Course Description -

The class will equip students with three specific skills:

• Presentation: Each student will give one 30-minute presentation on a particular topic of their choice from a list suggested by the instructor. There will be questions and answers following each presentation.
• Laboratory Exercises: Each student will conduct three lab exercises on routing and TCP with Cisco routers and Linux workstations. The exercises will familiarize students with modern routers and common tools for network diagnosis and data analysis.
• Class Project: Each student (or a team of two students) will implement and demonstrate a systems project. Students may choose their projects from a list suggested by the instructor, or define their own ones with the instructor's approval.

• A good reference book on Cisco IOS, such as Cisco IOS in a Nutshell.
• A good book on Unix/Linux system administration, such as Essential System Administration or The Unix System Administration Handbook.
• A good book on Perl scripting such as Learning Perl. Alternatively, there are many Web based Perl tutorials. Find one that you like.
• Depending on the kind of project you do, you might need to understand the Linux kernel internals. You can look at a book such as Linux Kernel Development, Linux Device Drivers, or The Linux TCP/IP Stack: Networking for Embedded Systems.

Class participation:		10%
Presentation:		15%
Lab exercises:		35%
Project:		40%

Pleaes also note the following:

• The above percentages will be used to calculate your total score. Final grades (A,B,C,D,or F) will be determined using a modified curve (i.e., we won't necessarily assign an equal number of failing grades as passing grades) based on this total score. No other methods will be considered. (So, please do not ask the instructor to take how much you have improved since the beginning of the semester into account. You are expected to try your best from the beginning!)

• We will assign grades of C and below to individuals who do not perform satisfactorily in the above areas. (i.e., you should not assume a B- or even C if you perform unsatisfactorily.) However, we hope that most students will perform well.

• Your assignments are your own work! No group assignments are allowed or will be tolerated. You are free to talk to other students about assignments but no actual material (files, photocopies etc.) should be shared. We will act harshly at any sign of copying.

• We will not assign incompletes unless it is for a documented medical reason (in accordance with USC policy).

If you are unable to complete an assignment due to illness or family emergency, please let the instructor know as soon as possible to get an extension. A doctor's note is required as proof of illness or emergency.

You are welcome to make an appointment to see the instructor outside of office hours.

This policy also holds for  programming assignments. In this class, we will use sophisticated automated program checkers to detect cheating. Be aware that the program checkers have demonstrated very good results and are widely used within the academic community. Any student caught cheating will be given zero credit and will be disciplined.

It is the students responsibility to submit their assignments to the TA in time. 

For students who satisfied the CSci402 prerequisite at other universities or through work experience, this course assumes that you are familiar with programming on the UNIX platform. You should be able to write programs in C/C++ and be familiar with the UNIX development environment (vi/pico/emacs, cc/gcc or g++/CC, make, etc.) No special assistance or consideration will be offered if your background is inadequate.

You are expected to read all the papers in detail. Not all details will be covered in class.  We will assume knowledge of material covered in CSci402 and a C language programming proficiency from CSci402 or its equivalent. If you covered the introductory material at some other school it is YOUR responsibility to fill in any missing background. Feel free to ask me for advice on appropriate introductory readings if you feel your background is insufficient.

We expect you to attend every class meeting. If you do happen to miss a session, you are responsible for finding out what material was covered and if any administrative announcements were made. You must do so BEFORE the next session (e.g., if there is an assignment given during the missed session, you are still responsible for completing it by the next week along with the other students).  You are advised to read the papers for a particular lecture before attending the lecture. This will greatly enhance your understanding of the subject matter.

• C Programming (by Steve Holmes at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, England) - includes notes on make, separate compilation, file I/O, etc.
• Makefile tutorial (at Indiana University)
• C/C++ at USC from USC ISDWeb
• Steve's Software Trek (by Steve Karg) - includes some useful C/C++ source code for string manipulation, INI file manipulation, etc.

• C/C++ Documentation (compiling, linking, additional libraries, include files) from USC ISDWeb
• UNIX Documentation (concepts, commands, X-Windows) from USC ISDWeb
• UNIXhelp for Users from the University of Edinburgh
• Emacs Documentation from USC ISDWeb
• Vi Text EditorDocumentation from USC ISDWeb
• General information on operating systems, productivity applications, Internet connectivity, e-mail and web publishing at USC, can be found at the ISD software site