CSA 283 Data Communications and Networks (3 credits)
Catalog description:
An introduction to data communications, computer networks, protocols, and distributed processing as well as relevant standards and underlying theory. Topics include communication codes, transmission methods, interfacing, error detection, communication protocols, communications architectures, switching methods, and network types. Local area network and internetwork technologies are studied. The client/server model of distributed processing will be addressed. Students will design and implement data communications and network-based software.
Prerequisite: CSA 271 or permission of instructor.
CSA 283 is a third-tier course in the CSA2 "Computer Programming" thematic sequence. Computer software plays an important role in our daily lives: Our mobile phones, laptop computers, online banking, Internet applications such as YouTube, video games and movies, cars, and almost all aspects of daily life are touched by software. In your personal and professional life you will utilize computer software. It is also likely that you will select, or even influence the design of, software that is used in your professional or personal life. This thematic sequence will give you a deep understanding of how software works and is created, its limitations, and its potential. You will be able to read software and therefore be able to make informed decisions when selecting or participating in the design of business, scientific, or information systems that utilize computer software. The CSA2 thematic sequence consists of both of the following introductory computer programming courses. Followed by one of the following courses...
CSA 283 is a course in which you apply programming concepts and techniques learned in CSA 174 and CSA 271 to design and implement data communications and network-based software. |
Learning Outcomes
Below are the learning outcomes for this course. Miami Plan foundation courses and thematic sequence courses address some or all of the Four Principles of Liberal Education: Thinking Critically, Understanding Contexts, Engaging with Other Learners, and Reflecting and Acting. These principles are not simply additional "topics" that are covered during the course. Rather, they are perspectives and ways of reasoning that are essential to all the content of the course. Learning outcomes that address these principles are indicated in the table. Liberal Education Principals (LEP) Key: T=Thinking Critically, U=Understanding Contexts
Learning Outcomes: | LEP |
CSA 283.1: Discuss important network standards in their historical context. | U |
CSA 283.2: Describe and compare basic methods of data transmission and generally describe the equipment needed for data communications. | U |
CSA 283.3: Describe and compare alternative network application design paradigms. | U |
CSA 283.4: Describe and compare alternatives in network design, including topology, LAN standards, and protocol stacks. |
|
CSA 283.5: Design and implement data communication and network-based software, including simple client/server and peer to peer applications. | T |
Success Skills:
- Exposure to ethical issues related to privacy
Required Topics (approximate weeks allocated):
- Intro (.5)
- overview of communications
- the communications process
- physical communications
- networking
- Network architecture (.5)
- Client socket programming (2.5)
- creating sockets
- stream sockets
- datagram sockets
- connecting to hosts
- converting DNS names to IP addresses
- ports
- protocols
- http
- smtp
- custom
- sending/receiving data
- converting bytes to primitives
- converting bytes to strings
- heterogeneous issues - big vs little endian, unicode
- Testing, error handling, error recovery in networks (1)
- error handling testing
- recovery techniques
- session version stateless recovery
- logging, debugging techniques for asynchronous events
- timeouts
- Data communications (2)
- point to point
- RS232
- USB
- parallel
- packet switching
- modems/telecom system
- Network fundamentals (2.5)
- topologies
- addressing
- ethernet networks
- bridges, switches
- distance limitation
- twisted pair, bus, hub
- MAC layer functionality (1)
- access control
- framing
- checksum/CRC
- Network/IP layer (2)
- IP addresses
- IP address assignment
- ARP
- fragmentation
- routing
- Transport layer (2)
- ports
- sequence numbers
- connections
- reliable delivery
- datagrams
- Exams/Testing (1)
