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2.9. Networking and Communication (NC)

Networking and communication play a central role in interconnected computer systems that are transforming the daily lives of billions of people. The public internet provides connectivity for networked applications that serve ever-increasing numbers of individuals and organizations around the world. Complementing the public sector, major proprietary networks leverage their global footprints to support cost-effective distributed computing, storage, and content delivery. Advances in satellite networks expand connectivity to rural areas. Device-to-device communication underlies the emerging Internet of Things.

This knowledge area deals with key concepts in networking and communication, as well as their representative instantiations in the internet and other computer networks. Besides the basic principles of switching and layering, the area at its core provides knowledge on naming, addressing, reliability, error control, flow control, congestion control, domain hierarchy, routing, forwarding, modulation, encoding, framing, and access control. The area also covers knowledge units in network security and mobility, such as security threats, countermeasures, device-to-device communication, and multi-hop wireless networking. In addition to the fundamental principles, the area includes their specific realization of the Internet as well as hands-on skills in the implementation of networking and communication concepts. Finally, the area comprises emerging topics such as network virtualization and quantum networking.

As the main learning outcome, learners develop a thorough understanding of the role and operation of networking and communication in networked computer systems. They learn how network structure and communication protocols affect the behavior of distributed applications. The area can be used to educate not only key principles but also their specific instantiations in the internet and equip the student with hands-on implementation skills. While computer-system, networking, and communication technologies are advancing at a fast pace, the gained fundamental knowledge enables the student to readily apply the concepts in new technological settings.

Knowledge Area (KA)	CS Core	KA Core
2.9.1 Fundamentals of Networks and Communications	3
2.9.2 Networked Applications	4
2.9.3 Reliability Support		6
2.9.4 Routing and Forwarding		4
2.9.5 Single Hop Communication		3
2.9.6 Network Security		3
2.9.7 Mobility Support		4
2.9.8 Emerging Topics		4

2.9.1. NC/Fundamentals of Networks and Communications  (CS Core: 3 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Importance of networking in contemporary computing, and associated challenges. See also: Digital Equity and Accessibility , Social Impact and AI , Civil Liberties and Expression , Data, Surveillance and Privacy Technology , Privacy Philosophical Foundations and Legislation
• Organization of the internet (e.g., users, Internet Service Providers, autonomous systems, content providers, content delivery networks)
• Switching techniques (e.g., circuit and packet)
• Layers and their roles (application, transport, network, datalink, and physical)
• Layering principles (e.g., encapsulation and hourglass model). See also: Digital Systems and Logic , Sequential and Parallel Processing , State Machines
• Network elements (e.g., routers, switches, hubs, access points, and hosts)
• Basic queueing concepts (e.g., relationship with latency, congestion, service levels, etc.)

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Articulate the organization of the internet [Articulate]
2. List and define the appropriate network terminology [List]
3. Describe the layered structure of a typical networked architecture [Describe]
4. Identify the different types of complexity in a network (edges, core, etc.) [Analyze]

2.9.2. NC/Networked Applications  (CS Core: 4 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Naming and address schemes (e.g., DNS, and Uniform Resource Identifiers)
• Distributed application paradigms (e.g., client/server, peer-to-peer, cloud, edge, and fog). See also: Communication , Coordination
• Diversity of networked application demands (e.g., latency, bandwidth, and loss tolerance). See also: Communication , Sustainable Design and Pervasive Computing , Environmental Footprint of Computing Systems , Systemic Effects and Social Context , Digital Equity and Accessibility , Social Impact and AI
• Coverage of application-layer protocols (e.g., HTTP)
• Interactions with TCP, UDP, and Socket APIs. See also: Programs: Distribution , Programs: Execution Properties , GPU Programming , Programs: Implementation Mappings , Programs: Declarative Parallelism , Programs: Starting Activities

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Define the principles of naming, addressing, resource location [Define]
2. Analyze the needs of specific networked application demands [Analyze]
3. Describe the details of one application layer protocol [Describe]
4. Implement a simple client-server socket-based application [Implement]

2.9.3. NC/Reliability Support  (KA Core: 6 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Unreliable delivery (e.g., UDP)
• Principles of reliability (e.g., delivery without loss, duplication, or out of order). See also: System Reliability
• Error control (e.g., retransmission, error correction)
• Flow control (e.g., stop and wait, window based)
• Congestion control (e.g., implicit and explicit congestion notification)
• TCP and performance issues (e.g., Tahoe, Reno, Vegas, Cubic)

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe the operation of reliable delivery protocols [Describe]
2. List the factors that affect the performance of reliable delivery protocols [List]
3. Describe some TCP reliability design issues [Describe]
4. Design and implement a simple reliable protocol [Design]

2.9.4. NC/Routing and Forwarding  (KA Core: 4 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Routing paradigms and hierarchy (e.g., intra/inter domain, centralized and decentralized, source routing, virtual circuits, QoS)
• Forwarding methods (e.g., forwarding tables and matching algorithms)
• IP and Scalability issues (e.g., NAT, CIDR, BGP, different versions of IP)

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe various routing paradigms and hierarchies [Describe]
2. Describe how packets are forwarded in an IP network [Describe]
3. Describe how the Internet tackles scalability challenges [Describe]

2.9.5. NC/Single Hop Communication  (KA Core: 3 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Introduction to modulation, bandwidth, and communication media
• Encoding and Framing
• Medium Access Control (MAC) (e.g., random access and scheduled access)
• Ethernet and WiFi
• Switching (e.g., spanning trees, VLANS).
• Local Area Network Topologies (e.g., data center, campus networks).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe some basic aspects of modulation, bandwidth, and communication media [Describe]
2. Describe in detail a MAC protocol [Describe]
3. Demonstrate understanding of encoding and framing solution tradeoffs [Demonstrate]
4. Describe details of the implementation of Ethernet [Describe]
5. Describe how switching works [Describe]
6. Describe one kind of a LAN topology [Describe]

2.9.6. NC/Network Security  (KA Core: 3 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• General intro about security (Threats, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures). See also: Computer Crimes and Attacks , Security Laws, Policies and Responsibility , AI and Hardware Security , Access Control and Applications , Security Mindset and Principles , Security Design and Controls Engineering , Threat Analysis and Security Engineering , Trusted Computing and Privacy Engineering
• Network specific threats and attack types (e.g., denial of service, spoofing, sniffing and traffic redirection, attacker-in-the-middle, message integrity attacks, routing attacks, ransomware, and traffic analysis). See also: AI and Hardware Security , Access Control and Applications , Security Mindset and Principles , Security Design and Controls Engineering , Threat Analysis and Security Engineering , Trusted Computing and Privacy Engineering
• Countermeasures:
• Cryptography (e.g. SSL, TLS, symmetric/asymmetric)
• Architectures for secure networks (e.g., secure channels, secure routing protocols, secure DNS, VPNs, DMZ, Zero Trust Network Access, hyper network security, anonymous communication protocols, isolation)
• Network monitoring, intrusion detection, firewalls, spoofing and DoS protection, honeypots, tracebacks, BGP Sec, RPKI enumerate

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe some of the threat models of network security [Describe]
2. Describe specific network-based countermeasures [Describe]
3. Analyze various aspects of network security from a case study [Analyze]

2.9.7. NC/Mobility Support  (KA Core: 4 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Principles of cellular communication (e.g., 4G, 5G)
• Principles of Wireless LANs (mainly 802.11)
• Device to device communication (e.g., IoT communication)
• Multi-hop wireless networks (e.g., ad hoc networks, opportunistic, delay tolerant)

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe some aspects of cellular communication such as registration [Describe]
2. Describe how 802.11 supports mobile users [Describe]
3. Describe practical uses of device-to-device communication, as well as multihop [Describe]
4. Describe one type of mobile network such as ad hoc [Describe]

2.9.8. NC/Emerging Topics  (KA Core: 4 hrs) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Middleboxes (e.g., advances in usage of AI, intent-based networking, filtering, deep packet inspection, load balancing, NAT, CDN)
• Network Virtualization (e.g., SDN, Data Center Networks)
• Quantum Networking (e.g., Intro to the domain, teleportation, security, Quantum Internet)
• Satellite, mmWave, Visible Light

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe the value of advances in middleboxes in networks [Describe]
2. Describe the importance of Software Defined Networks [Describe]
3. Describe some of the added value achieved by using Quantum Networking [Describe]