DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

CSC358H5S LEC0102
Principles of Computer Networks
Course Outline - Winter 2024
Class Location & Time Wed, 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM MN 1190
Instructor Erfan Meskar
Office Location DH-3097B
Office Hours Wednesdays 12:00 - 13:00 and Wednesdays 15:00 - 16:00
E-mail Address e.meskar@utoronto.ca
Course Web Site https://q.utoronto.ca

Course Description
Introduction to computer networks and systems programming of networks. Basic understanding of computer networks and network
protocols. Network hardware and software, routing, addressing, congestion control, reliable data transfer, and socket programming.

Prerequisite: CSC209H5 and CSC258H5 and CSC263H5

Exclusion: CSC358H1 or CSC457H1 (SCI)
Distribution Requirement: SCI

Students who lack a pre/co-requisite can be removed at any time unless they have received an explicit waiver from the department.
The waiver form can be downloaded from here.

Detailed Course Description

Tentative Lectures Schedule:

The Internet: Architectural Principles and Design Contexts

Week 1: Course Overview; Sharing the Network (Circuits and Packets); How does the Internet work? (An end-to-end
view); The Internet: Architectural Principles and Goals (P&D, Section 1)

Link Layer: Addressing and Broadcasting Frames

Week 2: Physical Layer: Encoding; Link Layer: Ethernet and CSMA/CD; Error Detection/Correction (P&D, Section 2)
Week 3: "Frames" & Scalability Issues with Broadcast Ethernet, Switched Ethernet & Spanning Tree Protocol (P&D,
Section 3)

Network Layer: Addressing, Routing, and Forwarding Packets

Week 4: Why do we need a Network Layer? Fundamentals of Routing; Internet Addressing; The Internet Protocol (P&D,
Section 3)
Week 5: DNS; DHCP; ARP; Routing Protocols (P&D, Section 3)
Week 6: Internet Topology and Routing; Path Vector (BGP) (P&D, Section 4)
Week 7: More BGP; Switch Architecture (P&D, Section 4)

End-to-end: How the Internet works!

Week 8: Putting All the Pieces Together; Host Network Stack; Socket Programming

Transport Layer: Reliable and Unreliable Connections

Week 9: Transport Protocol; Reliable Transport (P&D, Section 5)

Week 10: Congestion Control; Queueing Mechanisms; Middleboxes (P&D, Section 6)

Network Security, Application Layer, and Course Review

Week 11: Network Security; Application Layer (P&D, Section 8 and 9)

Week 12: Application Layer; Course review
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 Textbooks and Other Materials
Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (6th edition), by Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie, referred to above as P&D. Using the
earlier editions is fine, though the chapter/section and the corresponding content may differ. While the class has a textbook, we will
not follow its order of presentation; instead, we will use the textbook as a reference when covering each individual topic.

Assessment and Deadlines

Type Description Due Date Weight
Assignment Programming Assignment 0 2024-01-28 2%
Assignment Problem Set 1 2024-02-04 10%
Assignment Wireshark Assignment 1 2024-02-11 1%
Assignment Programming Assignment 1 2024-02-18 10%
Term Test KN 137, 6:10 - 7:25 PM, covering weeks before the test. 2024-03-01 15%
Assignment Wireshark Assignment 2 2024-03-10 1%
Assignment Programming Assignment 2 2024-03-17 10%
Assignment Wireshark Assignment 3 2024-03-24 1%
Assignment Problem Set 2 2024-03-31 10%
Assignment Programming Assignment 3 2024-04-05 10%
Final Exam Comprehensive. Must obtain >= 40% to pass the course. TBA 30%
Total 100%

More Details for Assessment and Deadlines

Programming Assignments (32%): You will complete four programming assignments over the term. The first one (i.e., PA0) is
worth 2%, and the other three are worth 10% each. These must be done individually. PA0, PA1, and PA2 must be submitted on
MarkUs, and the submission deadline will be Sunday night (11:59 PM). PA3 must be submitted on MarkUs, and the submission
deadline will be April 5th, Friday night (11:59 PM).

Problem Sets (20%): You will complete two problem sets, each worth 10%. These must be done individually. Problem sets must
be submitted on MarkUs, and the submission deadline will be Sunday night (11:59 PM).

Wireshark Labs (3%): You will complete three Wireshark labs worth 1% each over the term. These must be done individually.
Wireshark labs must be submitted on Quercus, and the submission deadline will be Sunday night (11:59 PM).

Midterm (15%): The midterm is scheduled for March 1, which will test the content of the weeks before the test. The length of the
midterm test will be 75 minutes and closed book.

Final Exam (30%): The final exam is closed book, comprehensive, 2 hours, and held during the exam period. You must obtain at
least 40% on the final exam to pass the course; otherwise, your final course grade will be set no higher than 47%.

Penalties for Lateness

You can submit the Programming Assignments and Problem Sets after the deadline with a penalty of 0.5% for each hour. For
example, if you submit it 10 hours after the deadline, 5% of the mark will be deducted because of the late submission. No
Submissions will be accepted after 24 hours except for documented unusual circumstances.

Wireshark Labs submission will not be accepted after the deadline except for documented unusual circumstances.

Procedures and Rules

Missed Term Work
In general, if work is missed due to an emergency situation, then the weight of the work will be placed on other similar components

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 in the course. For example, a missed term test would add to the weight of the final exam, and a missed assignment would add to the
weight of a later assignment. Exact accommodation will be discussed between the student and the instructor, who must be
informed within 72 hours of the due date.

Remark requests for Programming Assignments, Problem Sets, Wireshark Labs, and Midterm are due within 1 week of receiving
the graded work and must be submitted by posting a private note on Piazza.

We ask that you carefully review your assignments, reflect, and write a short explanation justifying the reasons for a
regrading request.
If a grade is contested and we realize that the marker made a mistake in the student's favour, the mark for that assignment
may be lowered when the mistake is found. This would otherwise create a situation which is unfair to other students.
Please include your full name and UTORid in the body of the private note.

Missed Final Exam

Students who cannot complete their final examination due to illness or other serious causes must file an online petition within 72
hours of the missed examination. Late petitions will NOT be considered. Upon approval of a deferred exam request, a non-
refundable fee of $72 is required for each examination approved.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree from the
University of Toronto Mississauga is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, UTM treats
cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines
behaviours that constitute academic dishonesty and the process for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include, but
are not limited to:

In papers and assignments:

1. Using someone else's ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.

2. Submitting your own work in more than one course, or more than once in the same course, without the permission of the
instructor.
3. Making up sources or facts.
4. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment.

On tests and exams:

1. Using or possessing unauthorized aids.

2. Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test.
3. Misrepresenting your identity.

In academic work:

1. Falsifying institutional documents or grades.

2. Falsifying or altering any documentation required, including (but not limited to) doctor's notes.

Keep in mind that the department uses software that compares programs for evidence of similar code. Below are some tips to help
you avoid committing an academic offence, like plagiarism.

Never look at another student’s lab/assignment solution(s). Never show another student your lab/assignment solution. This
applies to all drafts of a solution and to incomplete and even incorrect solutions.
Keep discussions with other students focused on concepts and examples. Never discuss labs/assignments before the due
date with anyone but your Instructors and your TAs.
Do not discuss your solution publicly on the discussion board or publicly in the lab rooms/office hours.

All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on
Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate
research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic integrity from your instructor or
from other institutional resources.

Honesty and fairness are fundamental to the University of Toronto's mission. Plagiarism is a form of academic fraud and is treated
very seriously. The work that you submit must be your own and cannot contain anyone else's work or ideas without proper
attribution. You are expected to read the handout How Not to Plagiarize and be familiar with the Code of Behaviour on Academic
Matters, linked from the UTM calendar under the link Codes and Policies.

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 All of the work you submit must be done by you, and your work must not be submitted by someone else. Plagiarism is academic
fraud and is taken very seriously. The department uses software that compares programs for evidence of similar code. Please read
the Rules and Regulations from the U of T Calendar (especially the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters).

Students may use artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI, in this course as learning aids or to help produce
assignments. (Dan wrote a book about programming with generative AI. He's serious about this: if GenAI helps you, please use it.)
However, students are ultimately accountable for the work they submit. Any content produced by an artificial intelligence tool
must be cited appropriately. Many organizations that publish standard citation formats are now providing information on citing
generative AI (e.g., MLA: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/).

Furthermore, the tests and exams in this course will not allow the use of generative AI tools as aids, so you must be prepared to
solve exercises, including writing significant code, without assistance. As a result, it is highly recommended that generative AI be
used as a learning aid and that any material that is built on the output of generative AI tools be reviewed so that you are confident
that it reflects what you understand and can produce on your own

Please do not cheat. It is unpleasant for everyone involved, including us. Here are some general guidelines to help you avoid
plagiarism:

Never look at another student's assignment solution. Never show another student your assignment solution. This applies to
all solution drafts and incomplete and even incorrect solutions.
Keep discussions with other students focused on concepts and examples. Never discuss assignments before the due date
with anyone but your Instructor and your Teaching Assistants.
During the Midterm/Final Examination, once you enter the room, only communicate with the Invigilator(s), Instructor,
and/or Teaching Assistant(s).
Ensure that notes, electronics, and/or communication devices (e.g., cell phone, tablet, computer, etc.) are not on your
physical person in the Midterm/Final Examination room.

All submitted work is subject to verification with plagiarism detection tools.

Plagiarism Detection
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to the University’s plagiarism detection tool for a review of
textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source
documents in the tool’s reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that
apply to the University’s use of this tool are described on the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation web site
(https://uoft.me/pdt-faq).

Students may wish to opt out of using the plagiarism detection tool. In order to opt out, contact your instructor by email no later
than two (2) weeks after the start of classes. If you have opted out, then specific information on an alternative method to submit
your assignment can be found below.

Informed Consent – Email Lists

As a student enrolled in this course, you understand that you are providing your implicit consent to be included in an email list for
the department to send you non-essential information from time to time. If you do not wish to be included in such an email list,
please request to be removed by contacting one of the Academic Advisors & Undergraduate Program Administrators. Their
information can be found on the MCS Website Contact Us page .

Final Exam Information

Duration: 2 hours

Additional Information
Tutorials

Tutorials consist of reviews and exercises that will prepare you for the tests as well as the assignments. They are a crucial learning
component of this course and are as important to attend as the lectures!

Website/Online Content

Quercus will be used to host all of this course's online content. Quercus and MarkUs will be used for the collection of student's
submissions for assessed work.

Course Announcements

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 All course announcements will be posted on Quercus/Piazza. You are responsible for reading all postings made by the instructor or
the TAs on Quercus and Piazza and for being familiar with the entire content of this Syllabus; please take a few minutes at the
beginning of the term to read through the entire Syllabus.

Discussion Board

For all questions of general interest (whose answers are likely to be useful to other students,e.g., about the course material, problem
sets, programming assignments, Wireshark labs, general questions about course logistics and administration), where you can ask
the question while respecting the academic integrity of the course (without revealing any idea or part of a solution to a course
assessment), please start a new topic directly on the Piazza discussion forum, so that everyone can benefit from reading your
questions and the associated answers. We will monitor the forum regularly, but feel free to answer questions from other students,
too! Helping someone else learn is one of the most effective ways to master a subject.

For personal questions (making appointments, remarking requests, extensions, missing class, etc.), please email the course
instructor directly from your University of Toronto email address. Please include "CSC358" in the subject line and your full name
and UTORid in the body of the email. Otherwise, your message might be marked as spam! We aim to respond to all email and
forum postings by the end of the next business day (not counting weekends and holidays). However, it may take longer, especially
near due dates. If you do not hear back after four days, please do not hesitate to send a follow-up email or come in person during
office hours.

Communications

It is the student's responsibility to:

Maintain current contact information with the University, including address, phone numbers, and emergency contact
information.

Use the university-provided e-mail address or maintain a valid forwarding e-mail address.

Regularly check the official University communications channels. Official University communications are considered
received if sent by postal mail, fax, or e-mail to the student's designated primary e-mail account via their @utoronto.ca alias.

Accept that forwarded e-mails may be lost and that e-mail is considered received if sent via the student's
@utoronto.ca alias.

Check the UofT/Quercus email and course websites on a regular basis during the term. Further, check the discussion
board daily for any course updates/announcements.

Read and keep current with the discussions on the discussion board.

Special Consideration

Please contact us immediately if you cannot complete coursework or miss a test due to a major illness or other circumstances
outside your control. Special consideration will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and is not given automatically. We may be
unable to grant you exactly the special consideration you seek, so please ensure we have time to discuss your situation.

In order to receive special consideration, you must fill out a Request for Special Consideration Form. Submit the form in PDF
format as soon as possible, together with any supporting documentation, to the course instructor's email address.

You can contact us (by email using the course instructor's email address) even before you have your documentation ready to
submit; we won't be able to tell you at that point what accommodation you may receive, but we can answer other questions and
offer advice. It is always easier to resolve situations earlier rather than later. If you face a particularly disruptive situation that is
likely to impact more than one course, please contact your College Registrar. They are best equipped to provide you with general
advice and support that goes beyond a single course.

Last Date to drop course from Academic Record and GPA is March 11, 2024.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for diversity. All members of the learning environment
in this course should strive to create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our community can express themselves,
engage with each other, and respect one another's differences. U of T does not condone discrimination or harassment against any
persons or communities.

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