Purdue University · West Lafayette · Fall 2025
| Lecture (Section 001): Mon, Wed, Fri, 2:30–3:20pm in MATH 175 |
Instructor
Vishal Shrivastav
Assistant Professor
Office: BHEE 334B
vshriva@purdue.edu
Office Hours
Mon 4–5pm in BHEE 334B
The goal of this course is to provide students with a proper grounding in the fundamentals of computer networking. The course will cover classic concepts such as packet vs. circuit switching, Internet architecture principles, naming and addressing, routing, forwarding, reliability, flow control, congestion control, and software-defined networking. The course will also provide students a
All course materials and grades will be posted on Brightspace. We will use Piazza as the discussion forum to post and discuss questions regarding the course.
| 1. | Packet vs. Circuit Switching |
| 2. | Internet Architecture Principles |
| 3. | Socket Programming |
| 4. | Network Performance Metrics |
| 5. | Data Link Layer – MAC Addressing, ARP, CSMA/CD, Switched Ethernet, MAC Learning, STP |
| 6. | Network Layer – IP Addressing, NAT, IP Forwarding, Distance Vector, Link State, BGP, DNS |
| 7. | Transport Layer – UDP, TCP Reliability, TCP Flow Control, TCP Congestion Control |
| 8. | Application Layer – Web, HTTP, TLS, HTTPS, HTTP/2, QUIC |
| 9. | Software-defined Network |
Proficiency in C and Python programming languages and knowledge of data structures (ECE 36800).
Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (5th edition), by Peterson and Davie, Morgan Kaufmann, 2011, Hardcover ISBN: 9780123850591, eBook ISBN: 9780123850607. Note that while the class has a textbook, we will not follow its order of presentation; instead, we will use the textbook as a reference when covering each topic. The primary learning resources for this class will be the lecture slides and practice problem sets posted on Brightspace.
This course offers an Honors contract to aid students to go beyond the material of the regular course and to produce work that engages deeper learning. Students who sign up for the Honors contract will be required to complete one extra milestone in Lab 3 in addition to the regular coursework. The milestone under Honors contract will account for 5% of the total grade.
Some important notes about the Honors contract:
| ● | Any student is eligible to contract a course for Honors credit so long as his/her cumulative GPA is 3.00 or above. The student does not need to be in the Honors College. |
| ● | Once an Honors contract is successfully completed in a "regular" course, the word "Honors" is added to the name of the course, and this is the version that goes on the transcript. |
| ● | To opt for Honors contract, students must request a Grade Mode Change via myPurdue before the start of the 3rd week of classes in the semester (Sep 8, 2025). |
35% grade — Programming Labs
| Lab Description | Regular | Honors |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 1: HTTP Web Client | 5% | 5% |
| Lab 2: HTTP Web Server | 10% | 10% |
| Lab 3: Distributed Routing | 10% | 5% |
| Honors Milestone | – | 5% |
| Lab 4: Reliable Transport | 10% | 10% |
Lab 1 and Lab 2 will be in C while Lab 3 and Lab 4 will be in Python. All labs must be done individually with no collaboration and no use of AI tools allowed. No extensions will be granted for lab submissions as students will be given ample time to finish each lab.
65% grade — Exams
There will be 4 exams (1 prelim, 2 midterms, and 1 final). The preliminary exam will carry 5% credit while the two midterm exams and the final exam will carry 20% credit each. The syllabus for the exams will be non-cumulative, i.e., the syllabus for the next exam will not include topics covered in previous exams. All exams will be closed-book with no collaboration and no use of AI tools allowed.
Barring extraordinary circumstances (serious medical situations or family emergencies, accompanied by verification and a prior notification to the instructor), no
Students who are most active and helpful in answering questions on Piazza may receive bonus points.
If a lab is submitted within 24 hours (1 day) after the deadline — 25% grade penalty.
If a lab is submitted within 48 hours (2 days) after the deadline — 50% grade penalty.
No lab submissions will be accepted beyond 48 hours (2 days) after the deadline.
Students may submit
| ● |
Pranav Srisankar Graduate TA Office Hours Fri 4–6pm in BHEE 209 psrisank@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Francis Ozua Undergraduate TA Office Hours Tue 5–7pm in BHEE 209 fozua@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Aarav Sumit Patel Undergraduate TA Office Hours Wed 4–6pm in BHEE 209 pate1830@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Jacob Lawrence Undergraduate TA Office Hours Wed 4:30–6:30pm in BHEE 209 lawre104@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Basil Hasan Khwaja Undergraduate TA Office Hours Thu 4–6pm in BHEE 209 bkhwaja@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Akash Krishna Kumar Undergraduate TA Office Hours Thu 6–8pm in BHEE 209 kumar556@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Praneel Bhandari Undergraduate TA Office Hours Thu 6–8pm in BHEE 209 pmbhanda@purdue.edu |
| ● |
Joshua Mansky Undergraduate TA Office Hours Fri 4–6pm in BHEE 209 jmansky@purdue.edu |
Unless expressly allowed, students are expected to complete all exams and programming labs by themselves. No use of AI tools is allowed for completing the programming labs and exams. However, students are allowed to discuss general issues with other students (programming techniques, clearing up confusion about requirements, etc.). Students may discuss particular algorithmic issues on Piazza (but they must not post or copy code!). If there is any doubt, students should contact the instructor.
Course staff will be using software designed to catch plagiarism and use of AI tools in programming labs and copying on exams. A student is considered in violation of the academic honesty policy regardless of whether they are the one "copying" or the one "being copied from".
Academic integrity is one of the highest values that Purdue University holds. Individuals are encouraged to alert university officials to potential breaches of this value by either emailing integrity@purdue.edu or by calling
Punishments for academic dishonesty are severe, including receiving a failing grade in the course or being expelled from the university. By departmental rules, all instances of cheating will be reported to the Dean of Students. On the first instance of cheating on a programming lab or exam, students involved will receive a 0; the second instance of cheating will result in a failing grade in the course.
Use of Copyrighted Materials. All course materials, including lecture slides, practice problem sets, programming labs, exams, and solutions are subject to Purdue's copyright policies. Students must not share, distribute, or post any material on an online web site without checking with the instructor.