Announcements

  • Most announcements will be on Piazza.

Class Info

Class: TuTh 1:15–2:30, Science Center 101
Professor: Kevin Webb
Piazza: Q&A Forum
GitHub: Swarthmore GitHub Enterprise
Gradesource: Grade listing
Office: Sci 255
Office hours: Wednesdays 11:00 - Noon, Thursdays 2:30 - 4:00

Welcome to CS43. This course will introduce fundamental ideas in computer networking. The structure of this course may be different from most other CS courses at Swarthmore. We'll be using a teaching model called Peer Instruction, which places a strong emphasis on classroom discussion and student interaction.

The course is composed of the following:

Required Textbook:

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach by Kurose and Ross
ISBN: 978-0132856201
We'll be using the sixth edition.

Goals for the course:

By the end of the course, we hope that you will have developed the skills to:

Schedule

This is a tentative schedule; it may change as we go. You should read the assigned sections before class to prepare for the reading quiz. All readings refer to the Kurose and Ross textbook unless otherwise indicated (e.g., there's a link to some other source).

Lab Policy

This course features regular lab assignments that account for the largest component of your course grade. Lab attendance is required by all students, unless you have already completed and submitted the lab assignment for the week. Additionally, the cs labs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for you to use for CS43 lab assignments. While you must attend the lab session for which you are registered, you may optionally attend additional lab sessions, provided space is available. In case of space constraints, students registered for the lab will have seating priority.

Lab assignments will typically be assigned during the lab sections on Friday will generally be due by midnight on Thursday 1-2 weeks later. You are strongly encouraged to start early!

Even if you do not fully complete an assignment, you should submit what you have done to receive partial credit.

Weekly Lab Sessions
Section 1 Fridays 2:15—3:45 Science Center 256
Section 2 Fridays 4:00—5:30 Science Center 256

Accessing the CS labs after hours

You can use your ID to gain access to the computer labs at nights and on the weekends. Just wave your ID over the microprox reader next to the lab doors. When the green light goes on, just push on the door handle to get in (the door knob will not turn). If the green light doesn't go on, then we need to enter your microprox number into the system. If you have issues with the door locks, send an email to local-staff@cs.swarthmore.edu. If the building is locked, you can use your ID to enter the door between Martin and Cornell library. For this class, your ID will give you access to the labs in rooms 238, 240, and 256.

Grading

Grades will be weighted as follows:
35%Lab assignments (3% for the first, 7% for the last, 5% for the rest)
30%Final Exam
25%Midterm Exam
  5%Reading Quizzes (I will drop your three lowest quizzes.)
  5%Class Participation

How to Succeed in CS 43

Academic Integrity

Academic honesty is required in all your work. Under no circumstances may you hand in work done with (or by) someone else under your own name. Your code should never be shared with anyone; you may not examine or use code belonging to someone else, nor may you let anyone else look at or make a copy of your code. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining solutions from students who previously took the course or code that can be found online. You may not share solutions after the due date of the assignment or make them publicly available anywhere (e.g. public GitHub repository).

Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is fine (in fact, we encourage you to discuss general strategies with each other), but you should never read anyone else's code or let anyone else read your code. All code you submit must be your own with the following permissible exceptions: code distributed in class, code found in the course text book, and code worked on with an assigned partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments that indicates on which parts of the assignment you received help, and what your sources were.

Failure to abide by these rules constitutes academic dishonesty and will lead to a hearing of the College Judiciary Committee. According to the Faculty Handbook: "Because plagiarism is considered to be so serious a transgression, it is the opinion of the faculty that for the first offense, failure in the course and, as appropriate, suspension for a semester or deprivation of the degree in that year is suitable; for a second offense, the penalty should normally be expulsion."

Please contact me if you have any questions about what is permissible in this course.

Academic Accommodations

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Leslie Hempling in the Office of Student Disability Services (Parrish 113) or email lhempli1 to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs. As appropriate, she will issue students with documented disabilities a formal Accommodations Letter. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact her as soon as possible. For details about the accommodations process, visit the Student Disability Service website.

To receive an accommodation for a course activity, you must have an Accomodation Authorization letter from Leslie Hempling and you need to meet with me to work out the details of your accommodation at least one week prior to the activity.

You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through Leslie Hempling in the Office Of Student Disability Services.

Links that are related to the course may be posted here. If you have suggestions for links, let me know.

Beej's Guide to Network Programming