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Networked Systems Architecture 3 (2007-2008)

Networked computer systems are becoming ubiquitous, whether in the form of desktop and laptop computers connected to the Internet, mobile phones, television set-top boxes, or the myriad of networked sensors and embedded computing systems that surround us in our everyday life. An understanding of the operation of these systems is essential for practising engineers and computer scientists, both to manage, design, or implement the next generation of networked systems, or to make effective use of the current generation. This module introduces the fundamental concepts in networked systems architecture, using a layered reference model, and outlines some strategies for low-level communications software development, as a basis for the future study of large-scale and high-level communications models.

Aims and Objectives

To provide a solid understanding of the technologies that support modern networked computer systems, and to give students the ability to see through the hype generated by telecommunications and computer networking vendors, and evaluate and advise industry on networking deployment.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

Prerequisites

Computer Systems 2

Timetable

This course comprises 19 lectures, and 8 weekly laboratory sessions. The labs cover network programming with C and pthreads on Linux, and provide practical work to complement the theory from lectures. Students are expected to attend all laboratory sessions.

Recommended Reading

Any good text on computer networks, e.g.,:

Credits

This is a level H course, worth 10 credits.

Assessment

This course will be assessed 100% by examination. Material covered in the labs will be explicitly examined.

Lecture Slides

Laboratory Sessions

Past exam papers