1. CS 3700 Networks and Distributed Systems
Christo Wilson
8/22/2012
CS 3700 Networks and Distributed Systems
Lecture 1: Logistics
(a.k.a., setting the ground rules)
Defense

2. Hello! Welcome to CS 3700 Who am I? Are you in the right classroom?
Okay, good.
Who am I?
Professor David Choffnes
ISEC 613
Office Hours: 10am-11am Wednesdays (ISEC 613)
Is it 10am-11am on Wednesday?
YES: Feel free to interrupt me and come on in
NO: Urgent? the TAs. Personal? me.

3. Anti-Social Media Don’t friend me on Facebook
It’s nothing personal
Follow me on
Pure, unadulterated self-promotion
LinkedIn: I probably won’t add you, so please don’t ask

4. Your TAs TAs Email: cs3700sp18-staff@ccs.neu.edu
Aditya Kulkarni
Gagan Shantha Kumar
Ashwin ShivaShankar
Office Hours (locations TBD)
4-5pm Monday
7-8pm Wednesday
10am Friday

5. Why Take This Course?
How many of you have checked your , FB, text…
Today?
In the past hour?
Since I started talking?

6. Computer networks are ubiquitous
Networks touch every part of our daily life
Web search
Social networking
Watching movies
Ordering merchandise
Wasting time

7. Computer networks are ubiquitous
Networking is one of the most critical topics in CS
There would be no…
Big Data
Cloud
Apps or Mobile Computing
Streaming video
WoW
Social Networks
VoIP …
… without networks

8. Goals Fundamental understanding about computer networks
All the way from bits on a wire…
… across the ever-evolving Internet…
… to a distributed applications
Focus on software and protocols
Not hardware
Minimal theory
Project-centric, hands on experience
Programming APIs
Network Simulation
Application-level protocols
Distributed systems

9. Online Resources http://david.choffnes.com/classes/cs3700sp18
Class forum is on Piazza
Sign up today!
Install their iPhone/Android app
When in doubt, post to Piazza
Piazza is preferable to
If you me a question, I will tell you to post it on Piazza
Use folders (homework1, lecture2, project3, etc.)

10. Teaching Style I am a network researcher Solution: ask questions!
Things make sense to me that may not make sense to you
I talk fast if nobody stops me
Solution: ask questions!
Seriously, ask questions (interrupting me is OK!)
Standing up here in silence is very awkward
I will stand here until you answer my questions
Help me learn your names
Say your name before each question
… but there are 70+ of you, so...

11. Textbook Two textbooks, both optional
Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (Peterson and Davie, 5th Edition)
Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design (Coulouris etal., 5th Edition)

12. Workload Projects (5) 4%, 14%, 10%, 8%, and 14% (respectively)
Homeworks (10)
1.5% each
Midterm
15%
Final
Participation 5%

13. Projects This course is project-centric 5 projects
Designed to give you real networking experience
Start early!
Seriously, start early!
5 projects
Due at 11:59:59pm on Friday of specified week
Use turn-in scripts to submit your code, documentation, etc.
Working code is critical

14. Project Logistics Languages
You may choose the language for the projects
Code must compile on the CCIS Linux machines
Project 1 will be out on Thursday, due January 19th
Project questions?
Post them on Piazza!

15. Project Groups Projects will be completed in groups of two
Except for project 1
And unless we have odd numbers…
Partner selection
I will pick partners for you
In part based on performance in the class so far
Same group for 2&3, one-time swap for 4&5
Extra incentive to do well on homework, initial projects

16. Late Policy
Each student is given 4 slip days that they can use at any time to extend a deadline
You don’t need to ask me, just turn-in stuff late
Slip days available = average of group members’ slip days
i.e. if one member has zero slip days left and the other has two, the whole group has one slip day available
Assignments are due at 11:59:59, no exceptions
1 second late = 1 hour late = 1 day late
20% off per day late

17. In Class Participation
This is a high-level college course
I’m not taking attendance
I don’t care if you skip lecture
That said, please come and participate!
Ask questions!
Ideally, I want to know everyone’s name by the end of the semester
Participation is 5% of your grade
If you ask questions in class, post on Piazza, turn in homework, then you’ll earn all 5%
If you routinely don’t show up to class, or are disruptive, you’ll get nothing

18. Exams Midterm and Final All exams are:
2 hours, midterm in class
The final will be cumulative, date TBD by registrar
All exams are:
Closed book, leave the laptop at home
If I see a smartphone, I will take it and use it for research
You are allowed to bring an 8.5x11, double-sided cheat sheet
Guessing is strongly discouraged
You get 20% of points for leaving a question blank
0% if you have both a right answer and a wrong answer

19. Grade Changes Each student gets two challenges
Modeled after NFL system
If you ask for a regrade and you are wrong, you lose a challenge
When you are out of challenges, you cannot ask for regrading
Must come to office hours with the following in writing:
Specify the problem(s) you want regraded
For each problem, explain why the grade is in error
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Regrading minor things does not make me a happy Professor
If the change is <5% of the grade, don’t bother
More details on the website

20. Cheating Do not do it Cheating is an automatic zero
Seriously, don’t make me say it again
Cheating is an automatic zero
I will send any and all suspects to OSCCR without exception
CCIS is also tracking cheating, with stricter enforcement
Project code must be original
You and your groupmates only
Unless we give you starter code, obviously
StackOverflow/Quora are not your friends
Copying from public Githubs will get you an F grade
If you have questions about an online resource, ask us

21. Final Grades
At the end of the semester, all of your grades will sum to 100 points
= 100
Final grades are based on a simple scale:
A >92, A , B , B 83-86, B , …
I don’t curve grades
Homeworks
Projects
Exams
Participation

22. Schedule Overview Networks Distributed Systems Christo Wilson
8/22/2012
Schedule Overview
Networks
Distributed
Systems
Defense

23. Christo Wilson
8/22/2012
Schedule Overview
Distributed
Systems
Defense

24. Questions?