Network Media Technologies

Network Media Technologies

MET CS 635 (4 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of Media-specific Technologies not only so that they will be able to use the ones covered in this course, but more importantly be able to analyze and evaluate new technologies. This course applies the principles from CS 535 to understand the engineering that lead to them as well as the special problems that confront network technologies that operate directly over the physical media. These Media specific layers have three problems to solve: the usual one of multiple users of a common resource, accommodating the particular characteristics of the media, and providing (to the degree possible) a media- independent service to the layers above. While CS 535 provides a high-level view of some of these technologies, in this course, they are considered in much greater detail as to how these technologies address their requirements and take advantage of the assumptions made. The emphasis is on those technologies that are either representative of a type or take a unique perspective on the problem. Hence, the traditional data link protocols, such as HDLC, modern Ethernet (primarily VLANs), WiFi (802.11) represent the first type, while media technologies, such as DOCSIS, RFIDs, IoT, and cellular mobile networks are representative of the second. The course will consider how these technologies solve mobility, routing, congestion, QoS (multi-media), security, etc. A major project is part of this course. Prereq: MET CS 231 or MET CS 232 and either MET CS 625 or MET CS 535; or instructor's consent.