Learning objectives
Provide a knowledge of the basic mechanisms that govern some of the most known and used protocols in the Internet, and of the applications of common use in everyday life.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of telecommunication networks, their architectures and protocols.
Course unit content
General principles of communications in computer and integrated networks (3 hours).
International legislation and documentation (2 hours).
Coding of written information (3 hours).
Main application protocols leading the Internet world, with particular reference to the Web (29 hours).
Voice applications based in TCP/IP environment (5 hours).
Full programme
- Review of reference models at OSI, ISDN, and Internet layers.
- Connection-oriented and connection-less protocols and communications.
- Transport protocols and client/server schema in TCP/IP environments.
- International OSI and ITU standard, Internet documentation: RFCs.
- Coding of written texts: ASCII, 8-bit extensions: the ISO8859x family. Unicode and its encodings. Use of hexadecimal editor (HEX) for text file analysis.
- The Domain Name System (DNS): concepts, Resource Record, protocols.
- Known application protocols: TELNET, SMTP, and use of a TELNET client as a diagnostic tool.
- Use of network services for DNS query. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).
- Email and POP3/IMAP protocols. Email Formatting: RFC2821, MIME extension, internationalisation.
- The World Wide Web (WWW) and its standards. Addressing: URI and URL.
- The HTTP protocol: versions, connection management, methods, authentication, security.
- Intermediate systems: proxy, gateway, tunnel.
- Client tracking and management of HTTP sessions using cookies.
- Secure Web transactions using the TLS protocol and related issues.
- Recent developments: the HTTP / 2 protocol.
- Web robots: purposes and related problems.
- Circuit telephone/cellular network and its interaction with TCP/IP: VoIP and Internet Telephony.
- Problems related to voice packaging, the RTP protocol.
- Signalling aspects, the SIP protocol.
- Exercises on the use of utilities for network analysis, analysis of textual protocols using TELNET clients, use of nslookup for DNS queries, use of Wireshark for protocol analysis, composition of email messages, experiments with SIP protocol, configuration of HTTP servers.
Bibliography
D. Gourley and B. Totty: HTTP-The definitive guide, O'REILLY, ISBN 9781565925090
W. Stevens: TCP/IP Illustrated, vol. 3, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 9780201634952
Ludin, Garza: Learning HTTP/2: A Practical Guide for Beginners, O'REILLY, ISBN 9781491962442
Teaching methods
Lectures (based on the ways allowed by the health situation) and computer exercises.
Assessment methods and criteria
Two midterm evaluations (in mixed mode, with closed and open answers) and a final project (to be developed individually or in small groups, max 2/3 people). Eventual final oral tests, at the discretion of the teacher.
Other information
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