CS 5290: DATA COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKS
Course Description
Data communications concepts; network topologies; transmission media; network access control; communication
protocols; network architecture; LANs, MANs, and WANs; internetworking. Prerequisites: Admission to MS in CS
program, or consent of department, plus CS 3270 or equivalent.
Course Syllabus
Data Communication Concepts
o Networks and open system standards: the OSI reference model
o Network topologies and the physical layer
Bus/Tree topology, ring topology, star topology
o The future of data communications
Transmission Media and Transmission Technologies
o The electrical interface
o Metallic media
o Optical fiber media
o Wireless media (line-of-sight media)
o Baseband and broadband transmission
o Transmission bandwidth (link capacity)
o Codes
o Analog and digital signals
o Modulation and demodulation, modems and modem standards
o Transmission impairments (distortion and noise limitations on system performance)
Data Transmission
o Transmission modes
Simplex, half-duplex, full-duplex communications
Serial and parallel transmission
Synchronous transmission
Asynchronous transmission
o Interface standards
o Multiplexing of signals
o Data compression
Protocol Concepts - Media Access Control
o Protocol basics
o MAC protocols (CSMA/CD and Token passing)
Data Security and Integrity
o Error detection and correction
o Encryption and decryption
o Viruses, worms, and hacking
Local Area Networks
o LAN standards (IEEE standards 802 for LANs)
o Interconnecting LANs
o LAN Hardware (server platforms, backup devices, LAN adapters, printers, etc.)
o LAN system software, LAN application software
o LAN selection criteria
Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs)
o Network routing
o Public data networks
o Circuit-switched data network
o Packet-switched data network
o Internet protocol
o ISDN
o Electronic mail
Network Architecture
o Layered approach
o Hierarchical approach
Network Interconnections (Internetworking)
o LAN-to-LAN connections and LAN-to-Host connections
o Repeaters, Bridges, Routers, and Gateways
o Interconnection utilities
Student Learning Outcomes
I can define and describe network architecture (layered approach and hierarchical approach).
I can describe wireless communications.
I can describe analog and digital signals and their role in data transmission
I can describe transmission impairments (distortion and noise limitations on system
performance).
I can describe the multiplexing of signals for data transmission.
I can describe contention protocols.
I can describe data compression and related techniques.
I can describe data integrity and related techniques.
I can describe data security and related techniques.
I can describe the features of flow control and related techniques.