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.

Lecture Procedure due to COVID-19

There will be not presence meeting in this semester. All lectures (except the first one) will not be live event, but recorded and uploaded. For the first lecture we use BBB and Zoom as fallback. The meeting links will be shared here and via Moodle. Exercises will be held remotely and live on the Thursday slot about each 3 to 4 weeks and will not be recorded.

Material

After the course has started, the lecture material including exercise sheets can be found at https://acn.net.in.tum.de or cloned via git clone https://acn.net.in.tum.de/.git after you uploaded an ssh key via Moodle.

Recordings of the lecture will also be available on the website.

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

During 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 60 credits for the grade bonus from the exercise. Exercises will be held remotely and live on the Thursday slot about each 3 to 4 weeks and will not be recorded.

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

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 75 credits from the written exam; the credits from the exam suffice to get a grade of 1.0. The maximum achievable number of credits for the exercise is 60, and 10 for the project. Your final grade is calculated as follows:

bonusCredits = minimum(15, creditsExercise/6 + 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.

In case of academic misconduct (e.g. copying without citing) in exercise or project leads to a disqualification from the bonus system.

Since the retake exam in the last semester (WS 20/21) was canceled due to COVID-19 the bonus from last year is applicable for this semester as well. If you also participate in this year's bonus system we will apply the maximum of both years' bonus credits: max(WS19, WS20).

Registration

Please register for the course and exam in TUMonline.

Exam

TBD

Retake Exam

TBD