55AA Security Lab

55AA-012

Computer Networks

Level
Undergraduate
Status
Under development

Note: this course is still being designed and calibrated; the page content is for reference and does not represent the final teaching version.

Syllabus

Course Overview

Computer Networks starts from the end-to-end principle and covers links, IP, routing, transport, congestion control, DNS, HTTP, TLS, and network measurement. The course emphasizes observability, troubleshooting, and security boundaries in protocol behavior.

This is the networking foundation for protocol analysis, applied cryptography, software security, and system security.

Prerequisites

  • Systems programming fundamentals.
  • Understanding of processes, files, and socket basics.
  • Ability to read protocol documents and packet traces.

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain Internet layering and end-to-end design principles.
  • Analyze IP, TCP, UDP, DNS, HTTP, and TLS behavior.
  • Use packet traces, measurements, and logs to troubleshoot networks.
  • Implement a small network protocol or service.
  • Identify security risks in protocols and deployments.

Course Format

  • Two meetings per week: one for core concepts and one for labs, paper discussion, or project review.
  • The course proceeds over 16 weeks, each with a checkable assignment, lab, or project milestone.
  • Reproducibility is required: code, configuration, data, lab logs, and reports must be reviewable by staff or peers.

Weekly Plan

Week 1
Week 2

Layering, end-to-end principle, and measurement tools: lab and review

Complete traceroute, ping, and packet-capture labs. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 3Layering, end-to-end principle, and measurement tools: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 4Layering, end-to-end principle, and measurement tools: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 3
Week 4

Links, switching, and LANs: lab and review

Analyze Ethernet, ARP, and LAN failures. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 7Links, switching, and LANs: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 8Links, switching, and LANs: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 5
Week 6

IP, routing, and addressing: lab and review

Configure a small routing topology and diagnose paths. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 11IP, routing, and addressing: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 12IP, routing, and addressing: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 7
Week 8

UDP, TCP, and congestion control: lab and review

Measure latency, throughput, and retransmission behavior. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 15UDP, TCP, and congestion control: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 16UDP, TCP, and congestion control: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 9
Week 10

DNS, CDNs, and naming: lab and review

Trace resolution and caching behavior. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 19DNS, CDNs, and naming: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 20DNS, CDNs, and naming: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 11
Week 12

HTTP, QUIC, and application protocols: lab and review

Implement a small proxy or protocol client. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 23HTTP, QUIC, and application protocols: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 24HTTP, QUIC, and application protocols: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 13
Week 14

TLS, network security, and privacy: lab and review

Analyze handshakes, certificates, and common misconfigurations. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 27TLS, network security, and privacy: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 28TLS, network security, and privacy: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min
Week 15
Week 16

Network measurement and failure review: lab and review

Submit a network-measurement project and failure report. Complete the paired lab, record issues, and explain design tradeoffs in class review.

Session 31Network measurement and failure review: lab and review: Concepts, Cases, and Method90 minSession 32Network measurement and failure review: lab and review: Lab, Review, and Transfer90 min

Assessment

Individual assignments

Concept questions, reading responses, design tasks, and small programming or lab exercises.

25%
Labs and project

Protocol labs, packet analysis, network tools, and measurement reports.

40%
Participation and review

Participation in discussions, demos, code or paper reviews, and peer feedback.

10%
Final report and defense

Submit reproducible artifacts, a technical report, and a demo explaining methods, results, limitations, and future work.

25%

Course Project

Students complete a network measurement, protocol implementation, or troubleshooting project with packet traces, code, data, and analysis report.

Policies

  • AI tools are allowed, but generated code, lab notes, and design suggestions must be reviewed by the student and disclosed in the report.
  • Students may not submit code, proofs, configuration, or experimental results they cannot explain; each member must defend their own design, tests, and tradeoffs.
  • Late work affects iteration grades, but the course values reproducible, auditable, and maintainable results over last-minute accumulation.

Reference Courses

International

China 985 Universities