Networking Courses |
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Course no. |
Title |
Credit |
Reqd
(R)/ |
CSE494I |
Introduction to Information Security |
3 |
E |
CSE694K |
Network Security |
3 |
E |
CSE 677 |
Introduction to Computer Networking |
3 |
E |
CSE 678 |
Internetworking |
3 |
E |
CSE 679 |
Introduction to Multimedia Networking |
3 |
E |
CSE 777 |
Telecommunication Networks |
3 |
E |
The CSE department offers the following courses related to computer networking and security: CSE494I, CSE694K, CSE 677, CSE 678, CSE 679, and CSE 777. These courses expose students to various technologies behind the Internet. They are among the most popular elective courses. Students who wish to specialize in networking should take all of these courses. (The course numbers 494I and 694K are only temporarily used for the pilot sections. They will be replaced later with different, permanent numbers.)
Section 2.1 describes the individual courses in the group. Section 2.2 explains how the group is related to the rest of program. Section 2.3 explains how the group helps achieve a number of EC 2000 and CSE outcomes. Section 2.4 discusses how we have addressed the concerns raised in the previous report. Section 2.5 summarizes additional main changes we have made in the courses since the previous report. Section 2.6 discusses some continuing concerns involving these courses and our plans to address them.
CSE 494I: Introduction to Information Security provides a high-level introduction to information security, with a focus on business aspects such as strategies and basic elements of information security architecture. It is a 3-credit course, with CSE 314 or 321 or AMIS 531 as the prerequisite. The course description is as follows: an introduction to security of digital information including: threats; regulations; vulnerability assessment; attack detection and response; cryptography, forensics; and technical training and certifications. This course has been taught twice as a pilot in Winter of 2004 and 2005.
CSE 694K: Network Security is a 3-credit course, with CSE 677 as the prerequisite. It provides an introduction to network security, and then covers the following topics: security threats, services, protocols, verification and design, architectures, technologies, testing, advances; elements of cryptography; securing network systems and applications.
CSE 677: Introduction to Computer Networking is the introductory course to computer networking and provides the background required for all other courses in this group (except for 494I). 677 covers the basic techniques for data communications, including network architecture, communication protocols, data link control, medium access control, local area networks, and wide area networks. The course also provides an introduction to the Internet and its protocols. Both programming and non-programming assignments are used to help students understand the material.
CSE 678: Internetworking focuses on the Internet protocol suite TCP/IP. It covers the IP protocol including addressing, internetworking, data forwarding, fragmentation and reassembly. The course covers the TCP protocol including key features, congestion control mechanisms and implementation choices. It provides an introduction to IPv6, its addressing scheme and features. The course also covers other important parts of the TCP/IP suite, such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), The Domain Name System (DNS), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and initialization (BOOTP and DHCP). The course also introduces features of Mobile IP and Network Security. The labs and homeworks in 678 are similar in spirit to the ones assigned in 677.
CSE 679: Introduction to Multimedia Networking provides background on multimedia and network adaptation to better support multimedia requirements. This course will help the students become familiar with the basics of multimedia data type, and compression technologies; understand World-Wide-Web architecture, proxy, and streaming video technologies; understand how to evolve the best-effort service of the Internet to better support multimedia; be exposed to some new networking technologies beyond the best-effort service to better support multimedia. These ideas are solidified via one or more programming labs, a typical example being JPEG encoding. The students usually program in C.
CSE 777: Telecommunication Networks is an advanced course that introduces communication networks and concepts such as frame relay, narrow and broadband integrated services digital network (ISDN), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), gigabit networks, wireless network and, all-optical networks. The emphasis is on communication networks, their functioning, traffic management and quality of service (QOS) provided for different types of transfer: data, voice and video, real and non-real time.
CSE 494I:
Introduction to Information Security
Prerequisite: CSE 314 or 321 or AMIS 531
CSE 694K: Network Security
Prerequisite: CSE 677.
CSE 677: Introduction to Computer Networking
Prerequisites: Physics 112 or 132, CSE 360 or EE 265, and CSE 459.21.
This course is a prerequisite of CSE 694K, 678, 679, 777
CSE 678: Internetworking: This course is a
continuation of CSE 677.
Prerequisites: CSE 660 and CSE 677.
CSE 679: Introduction to Multimedia Networking
Prerequisite: CSE 677.
CSE 777: Telecommunication Networks
Prerequisite: CSE 677.
None of these courses is a prerequisite for other CSE courses (which are not in this group). Students typically take these courses (except for 494I) in their junior or senior year. They will see in most of these courses how many of the concepts they have learned from other courses such as computer architectures, finite automata, operating systems, probability and statistics etc., are useful in computer networking.
The published objectives and outcomes for the BS-CSE program lists the following five groups of outcomes.
This group of courses contributes strongly toward CSE outcomes I.i and I.iii. Students typically take these courses (except for 494I) in their junior or senior year. These courses require the students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in other courses such as computer architectures, finite automata, operating systems. For example, the programming skills they have developed in several of the courses are key to successfully understanding the basics as well as the details of how various network protocols function. Basic ideas from digital logic as well as more advanced ideas from the architecture course serve as a base on which the functioning of routers and switches is explored. By completing the programming as well as non-programming assignments in these courses, students demonstrate their proficiency in all of these areas.
The networking group of courses makes its strongest contribution toward outcome V.i. In particular, there is such a high demand for graduates who have technical network-related skills that students who complete these courses are heavily recruited by numerous high-tech companies. Further, the area presents many technical challenges that are appropriate for graduate level research, so the students are also well prepared for entering good graduate programs. And finally, given that the Internet has become one of the most important technologies to facilitate life-long learning for so many people, it is clear that these courses contribute heavily to achieving the related outcome.
The two security courses, CSES 494I and 694K, contribute strongly toward III.ii; while the others only to a limited extent. Computer networks have introduced new social and ethical problems in the form of security, privacy, intellectual property, etc. Many of these problems are subjects of 494I and 694K. Therefore, we believe these two course strongly contribute to CSE outcome III.ii.
The courses in this group contribute moderately toward I.ii, V.ii, and V.iii. In particular, probability and statistics are essential for understanding the performance of network protocols. Probability and discrete mathematics are essential for understanding many of the security algorithms. The physical layer of the network architecture relates to electrical circuits and devices.
The courses in this group contribute moderately toward V.ii and V.iii.
CSE 494I contributes moderately toward IV.ii, as
it requires students to write papers and make presentations. Before taking this course, students must
have taken a second writing course.
Summary of Relation to CSE Outcomes |
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|
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE |
CSE494I |
X |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
XXX |
|
XX |
XXX |
|
|
CSE694K |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
XXX |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XX |
CSE 677 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XX |
CSE 678 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XX |
CSE 679 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XX |
CSE 777 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XX |
2.3.2 EC 2000 Criterion 3 Outcomes
EC 2000 Criterion 3 requires that engineering programs must demonstrate that their students attain:
The networking courses contribute strongly to ABET
criteria 3a, 3b, 3e, and 3k, enabling students to design and tailor protocols
to meet specific requirements. The
two security courses also strongly contribute to criterion 3f; students will
achieve a profound understanding of professional and ethical issues through
studies of security concerns.
The courses in this group contribute moderately to
criteria 3b and 3j. They also help
students see how technical ideas in networking enable communication among
different groups and also how these ideas can have a global impact on society;
the latter is especially true in the case CSE 678, given the incredible impact
that the Internet has had on all aspects of human endeavor. The rapid evolution
of ideas in networking also enable students to recognize the need for life-long
learning; and since many of these changes are in response to contemporary
needs, students also acquire an appreciation of these needs.
Summary of Relation to ABET Objectives |
|||||||||||
Course no. |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
ABET |
CSE494I |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
XXX |
XX |
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
CSE694K |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
XXX |
|
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
CSE 677 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
X |
|
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
CSE 678 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
X |
|
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
CSE 679 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
X |
|
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
CSE 777 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
Concern: With respect to
CSE 677 and 678, we wrote: "We are considering a reorganization of these
two courses so that the topics are taught in a more top-down fashion."
Response: CSE 677 is now taught by most instructors
in the top-down approach using the textbook “Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring
the Internet” by James F. Kurose and Keith W.
Ross. We will keep observing how
this work and revisit the above issue in the future.
CSE 679: Based on student feedbacks and the latest development in multimedia networking, the course has been updated, with more emphasis on multimedia communication protocols (such as RTP), multimedia services (such as voice over IP), and Quality of Service (QoS) support to multimedia communications.
New course: A new course, CSE 494I: Introduction to Information Security, has been introduced to the curriculum. Information security has become a critical component in today's organizations. There is a strong market demand for such expertise. However, there are very few universities offering information security courses or programs. OSU did have any such courses. Now we have created CSE 494I as a first step to meet the society demand. This course provides a high-level introduction to information security, with emphasis on business aspects such as strategies and basic elements of information security architecture. Specifically, the following topics are covered: an introduction to security of digital information including: threats; regulations; risk management; attack detection and response; cryptography, forensics; and technical training and certifications. This course has been taught twice as a pilot in Winter 2004 and Winter 2005. This course implements one of the IA (information Assurance) courses certified by the Committee on National Security Systems and the National Security Agency (NCA).
The curriculum committee has recently decided to convert this course to a regular one, with CSE 551 as the designated course number.
Overlap Content Items |
CSE494I |
CSE694K |
Threats |
Threats to organization information systems |
Threats to network systems |
Social, ethical, policy and legal issues |
Detail |
Brief |
Cryptography |
Basic ideas of security and public keys |
Cipher, one-way functions,
security and public key mechanisms |
Intrusion Detection |
Brief |
Principles, protocols and instance detail studies: DDoS, Active worm detection |
Incident Response |
General description |
DDoS and active worm
defense |
Malicious Code |
Instance oriented introduction |
Protocols and working Mechanisms |
PGP |
Configuration |
Protocols and working Mechanisms |
Firewall |
Configuration |
Protocols and working Mechanisms |
VPN |
Configuration |
Protocols and working Mechanisms |
2.6 Continuing
concerns/suggestions
CSE 694K: The enrollment was not as high as
expected. We should consider this issue before converting it to a regular
course.
CSE 677: There are two questions which may
deserve a thought. First, should 677 be a required course for all CSE
undergraduates? Second, how does
this course compare to the ACM-recommended first networking course in terms of
topics?
CSE 777: Certain topics such as "ATM
networks" have become less popular in the recent years. Several new
networking topics have become more relevant such as wireless and sensor
networks. One suggestion is to teach advanced and relevant topics in this
course which may change from one year to the next. This course can therefore be better
renamed as "Advanced Topics in Networking", thus giving the
flexibility to the instructor to educate students with the latest topics in
networking.
Course no. |
Coordinator |
Recent
Instructors |
CSE 494I |
Xuan |
Romig |
CSE 694K |
Arora |
Arora |
CSE 677 |
Xuan |
Arora, Lai, Lee, Sinha, Xuan |
CSE 678 |
Liu |
Liu |
CSE 679 |
Xuan |
Xuan |
CSE 777 |
Sinha |
Babic, Sinha |
People involved in preparing report: Anish Arora, Gojko Babic, Steve Lai,
Date of report: April, 2005