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Networking Courses |
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Course no. |
Title |
Credit |
Reqd
(R)/ |
|
CSE 551 |
Introduction to Information Security |
3 |
E |
|
CSE 651 |
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 694X |
Applied Information Security Project |
4 |
E |
|
CSE 777 |
Telecommunication Networks |
3 |
E |
|
CSE 894G |
Computer Communication Networks I (Grad only) |
3 |
E |
|
CSE 894J |
Computer Communication Networks II (Grad only) |
3 |
E |
The CSE department offers the following courses related to computer networking and security: CSE 551, CSE 651, CSE 677, CSE 678, CSE 679, CSE 694X, CSE 777, CSE 894G, and CSE894J. These courses expose students to various technologies behind the Internet. They are among the most popular elective courses.
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 551: 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 is a required class for undergraduates in the Information and Computing Assurance (ICA) program for both CIS and CSE.
CSE
651: Network Security is an
advanced couse on network security. This 3 credit course has one
prerequisite: CSE 677: Introduction to Computer Networking. It goes into more depth than some topics
introduced in CSE 551. The CSE651 course description is as
follows: an introduction to network
security; network security
threats, network security
architectures, network security properties and services (such as authentication, privacy,
integrity, key management, etc.), protocols, and their
design/verification/implementation, elements of cryptography; popular key
schemes and their considerations; case studies of protocol implementations
securing network systems and applications (such as Kerberos, Email Security,
Web Security, IP Security, etc.);
denial of service; worm defense; anonymous communication; intrusion detection;
firewall; virtual private networks.
The course includes homework assignments, programming projects, and web
research on the state-of-the-art issues and solutions. The course is the one of
the IA (information Assurance) courses certified by the Committee on National
Security Systems and the National Security Agency (NCA). It is also intended as one of the
courses in a Security Minor to be created as we add more security courses in
the CSE curriculum.
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 551). 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 students are also taught socket programming. The course covers the TCP protocol including key features, congestion control mechanisms and implementation choices. The course also covers other important parts of the TCP/IP suite, such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), and initialization (BOOTP and DHCP). The labs and homeworks in 678 are similar in spirit to the ones assigned in 677.
CSE 679: Introduction to Multimedia Networking emphasizes on multimedia communication protocols (such as RTP), multimedia services (such as voice over IP), and Quality of Service (QoS) support to multimedia communications. It 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.
CSE694X: Applied Information Security Project is a project-oriented information security course. Students work in groups on 3 different projects (host-hardening, network security, incident response/forensics) in a virtual environment that imitates real-world problems as closely as possible. Students have opportunities to work with host-based intrusion detection, security assessment, firewalls; network-based intrusion detection, mapping, scanning, vulnerability assessment, and firewalls; and with malware analysis and tools for investigating compromised computers.
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
894G: Computer Communication Networks I (Grad only): (Cross listed in ECE department) This is a new course that was
first offered in Winter '08. The emphasis is on theoretical foundations of
networking. The topics include: basic theory of networking; architectural
concepts of layering and circuit and packet switching; error control techniques
and their analyses; queueing models and their application to networking; Markov
chain analysis and modeling netork systems; M/G/1 queues; residual lifetime and
priority queueing; Jackson's theorem and product form analysis; Little's Law
and its use in different network scenarios; Shortest Path routing; Convergence,
looping, and overhead in routing.
CSE
894J: Computer Communication Networks II (Grad only): (Cross listed in ECE department) This is a new course that is
being offered in Spring '08. This is a sequel to CSE 894G. The topics include:
concepts in shortest path routing including analysis of correctness,
convergence, and complexity; asynchronous routing protocols, routing on the
Internet, and routing on other historical networks; window-based flow control
and its analysis using closed queueing networks; TCP congestion control and its
advantages and disadvantages; simplified analysis of TCP/IP window control; of
multi-access communications; polling and analyses of polled systems; simplified
analysis of Aloha and slotted Aloha; historical and current random-access
techniques; P2P networks and their analysis; open research problems in
networking.
CSE 551: Introduction
to Information Security
Prerequisite: CSE 314 or 321 or AMIS 531
CSE 651: 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.
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 694X: Applied Information Security Project
Prerequisite: CSE 551 or CSE 651 or CSE 677; and CSE 601
CSE 777: Telecommunication Networks
Prerequisite: CSE 677.
CSE 894G: Computer Communication Networks I
Prerequisite Math 530 or Stat 428 or Stat 520 or ECE 804 or permission of
instructor.
CSE 894J: Computer Communication NeIworks II
Prerequisite: 894G or ECE 894G or permission of instructor.
None of these courses is a prerequisite for other CSE courses (which are not in this group). Students typically take these courses (except for 551) 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.
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 |
|
CSE551 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
XXX |
XX |
|
X |
XX |
XXX |
|
CSE651 |
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 694X |
XX |
XXX |
XX |
XX |
XXX |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
XX |
XX |
XXX |
|
CSE 777 |
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
XXX |
X |
|
|
XXX |
XX |
XXX |
|
CSE 894G |
XXX |
XX |
XX |
|
XXX |
|
|
|
X |
|
XXX |
|
CSE 894J |
XXX |
XX |
XX |
|
XXX |
|
|
|
X |
|
XXX |
Concern I: CSE 651: The enrollment was not as high as
expected. We should consider this issue before converting it to a regular
course.
Response: The course enrollment has
increased significantly requiring the course to be offered twice a year.
Concern II: 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?
Response: Networking has become an indispensible
component in computer systems, like operating system and computer architecture.
677 is an introduction to networking technologies and applications. Given the
importance of Internet for our education, science, business and daily life, the
committee recommends that 677 should be made a required course for all CSE
undergraduates. The content of the course (For example, 4th edition of the
Kurose and Ross textbook) contains more up to date topics than ACM’s
recommendation.
Concern III: 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.
Response: “ATM networks” is
already replaced by more up-to-date topics such as Internet technologies. The
networking faculty is currently considering whether to change 777 to cover a
focused advanced topic such as "Advanced Networking Systems" or
“Wireless and Sensor Networking”.
1. Two new courses have been added to the curriculum: 894G and 894J. These courses approach the subject from an analytical perspective. Such a rigorous treatment was lacking in the other networking courses.
2. 694X has been recently introduced to address the increasing importance of information security. This course gives the students an opportunity to apply knowledge gained from 551 and 651 (and other courses) in real-world situations using real security tools in a "safe" virtual environment. The class was taught in Au '07 with 17 students working in 4 project teams. The students created a large virtual network consisting of roughly 60 computers and had the opportunity to use real-world security tools like OSSEC, tripwire, Nessus, Nmap, Metasploit, and Snort.
2.6 Continuing concerns/suggestions
Several proposals have been put forth for updating the contents of 777. Although currently the faculty has agreed upon treating it broadly as an advanced networking course, further discussion on this issue is needed to come up with a more targeted solution. Also, the interest of students in advanced topics such as sensor networking, networking systems, and networking technologies need to be closely monitored to redefine 777.
3. Conclusions
|
Course no. |
Coordinator |
Recent
Instructors |
|
CSE 551 |
Xuan |
Xuan, Romig |
|
CSE 651 |
Arora |
Arora |
|
CSE 677 |
Lee |
Arora, Babic, Lai, Lee,
Sinha, Xuan |
|
CSE 678 |
Liu |
Liu, Sinha |
|
CSE 679 |
Xuan |
Xuan |
|
CSE 694X |
Xuan |
Xuan, Romig |
|
CSE 777 |
Sinha |
Sinha |
|
CSE 894G |
Shroff |
Shroff |
|
CSE 894J |
Shroff |
Shroff |
People involved in preparing report: Anish Arora, Gojko Babic, Steve Lai,
David Lee, Mike Liu, Steve Romig, Ness Shroff, Prasun Sinha, Dong Xuan, Xiaodong Zhang
Date of report: May, 2008