University: Bentley College

Professor:  Dr. Heikki Topi

Department:  Computer Information Systems

Project Using OPNET: Team Project 2 (Network Design)

Course Using OPNET:

CS640

Telecommunication Network Architectures

Spring 2002

Section 100

Course Syllabus

Basic Facts

Introduction

CS640 Telecommunication Network Architectures is an intermediate level graduate course on telecommunications and networking that builds on CS607 or a similar background achieved through other means.  This course is one of the six core courses of the MSIT program at Bentley College. 

The Bentley catalog description for CS640 is as follows:  "This course focuses on the design and implementation of state-of-the-art network architectures and solutions for information age companies. It provides an in-depth coverage of protocols and network technologies that are essential for building corporate infrastructures seamlessly integrated with the Internet. Special attention is paid to the essential characteristics of high-quality e-business environments, such as scalability, reliability, and security. Organizational approaches for implementing networks with these characteristics are also covered."

Background

The importance of the TCP/IP protocol suite and particularly the IP protocol has increased together with the rapid proliferation of the Internet during 1990s and early 21st century, and increasingly many telecommunications and networking architectures are based on exclusive utilization of a variety of TCP/IP protocols.  Originally designed for simple non-real time data networking, TCP/IP protocols are currently used as the foundation of converged networks that carry both real time and non-real time data, voice, and video.  At the same time, these networks have become a core element of organizational information infrastructure without which few companies can operate. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of TCP/IP protocols and their utilization on modern networks is essential for all IT professionals.  CS640 uses the TCP/IP model and the TCP/IP protocol suite as an organizing framework; naturally, the course covers also many others, related technologies and their usage in a corporate environment.

Objectives

The main objective of this course is to provide the participants with the conceptual knowledge they need for designing, procuring, and managing network infrastructures for advanced e-business solutions.  After completing the course requirements, the students will have an in-depth understanding of the most important networking technologies and the way these technologies are integrated into working IT infrastructure solutions.  In addition, the students will be able to make informed decisions regarding design and implementation alternatives.  The course will provide a strong background for continuous learning in its topic area.

Course Conduct

Class meetings will consist of a variety of teaching methods: traditional lecture/discussion format, short group exercises, computer/networking demonstrations, and group presentations. Various network-based resources will have an important role in this course: e-mail, electronic conferencing (Blackboard), and the World Wide Web are all essential parts of the learning process. You are expected to check your e-mail often (preferably daily) and use other Internet resources as instructed in class.  Many of the course assignments utilize Bentley's state-of-the-art networking lab resources and require work in the lab outside the class meetings.

You are also expected to actively participate in class interaction.  This requires that you prepare for each class meeting carefully by reading and analyzing all assigned materials thoroughly. Active participation by everybody makes this class a significantly more interesting and rewarding experience for all of us.  Twenty percent of your grade will be assigned on the basis of participation.  Please note that class attendance is only one and relatively small component of participation; your contributions both in class, on electronic discussion forums, and outside classroom are much more important.

Course Policies

• No assignments will be accepted late.  Please plan your work so that you can submit your assignments on time, even in the case of the unavoidable changes to your work or personal schedule.
• Only assignments that are typed and printed with a high-quality printer or submitted electronically through Digital Drop-box on Blackboard will be accepted.
• You should follow typical business standards when preparing your assignments and projects; spelling, grammar, and appearance will be taken into account in grading
• The Bentley College Honor Code will be strictly followed and a separate document will be distributed that discusses issues related to academic honesty and integrity at a detailed level.  Some specific examples of applications of academic honesty policies are as follows:
  • Unless told otherwise by the instructor, the use of any materials not provided by the instructor is forbidden during the examinations of the course.
  • In individual assignments, the deliverable should be entirely based on your own work, i.e., no group work is allowed unless otherwise specified in assignment instructions.  If you need clarifications regarding the questions, please ask me.
  • Direct quotes from any external source (the Internet, books, journals, etc.) have to be clearly indicated as such and attributed to the original source with an appropriate citation.  Failure to do this will be considered plagiarism.

Grading

To pass the course, a student has to earn a passing (77 % or higher) average grade in the examinations of the course.

Daily Schedule

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This page is maintained by Dr. Heikki Topi, and it was last updated February 21, 2002.