This document provides a course outline for CS-308 Data Communication and Computer Networks offered at GIFT Computing Sciences School. The 4 credit, undergraduate course will be taught in person on campus during the summer semester of 2011. It will cover fundamental concepts of computer networks through a top-down approach. Students will learn about network applications, communication services, and Internet architecture and protocols. The course aims to impart an understanding of TCP/IP, network design principles, and routing protocols. Students will be assessed through assignments, quizzes, exams, a project, and class participation. Labs will provide hands-on experience configuring networks. A strict no-tolerance plagiarism policy is enforced.

1. COURSE OUTLINE
GIFT COMPUTING SCIENCE SCHOOL
CS- 308
Data Communication and Computer Networks
Summer Semester, 2011
Faculty: GIFT Computing Sciences School
Credit hours: 4
Course level: Undergraduate (BS Fall 2012)
Campus/Location/Instruction Mode: GIFT University/On Campus/In Person
Course Instructor: Muhammad Ziad Nayyer Dar
Email: ziadnayyer@gift.edu.pk
Consultation hours: 11:00 – 12:00 (Thursday), 02:00 – 0300 (Friday)
Pre-requisite: CS-204 or CS-214
Timing 09:20 – 10:35 (Monday(F2), Friday(G1)) (F2) (Section B)
10:40 – 11:55 (Monday(G2)), 9:20 – 10:35 (Thursday(F6)) (Section A)
This document was last updated: 14th October 2012
BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION
The area of computer networking is undergoing rapid development; it’s important to focus not only on what computer
networks are today, but also on why and how they are designed the way they are. The aim of this course is to provide a
conceptual introduction to computer networks and its design principles. In this course, we will study the fundamentals
of building scalable computer networks. We will go through the thought-process that went into designing the Internet---
which is the best example of a computer network that has adapted and scaled to changing environment.
.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this course is to introduce fundamental principles and concepts of computer networks. The course will
follow a top-down approach, where we will first study popular network applications, then study communications

2. services required to support these applications, and finally study how these communication services are implemented.
Throughout this course, we will use the Internet's architecture and protocols to reinforce fundamental computer
networking principles.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, we aim to impart the following skill-set to the students:
1) Understand the TCP/IP protocol suite and the working of the Internet.
2) Form a basic understanding of the principles upon which the global Internet was designed.
3) Ability to understand different routing protocols and their Practical implementation.
Tentative Lecture Plan
READ Quiz
No. of
ING &
Week TOPIC
(Text Assign
s
Book) ment
Introduction to Data Communication, The Internet Quiz 1 +
2 Communication Model, OSI Reference Model, TCP/IP Protocol Chap 1,2 Assignment
Architecture 1
Analog & Digital Transmission, Transmission Impairments, Quiz 2 +
2 Guided Transmission Media, Wireless Transmission, Wireless Chap 3,4 Assignment
Propagation, Line of Sight Propagation 2
Signal Encoding (Digital Data - Digital Signal, Digital Data – Quiz 3 + 1
Analog Signals), Synchronous and Asynchronous Assignment
2 Chap 5,6
Communication, Distinction between Data and Signals, Error 3
Detection, Error Correction
Flow Control, Error Control, Multiplexing techniques (Frequency Quiz 4 +
2 Division, Time Division concepts) Chap 7,8 Assignment
4
8th week MIDTERM EXAM
LAN Technology, LAN Architecture, BusTree LANs, Ring Quiz 5 +
2 LANs, Star LANs, Wireless LANs Assignment
Chap 15
5
Wireless and Mobile Networks intro, Wireless links and network Quiz 6 +
2 characteristics, Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs, Cellular Chap 17 Assignment
Internet Access, Mobility management and Mobile IP 6
1 Circuit Switching, Packet Switching, Virtual Circuits, Packet Size Chap 10 Quiz 7
Internet and Transport Protocols Assignment
1 Chap 18,20
7
The World Wide Web: HTTP, File Transfer: FTP, Electronic Mail
1 Chap 22,23
in the Internet
Please note: This is a proposed schedule only and may be varied at the discretion of the instructor to give a greater or
lesser degree of emphasis to particular topics.
TEXTS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Prescribed Texts and Readings:
1. Data and Computer Communications - William Stallings
Reference Resources:
1. Computer Networks (Fourth Edition), Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Prentice Hall, 2003.
2. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (Third Edition), James F.
Kurose and Keith W. Ross, Addison Wesley, 2005.

3. 3. Data_Communications_and_Networking_-_Behrouz_A._Forouzan
ASSESSMENT
Item Assessment Task Length Weighting Due Day and Time
1. Assignments 10.00% Various Weeks in Class
2 Quizzes 10.00% Various Weeks in Class
3 Class Participation 5.00% Over All
4 Midterm exam 1.5 hours 25.00% 6th week
5 Project 10.00% Submitted On the 7th Week
6 Final Examination 3 hours 40.00% During Formal Examination Period
Students must complete each component of the assessment to the satisfaction of the course
instructor, and achieve an overall mark of at least 50% in order to pass the course. All components
of the above assessment are compulsory, and must be completed in order to obtain a pass grade.
Students are expected to perform satisfactorily in each item.
Assessment Item No. 1 (Assignments)
Three to Six home Assignments will be given to test how smart you can implement concepts
learned during class. All students are encouraged to fully participate in class discussions.
Assessment Item No. 2 (Quizzes)
Four - Six quizzes will be given to students in the class during various weeks which may or may not
be announced. The objective is to test whether the students are keeping up with the work and
grasping the concepts. All students are encouraged not to be miss class.
Assessment Item No. 3 (Class Participation)
Each student will be assessed during lecture to assure that he/she is attentive and focused on the
lecture. Previous lecture serves as basis to the coming one. So, a student must prepare previous
lecture before coming to the next class.
Assessment Item No. 4 (Midterm)
The mid term exam will be taken in 6 or 7th week. Exact date will be announced later on. This
carries 25% marks.
Assessment Item No. 5 (Project)
Every Student group is expected to complete the project before the Final Examination at the end of
the seventh week. It will comprise of 10% marks.

4. Assessment Item No. 6 (Final Examination)
It will be of 2-hours. Practical exam can also be conducted other than the theoretical. Further details
will be given towards the end of the semester. This will be held in the formal examination period at
the end of the semester as scheduled by GIFT University.
Late Submissions / Missed Quizzes: There will be no-retake of any quiz. A total of two late days
will be provided and could be used in case any graded homework assignment is given. These can
be used as a whole in one graded homework assignment or as one day each in two graded
homework assignments.
Coming Late to Lectures and Labs: The instructors reserve the right to not allow late comers to
attend the lecture.
Plagiarism: Unfortunately, some students have resorted to cheating and plagiarism in the past. We
want to make it clear to you that we have a zero-tolerance policy for such cases. You have made it
to GIFT after passing through significant competition. Do not squander a promising opportunity
that may have significant impact on your future. After all, it will be too bad to be expelled from
GIFT or to end up with an F.
Some typical cases that we have encountered in the past include submitting identical homework,
copying a paragraph from the internet for your assignment without referencing the source, and
taking someone else’s code, changing variable names in it, and then submitting it under your own
name.
The instructors also reserve the right to use automated tools to check for plagiarism.
Lab Plan:
To gain hands on expertise and vivified concepts we will follow the below mentioned lab plan.
Week: Work plan
1 Basic know how of networking devices, cables
2 Making (cross cable) twisted pair cable with RJ45
connectors and connect two similar devices
3 Making (straight) twisted pair cable with RJ45
connectors and connect two dissimilar devices
4 Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast operations and
working, The IP Terminology Classes, Sub
Netting, Super Netting
5 Introduction to packet tracer simulator
6,7 Configuring a Network
8 Modem Configuration, VBR, CIR, UBR
9,10 Configuration of Wi-Fi Network And Sharing on
internet through it
11 DHCP, DNS, FILE Servers intro
12,13 Switching Concepts, Aggregation, VLANs
14,15 Routing Concepts, ACLs

5. Plagiarism Policy:
During this course a strict no tolerance plagiarism policy will be adopted. While collaboration in
this course is highly encouraged, you must ensure that you do claim other people’s work/idea as
your own. Plagiarism occurs when the words, ideas, assertion, theories, figures, images,
programming code of others is presented as your own work. You must site and acknowledge all
sources of information in your assignments. Failing to comply with plagiarism policy will lead to
strict penalties including zero marks in assignments and reports.