CSE 310: Computer Networks (Fall 2026)

Semester

Fall 2026

Instructor

Aruna Balasubramanian

Course Time

TTh 8.00am - 9.20am

Location

Engineering 143

Contact Info

Instructor email: arunab@cs.stonybrook.edu
Instructor office: Room 337, New Computer Science

Office hours: 
Monday 10.00am-11.00am NCS 337
Thursday 3.00pm-4.00pm Zoom (Zoom link posted in Ed)

Announcement

Description

The goal of this course is to cover the introductory topics in networking. We will learn how the Internet and the cloud works. We will learn what constitutes the "Internet", and how information is transmitted from one part of the world to another. More importantly we will learn the design patterns and general principles in designing Computer Networks. We we learn networking concepts using the OSI layer abstraction going from the application layer all the way down to the physical layer. The class will have a mix of programming assignments and homeworks, take-home exams, and a final exam.

Textbooks

I will teach the course top-down from the application layer down to the physical layer. I will use the following textbook

Computer Networks, A Top Down Approach by Kurose and Ross 7th edition.

Grading

There are several components in this class: Assignments, Homeworks, and Exams.  The grading criteria are as follows:

Midterms (2 midterms): 20% each
Cumulative final exam: 25% 
In-class quiz or class participation (Tentative): 5%
Assignments with both programming questions and conceptual questions (3, 10 points each): 30%

Midterms and final exam: The midterms and final exam exams are in-person and timed. All the exams are closed book  but I allow a 1-page cheat sheet. The final exam is comprehensive.

In-class quiz: There will be periodic in-class quizzes. There will be no make ups allowed for the quiz under any circumstances. However, I will only consider the top 80% of the quiz grades. So if we have 5 quizzes, I will consider the top 4 quiz grades for (so you can miss one quiz without penalty)

Assignments: There will be 3 assignments in all.  The Assignments should be submitted before 9.00pm on the day they are due. You will get 2 weeks for each assignment. The assignments will have a programming component which should be programmed in Python. Each assignment will also have a set of conceptual questions. The assignments will be submitted through GradeScope (link from BrightSpace)

Grace period: You get a 48 hours grace period spanning all 3 assignments. You will not be penalized as long as the total hours that you are late does not exceed 48 hours across your assignments. 

Late submission policy: 

If you submit your assignment at hour h after your deadline (after your grace period), the penalty is as follows

  • If 0 < h <= 5, you will be penalized 5% of your grade
  • If 5 < h <=15 hours, you will be penalized 8% of your grade,
  • If 15 < h <= 24, you will be penalized 15% of your grade
  • If 24 < h <= 48, you will be penalized 30% of your grade
  • If 48 < h <= 72, you will be penalized 40% of your grade
  • If 72 < h <= 96, you will be penalized 60% of your grade,
  • h > 96, you cannot submit the homework.

Tentative Schedule

 

Date Topic Readings Notes
08/25/2026 Introduction No reading  
Application Layer      
08/27/2026 Application

1.5, 2.1.1, (2.1.2 covered in Transport),

2.1.5

 
09/01/2026 Web, HTTP 2.2 (except cookies)  
09/03/2026 DNS    
09/08/2026 CDNs  2.6.3 Programming assignment 1 out 09/08, due 09/22
09/10/2026 No class No class Instructor traveling
Transport Layer      
9/15/2026 Introduction to Transport layer 3.1, 3.2, 2.7  
9/17/2026 Introduction to TCP 3.3.1, 3.5.1, 3.5.2  
9/22/2026 Flow control, congestion control 3.5.3, 3.5.4, 3.5.5 Programming assignment due 09/22
9/24/2025 Congestion control 3.6.1, 3.7 (excluding 3.7.1 or 3.7.2), 3.3 (no checksums)  
Midterm #1      
09/29/2025 In class midterm   Midterm #1
Transport layer continued      
10/01/2026 Congestion control + UDP + Wireshark tutorial   Assignment 2 out 10/01, due 10/13
10/06/2026 HTTP2/HTTP3    
10/08/2026 HTTP/3    
10/13/2026 No class, Fall break   No class, Fall break
Network Layer      
10/15/2026 Introduction to network layer and IP addressing 4.3.3 (details of DHCP excluded) Assignment 2 due 10/15
10/20/2026 IP addressing     
10/22/2026 IP forwarding 4.2  
10/27/2026 IP layer + VAN + NATs 4.3.1, 4.3.4, 4.3.5  
10/29/2026 Intra-domain routing 5.2 (5.2.1, 5.2.2) No poisoned reverse  
Midterm #2      
11/03/2026 Midterm #2   In class midterm, 
Network layer continued      
11/05/2026 Inter-domain routing 5.4 Assignment 3 out 11/05, due 11/19
Switching      
11/10/2026 Switching and ARP    
11/12/2026 Continued    
Special Topics      
11/17/2026 Special topic: Data centers     
11/19/2026 Special topic: Data centers   Assignment 3 due 11/19
11/24/2026 Special topic: Distributed systems    
Lower layers and Distributed Systems      
11/26/2026 Thanksgiving break No class No class
12/01/2026 Link layer 6.1, 6.1.1, 6.3, 6.3.1, 6.3.2  
12/03/2026 Physical layer    Final exam scheduled according to registrar's office 

Others

Deadlines: All deadlines are tentative in the beginning. The firm deadlines will be announced in class and posted on Ed.

Discussion policy: All discussions will take place on Ed. Please be respectful of your fellow classmates and your instructor when posting questions. If you post questions or comments on Ed that I deem derogatory or otherwise not constructive, I will remove them. 

You are expected to read your Ed posts frequently. I will be posting important announcements on it. 

Grading policy: I will not be able to give any individual student extra credit.

Letters of recommendation: Given this large class, I will only be able to provide letters of recommendation if I have interacted with you during the class and/or during office hours. 

Academic Dishonesty: I take academic dishonesty extremely seriously. Your assignments will be tested for plagiarism not only against your classmates but also with all past assignments. If I find evidence of dishonesty, I will immediately notify the Undergraduate Program Director and give you an F in the class.

Recordings: The class will not be recorded.

Laptop and devices: I have a no-laptop and no-device policy in class. Please put away your laptop and devices. I will accommodate students who have accessibility requirements or other needs. If so send me an email.

Statement regarding dealing with attendance and class schedule: Students are expected to report for examinations and submit major graded coursework as scheduled. If a student is unable to report for any exams or complete major graded coursework as scheduled due to extenuating circumstances, the student must contact the instructor as soon as possible.  Students will be requested to provide documentation to support their absence and/or may be referred to the Student Support Team for assistance. Students will be provided reasonable accommodations for missed exams, assignments or projects due to significant illness, tragedy or other personal emergencies. In the instance of missed lectures the student is responsible to go over the slides from the previous lecture. 

Student Accessibility Support Center Statement
If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact the Student Accessibility Support Center, Stony Brook Union Suite 107, (631) 632-6748, or at sasc@stonybrook.edu. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Critical Incident Management
Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook.