OVERVIEW

The class aims at deepening the knowledge of the main architectural aspects and protocols at the basis of the Internet and its evolution. It is essentially organized in four parts, addressing IP and TCP and related protocols, WiFi, protocols and techniques for advanced networking (network management, Quality of Service, multimedia services over best effort networks, virtualisation); and fundamentals of telecommunications network security.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The module aims to provide knowledge and skills on the foundations of modern networking systems based on the TCP/IP protocol suite. Such protocols will be discussed by especially focusing on network performance, design, and operations aspects. The topics will be presented through a mix of theory and applicative examples.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main goal is to provide a deeper knowledge of the Internet architecture and of some of the main underlying protocols, starting from the basic elements acquired in an undergraduate course in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) area. More specifically, after reviewing IPv4 addressing principles and related protocols at the network layer, the lectures will touch IPv6, routing algorithms and protocols, and multicast; then, congestion control techniques and their implementations in TCP will be considered.

PREREQUISITES

Students are expected to have a base background in network protocols and reference layered architectures.

TEACHING METHODS

The course combines interactive lectures and hands-on laboratory activities to provide both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Approximately 40 hours are devoted to interactive lectures, during which the instructor presents the course topics while actively engaging students through questions, discussions, and audience response systems (e.g., Wooclap or equivalent tools) to promote participation and formative assessment. The remaining 8 hours are dedicated to laboratory sessions, where students work with network emulators to gain practical experience in the configuration, analysis, and evaluation of networking scenarios. These activities reinforce the theoretical concepts introduced during the lectures through guided hands-on exercises.

All teaching activities are delivered in hybrid mode, with the instructor teaching on campus while students may attend either in person or remotely via Microsoft Teams. The online component is synchronous, enabling remote students to actively participate in lectures and laboratory sessions. All synchronous sessions are recorded and made available to students for subsequent review and study.

Hours dedicated to Teaching Delivery

• Hybrid teaching: 48 hours

Note: Recordings of the live sessions are provided solely as supporting learning material and are not considered asynchronous teaching activities, as they are recordings of synchronous classes rather than purpose-designed asynchronous video lectures.

Hours dedicated to Interactive Teaching

No additional tutor-led interactive teaching activities are planned beyond the scheduled teaching hours.

Teaching Methods and Approaches

The course adopts a combination of complementary teaching approaches:

• Interactive lectures to introduce and discuss theoretical concepts, encouraging active student participation through questions, discussions, and real-time polling tools.
• Hands-on laboratory sessions based on network emulators, allowing students to apply theoretical concepts in realistic networking scenarios through guided practical exercises.
• Case-based discussions and examples drawn from real networking environments to illustrate design choices, protocols, and operational issues.
• Formative assessment through in-class questions and interactive activities to monitor students' understanding and provide immediate feedback.

The overall teaching approach emphasizes the integration of theoretical foundations with practical experience, fostering active learning and student engagement throughout the course. Student interaction is integrated into the scheduled teaching activities through discussions, question-and-answer sessions, audience response systems (e.g., Wooclap or equivalent tools), and guided laboratory exercises.

Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), disabilities or other educational needs are invited to contact the teacher and the School's contact person for disability at the beginning of teaching to agree on possible teaching arrangements that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning patterns. Contacts of the teacher and the School's disability contact person can be found at the following link Comitato di Ateneo per l’inclusione delle studentesse e degli studenti con disabilità o con DSA | UniGe | Università di Genova

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• IEEE 802.3
  • Supported physical layers
  • MAC addresses
  • Forwarding
  • Spanning tree
  • Virtual LAN

• Internet Architecture and Protocols
  • IPv4 review (management of IP addresses, ARP, ICMP);
  • Autonomous Systems
  • IP routing algorithms and protocols (OSPF, BGP) 
  • IPv6;
  • UDP/TCP
• Experimental Laboratories:
  • Introduction to PacketTracer
  • Layer 2 forwarding and VLANs
  • Layer 3 routing

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

- Course material on Aulaweb  (https://www.aulaweb.unige.it): copy of all lecture slides

- J. F. Kurose, K. W. Ross, Computer Networking – A Top-Down Approach, 9th Ed., Pearson Education, Upper Saddle river, NJ, 2025.

Students with disabilities or learning disorders are allowed to use specific modalities and supports (e.g., audio and video lesson recordings). See the Further Information section for more details.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/10378/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Mandatory written examination about the topics in the syllabus of the teaching unit, with maximum admissible mark equal to 24/30.

Mandatory test on the experimental laboratory, related to the activities in the syllabus, with a maximum admissible mark equal to 1/30 that will be added to the mark of the written examination.

If a student obtains a sufficient mark (equal to 21/30) from the two previous examinations, then he/she can also optionally take an additional oral examination with maximum admissible mark equal to 30/30 with honors.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Within the mandatory written examination, the student's knowledge of the main concepts discussed in the teaching unit shall be evaluated.

Within the experimental laboratory test, the critical thinking and problem solving capability of students will be evaluated in simple but common networking environments.

Within the oral examination, it will be assessed the student’s capability to address simple problems of networking applications and his/her capacity to critically discuss the related methodological bases.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Ask the professor for other information not included in the teaching schedule.