Welcome to CS 4316/5313: Computer Networks, Fall 2025. This course offers in-depth concepts of computer networks and with technical foundations of the Internet.
Tentative topics include overview of network models, architectures, applications, network programming interfaces (e.g. sockets), protocols and algorithms for routing and transport, congestion control, addressing, local area networks, medium access control, and network security. This course will cover various networking concepts as well as protocols and discuss on how they cohesively work together to provide unique Internet services.
Tentative topics include overview of network models, architectures, applications, network programming interfaces (e.g. sockets), protocols and algorithms for routing and transport, congestion control, addressing, local area networks, medium access control, and network security. This course will cover various networking concepts as well as protocols and discuss on how they cohesively work together to provide unique Internet services.
Course Objectives/Outcomes
- Understand and describe the layered design of protocol model
- Understand working mechanism of application layer protocols: http, email, ftp, etc.
- Understand the unreliable and reliable transport protocols along with various flow control and error control mechanisms
- Understand routing protocols, network filtration techniques, and network virtualization
- Learn the importance of network and data plane segregation in SDN
- Understand security implications of various protocols at each layer
- Compare performance of both reliable and unreliable transport protocols
- Design addressing mechanism for predefined local area network
- Analyze and evaluate a number of data link, network, and transport layer protocols
- Capture and process the live network traffic for deep packet analysis
- Analyze some security vulnerabilities of a network and develop a set of solutions for them
The best way to reach me is via email stalukder@utep.edu, but please do not expect email replies on the same day or weekends. It is very important that you send email from an utep.edu address and identify yourself, your course, and the section that you are in. Please do not use the Blackboard email or messaging facility, which is sometimes unreliable.
Please Remember
Our goals are for you to succeed in this course and to teach you skills and concepts that will contribute to your success in life. To this end, here's some advice that you may find particularly useful:- Do not stress over grades: your goal is to learn new and exciting things. Good grades follow naturally from deep learning (but not necessarily vice versa). ...and employers care about what you know not what grade you got.
- Participate: you will get a lot more from this class if you ask questions and engage with the instructor than if you are a fly on the wall - and it will be more fun.
- Manage your time wisely: allocate sufficient time for homework and learning. In particular, use class time to learn, review the material presented in lecture the same day, and schedule time for homework proactively.
- Start homework early: racing against a deadline is so stressful! Starting early will remove that stress, lead to deeper learning and give you time to improve your solution.
- Get all the help you need: we provide plenty of resources to help you succeeed in this course - office hours, online help, and friendly staff when you need them. Take advantage of them: they are there for you!
- Make time for fun: take a break from studying at least once a day - meet with friends, go for a walk, play sports, whatever gets you to reset your mind.