Computer Networking & Distributed Applications (with project)

Practically every time we interact with a computer program — on our computer, tablet, smartphones, SmartTVs or our refrigerators … or, for some reason on our also connected toaster oven — we’re in reality interacting with a distributed application.

The device we hold in our hands for sending an email (or, into which we slide our sliced toast … ) will, at the very least, communicate with a server, somewhere out there in “the cloud” — and, most often, comunicate with a whole host of servers, and computers … and does so through what we call “The Internet”.

A corollary to this is that every relevant modern application is a distributed aplication, which uses the Internet and the cloud — and, in a nutshell, the purpose of this MODAL is to teach you how to competently develop those.

That implies, of course, discovering how the net works (pun intended), what a protocol is, what a system is, and what the different acronyms that you might encounter really means: TCP/IP, SMTP, NAT, NATP, etc. It also implies writing programs which communicate over the Internet — who knows, maybe you will be getting the impulse to starting the next Google or FaceBook during this course?

This course will consist of a set of activities, organised through "learning flows". These activities are:

• Video Capsules, which introduce key technological concepts for conceiving network systems.
• Quizzes, which will help you verify if you have learned the key technological concepts and -- if not -- will help you identify which you will need to study further.
• Tutorials, which will take you "from neophyte" to a competent networker, and which will teach you how to write communicating programs, and have them talk to each other across the Internet.
• A Project, which will allow you to, more autonomously, apply the competencies that you have learned.

Course Evaluation & Grading:

• Up for grabs: 100 points

• Quizzes & Tutorials: 30 points

• Project: 70 points

• Letter-grades:

• > 50 points ➔ C

• A, B, C distributed in accordance with the “note de cadrage” from the DE

• Any instance of plagiarism will be met with an F.

• The grade F, will be used for all scores ≤50%

• Nummerical grades:

• Highest point score (assuming >80) ➔ 20/20

• >50 points: ➔ ≥ 10/20

• Other point-scores mapped to [0;20] distributed to be in accordance with the “note de cadrage” from the DE

Upon successful completion of the course, a student will be able to:

• Describe the basic architecture of the Internet
• Understand the functional roles of key physical components (switch, hub, router, ..) of a computer network
• Understand the functional roles of key logical components (DHCP server, DNS server, …) of a computer network
• Develop simple networked programs (clients) in C, which communicate with computers (servers) across a computer network
• Develop simple servers, in C, capable of concurrently handling connections from multiple clients.
• Autonomously conceive of, design, and implement, a non-trivial distributed application, communicating across the Internet

• Up for grabs: 100 points

• Quizzes & Tutorials: 30 points

• Project: 70 points

• Letter-grades:

• > 50 points ➔ C

• A, B, C distributed in accordance with the “note de cadrage” from the DE

• Any instance of plagiarism will be met with an F.

• The grade F, will be used for all scores ≤50%

• Nummerical grades:

• Highest point score (assuming >80) ➔ 20/20

• >50 points: ➔ ≥ 10/20

• Other point-scores mapped to [0;20] distributed to be in accordance with the “note de cadrage” from the DE

Video capsules, Asynchronous Learning Flows, Flipped Classrooms