CPSC 441: Computer Networks

Professor Carey Williamson

Winter 2018

Overview

CPSC 441 will have four programming assignments. In aggregate, the assignments count 40% toward your final grade in CPSC 441. Each assignment will be graded on a numerical scale. All assignments will be equally weighted (40 marks each, with each contributing 10% toward your final grade), even though they might not be of equal difficulty. Some assignments may have extra bonus credit for optional features specified in the assignment description.

The assignments will involve fairly substantial programming in C or C++. There will be one assignment due about every 3 weeks during the semester, with a slight gap around midterm exam time.

Some possible ideas for assignments are: writing a simple HTTP proxy for the Web; designing a UDP-based file transfer protocol; analysis of peer-to-peer media streaming systems; doing Redundant Traffic Elimination (RTE) on TCP byte streams; analyzing TCP network traffic traces; assessing buffer management strategies in router architectures; characterizing Internet routing paths; and simulation modeling of Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols. The actual assignments will be released here early in the semester.

Assignments

Here are the actual CPSC 441 assignments for this semester:

Assignment 1: Slow Web Proxy is due on Friday, February 2 (4:00pm).
Here is a sample solution in C courtesy of CPSC 441 student Munib Rahman.
And a C++ solution courtesy of Cashen Chikmoroff: Main.cpp Server.cpp Server.h ClientHandler.cpp ClientHandler.h manual (PDF)

Assignment 2: Octoput Transfer Protocol is due on Friday, March 2 (4:00pm).
Here is a sample solution in C, courtesy of an anonymous CPSC 441 student: octoputclient.c octoputserver.c

Assignment 3: Hobbit Reunion is due on Friday, March 23 (4:00pm).
Here is a sample solution in C++, courtesy of Yousaf Raja: pathFinder.cpp Results.txt

Assignment 4: Adaptive Tree Walk is due on Friday, April 6 (4:00pm).
Here is a sample solution in C, courtesy of CPSC 441 student Inderpreet Dhillon: treewalk.c results (.txt file) graph (Excel file)

Important Reminders

Assignments are to be done individually. You can use sample code provided by your instructor or TAs, and you can discuss solution approaches and debugging problems with your 441 colleagues, but the code that you submit for marking must be your own.

Please keep the following general requirements in mind:

Assignment solutions are to be submitted electronically via D2L to your assigned TA for grading, on or before the stated deadline. Late submissions will be penalized 4 marks per day or portion thereof. A sample solution for each assignment will be posted approximately one week after the assignment due date.

For a few of the assignments, a demo of your code to your TA or instructor will also be required. These demos will take place in the lab, or during designated tutorial sessions.

Lab Info

The computer laboratory facilities for CPSC 441 are housed in the CPSC Computer Labs, located on the 1st floor of Math Sciences. Remote access to selected CPSC computers might also be possible.

We will be using Linux as the default operating system environment for the programming assignments in this course. The programming assignments will be done in C or C++.

If you have access to Linux on your own machine, you are welcome to use it, but please ensure that your solutions work in the Linux environment that the TAs will be using for grading!!