COMP3331-COMP9331: Computer Networks and Applications

20% Lab Exercises
20% Mid-Term
20% Assignment
40% Final

Prerequisite: COMP1927 or COMP2521 or MTRN3500

Assessments: The midterm was okay, as were the labs (the tutorial/lab sessions were basically 1 hour shorter than prescribed most of the time, and you got all the answers to the lab questions in them, all in detail, with a Q&A at the end) but the assignment was super frustrating to work through. Now it wasn't particularly hard if you broke past the few roadblocks, but the roadblocks were absolute killers. For those not well acquainted with key concepts not taught either in this course or in any prerequisites (multithreading in particular), it was a real struggle to get started. After this, though it was okay to work through. The assignment also had only minimal overlap with core content; while I get it was supposed to teach how TCP and UDP worked on low-level applications, this was only a small portion of core content. It felt more like a software development assignment than a networks one, and was eerily reminiscent of a COMP1531 assignment.

The course was otherwise above the minimum standard from what I'd expect from university - it wasn't absolutely brilliant or absolute garbage by any measure (it's really hard to describe!). Personally, the core content was slightly boring but I think it was taught well. If I can describe this any better I'll come back to this

2x 2 hour lectures
1x 2 hour tutorial/lab

3/5

Yes

Wen Hu

On course website

3/5

From Course Outline 21T1

Course Textbook:
Computer Networking - A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet, J. Kurose and K. Ross, Pearson, 7th Edition, 2017 (Sixth edition will suffice for most parts).

Reference Texts:
Unix Network 1 - Networking APIs: Sockets and XTI, W. Richard Stevens, Prentice Hall, Second Edition, 1998.
Java Network Programming, E. R. Harold, O'Reilly, Third Edition, 2004.
Learning Python, Mark Lutz, O'Reilly, Fifth Edition, 2013.
Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie, Morgan Kaufmann, Fifth Edition, 2011.
Introduction to Computer Networks and Cybersecurity, John Wu and J. David Irwin, CRC Press, 2013.
Computer Networks, Andrew Tanenbaum and David Wetherall, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2010.

21T1

88 HD