allowed to use calculators for your exam, though not your own; ITO will hand you their calculators at the exam venue.

The intent of the exam is to test your understanding of fundamental networking concepts and techniques, and not on how well you can remember the details like frame structure.

Generally speaking, examinable material includes everything that was covered in this course, conditioned on what I expect you to take away from this course. Specifically, please review all required readings mentioned on the course schedule page along with the corresponding set of lecture slides. More emphasis will be laid on material not covered by coursework assignments. In particular, you need to focus on the following topics:

• Key concepts: protocol, layering, service, connectionless vs. connection-oriented communication and services, interface, network architecture, reference models, standards, multiplexing, circuit vs. packet switching.
• Application layer: principles of network applications, client-server vs. peer-to-peer applications, salient features of widely used Internet applications (e.g., web, DNS).
• Transport layer: multiplexing/demultiplexing, principles of reliable data transfer, principles of congestion control and TCP congestion control, Internet transport protocols (TCP, UDP).
• Network layer: virtual circuit vs. datagram networks, IP addressing and forwarding, routing algorithms, Internet routing.
• Link layer: error detection and correction, multiple access protocols, Ethernet, hubs vs. switches vs. routers.