Computer Network Architectures and Protocols
605.472

Course Description
This course provides a detailed examination of the conceptual framework for modeling communications between processes residing on independent hosts, and the rules and procedures that mediate the exchange of information between two communication processes. The Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model (OSIRM) is presented and compared with TCP/IP and other network architectures. The service definitions and protocols for implementing each of the seven layers of the Reference Model using both OSI and TCP/IP protocols are analyzed in detail. Internetworking among heterogeneous subnets is described in terms of addressing and routing, and techniques for identifying different protocol suites sent over the subnets are explained. The protocol header encoding rules are examined, and techniques for parsing protocol headers are analyzed. The application layer sub-architecture for providing common application services is described, and interoperability techniques for implementing multiprotocol internets are presented. Topics include layering, encapsulation, SAPs, and PDUs; sliding window protocols, flow and error control; virtual circuits and datagrams; routing and congestion control algorithms; internetworking; NSAP and IP addressing schemes; CLNP, IPv4 and the new IPv6 internet protocols; RIP, OSPF, ES-IS, and IS-IS routing protocols; TP4 and TCP transport protocols; dialog control, activity management, and the session layer protocol; ASN.1 encoding rules and the presentation layer protocol; application layer structure and the ACSE, CCR, ROSE and RTSE common application service elements; the MAP and GOSIP profiles; and multiprotocol interoperability techniques including protocol encapsulation, convergence protocols and tunneling.

Additional Course Information

Syllabus

1. Fundamentals of Computer Networks: Introduction, Network Standards, ISO Reference Model, Other Network Architectures
2. Network Access Protocols: Physical Layer protocols, Data Link Layer model
3. Network Access Protocols (cont.): Data Link Layer Protocols, HDLC, PPP
4. Network Access Protocols (cont.): Network Layer Architecture, Network Layer Protocols
5. Network Access Protocols (conclusion): X.25, Frame Relay, Network Layer Protocol Identification and Multiplexing
6. Host-to-Host Protocols: Internetworking, Global Network Addressing, NSAPs, CLNP, IP, ICMP, IPv6
7. Mid-Term
8. Host-to-Host Protocols (cont.): Routing Algorithms, Routing Protocols, RIP, OSPF, ES-IS, IS-IS
9. Host-to-Host Protocols (conclusion.): Transport Layer Protocols, TCP, TP4, UDP
10. End User Services: Session Layer Protocol, ISO 8326, ISO 8327
11. End User Services (cont.): Presentation Layer, ASN.1, BER
12. Application Layer: Application Layer Structure (ALS), Application Layer Protocols, ACSE, RTSE, ROSE, CCR
13. Implementation: Profiles, Interoperability Techniques, Multiprotocol Networks
14. Final Exam

Prerequisites
605.471 Principles of Data Communications Networks

Instructor
Richard J. Nieporent has 27 years of experience in the analysis, design, and development of communications networks for both military and civilian agencies. Dr. Nieporent is an expert on local and wide area networks, internetworking, network protocols, and the networking standards developed by ISO, ITU-T, IEEE and IETF standards organizations. Professor Nieporent is currently a Senior Principal Engineer with the MITRE Corporation. He has been involved with the design and development of long haul, tactical, packet switching, and local area networks for a number of organizations including the Federal Reserve, National Credit Union Administration, DIA, NSA, DOD, DISA, and the Army. As a Project Leader for the NSA Computer-to-Computer work program, Professor Nieporent is responsible for the design and development of real time protocol processing and protocol analysis systems. In addition, Professor Nieporent helped specify the Army Tactical Communications Control System (ATCCS) network architecture, the NSA computer-to-computer architecture, and the SIGINT community network architecture. As a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University Part-Time Programs in Engineering and Applied Science, he has taught courses in Principles of Data Communication Networks, Computer Network Architectures and Protocols, and Local Area Networks for the past 18 years. Professor Nieporent is a member of the computer science program committee, and is the adviser for the telecommunications concentration master's degree program. Professor Nieporent was a member of the ANSI X3T5 Standards Committee that was responsible for the US contribution to the development of the OSI Reference Model and upper layer protocols and was a member of the NATO TSGCEE that worked on the development of militarized OSI standards. Additionally, he served as a technical representative to the ATCCS Technical Interoperability Working Group. He has published and delivered papers on networking at conferences and seminars, and he has developed and taught short courses on communications and networking for the government and private industry.
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Textbooks
Open Systems Networking: TCP/IP and OSI, Addison-Wesley, 1993. by David Piscitello and Lyman Chapin

OSI: A Model for Computer Communications Standards, Prentice-Hall, 1991. by Uyless Black

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updated September 1997