TCOM514: Basic Switching

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

George Mason University

Spring, 2008

Course Description:

Basic switching techniques and protocols for low and high speed digital packet networks (e.g. Ethernet, Frame Relay, ATM, X.25, MPLS) are taught within a half semester lecture series.  The lecture series is interleaved with a hands-on laboratory series.  Real life scenarios are taught in the laboratory element through exercises that involve configuring switches and routers.

Instructors:

Saeed Agbariah (lectures and lab session I)       
Email: tcom514(at)gmail(dot)com

Office Hours: by appointment, email to setup appointment

Roy Hu (lab session II)       
Email: rhu(at)gmu(dot)edu

Phone: 301-455-7193

Office Hours: by appointment, email to setup appointment

TA:  TBD

Course Meeting Time:  4:30-7:10pm

Lecture: Mondays in Robinson Hall A243

Lab Session I : Mondays in Johnson Center (G10C)

Lab Session II: Tuesdays in Johnson Center (G10C)

Course Texts (Optional)

1.   Data Communications and Networking.
Author: Behrouz A. Forouzan

3rd edition: ISBN: 0-07-251584-8
4th edition: ISBN: 0-07-325032-5

Course Grade Breakdown

Grades will be assessed on the following components

Lab: 30%                     Midterm: 30%                         Final: 40%

You can NOT make up the exams, and you must take the final during the scheduled timeslot -ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!! - Coordinate your travel accordingly^.

Lecture and labs
Lecture PowerPoint slides and lab procedures will be posted on WebCT.  Please login to https://webct41.gmu.edu to access the class folders.

Honor Code

“Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work.”

I reserve the right to compare Lab reports submitted by students to any other labs by any means necessary to identify violations of the GMU Honor Code. Please notice that the Dean has identified plagiarism as a serious problem at every level of study.

Students are required to be familiar and comply with the requirements of the GMU Honor Code.  The Honor Code will be strictly enforced in this course.