Advanced Computer Networking

Content

The lecture presents advanced concepts for building computer networks. Examinations of network protocols and network algorithms are the foundation of this lecture. Basic techniques for the construction of local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN) are explained. Mechanisms and protocols for inter-domain and intra-domain routing are discussed and possible attack scenarios are demonstrated. Concepts and mechanisms of modern transport layer protocols are presented. Furthermore, different tunneling protocols for networks are discussed. Measurements of single network nodes and Internet-wide measurements are introduced and explained. Modern techniques (OpenFlow, P4) for software-based packet processing are demonstrated.

Material

After the course has started, the lecture material including exercise sheets can be found at http://acn.net.in.tum.de or cloned via git clone http://acn.net.in.tum.de/.git.

Moodle

In the Moodle course we will post some material with special copyrights that we cannot put into the regular material repository. At the beginning of the semester you can upload your SSH public key in the Moodle course. This allows you to take part in the exercise and the project. You will get access to your git repository with your SSH key.

Exercise

Over the course of the semester we will hand out exercise sheets. After a preparation time of one week, exercises are handed in (via git repository) the first time and we will discuss the results in class. A week after the discussion, exercises must be corrected by yourself and handed in for a second time (also via git repository). The first and the second correction are graded afterwards. Overall you can earn up to 10 credits for the grade bonus from the exercise.

Project

During the semester you will implement your own software router based on the packet processing framework DPDK. For this project we will provide you with several VMs hosted on servers of our chair. There will be graded milestones in this project. Overall you can earn up to 10 credits for the grade bonus from the project.

Grade Bonus

Both, exercise and project, will be corrected and graded. By successfully participating in exercise and project you can earn up to 15 extra credits on top of the credits you achieve for the written exam. You can earn 60 credits from the written exam; 60 credits suffice to get a grade of 1.0. Your final grade is calculated as follows:

bonusCredits = minimum(15, creditsExercise + creditsProject)
finalGrade = grade(creditsFinalExam + bonusCredits)

Only passing grades (4.0 or better) can be improved with the bonus credits. The grade bonus is also valid for the retake exam.

Registration

Please register for the course and exam in TUMonline.

Exam

There will be a written exam on Thursday March 1, 2018 starting at 8:30am in FMI HS 1.

Retake Exam

There will be a written retake exam on Wednesday April 4, 2018 starting at 11:30am in Interims HS 1. The date is not fixed yet and might change. You can participate in the retake exam even if you were not registered for the regular exam.