Q. How does Cs 519 compare to the Computer Networks course taught by Zygmunt Haas (EE 445)? A.
The goal is for there to be two major differences
(Feedback from those of you who have taken both
would be very helpful.)
First, ee445 focuses on theoretical
performance analysis while cs519 would focus on
implementation and possibly performance evaluation
of actual implemenations. Second, ee445 will focus
more on the IP layer and below while cs519 will
focus more on IP layer and above. Both courses
will cover the full protocol stack for students
taking only one course, but the emphasis will be
different. Students taking both courses would
see some of the material twice but the overall
courses should give students two very different
but complementary windows on the same material.
Q. Do I need to buy both textbooks? A.
I would recommend buying a hardcopy of the Stevens book
and getting an online subscription to the Kurose
and Ross book. The Kurose and Ross book is great for
the high level overview and motivation. It also proceeds
top-down through the protocol stack as we will be doing
in class so reading it will seem more natural. The Stevens
book is a gem for its clear presentation of the details.
You could probably get the high level overview on your
own but it would be hard to get the details without
the Stevens text.
Of course, having both in hardcopy
isn't a bad idea and the Kurose and Ross hardcopy comes
with access to the on-line text.
