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Networks Illustrated: Principles without Calculus

Approx. 24 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course is designed to help you understand the fundamentals of computer networks, with a focus on the Internet. You will learn about basic networking concepts, such as protocols, addressing, and routing, as well as more advanced topics, such as network security and performance optimization.

Key Learning Points

Gain a comprehensive understanding of computer networks and the Internet.
Learn about the various protocols, addressing, and routing in networking.
Understand network security and performance optimization.
Explore the history and evolution of computer networks.

Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have

Network Administrator
- USA: $60,000 - $110,000
- India: ₹300,000 - ₹1,200,000
- Spain: €25,000 - €45,000
Network Engineer
- USA: $70,000 - $130,000
- India: ₹400,000 - ₹1,500,000
- Spain: €28,000 - €50,000
Network Security Engineer
- USA: $80,000 - $140,000
- India: ₹500,000 - ₹2,000,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €55,000

Learning Outcomes

Understand the basics of computer networks and the Internet.
Learn about various protocols, addressing, and routing used in networking.
Gain knowledge on network security and performance optimization.

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of computer science.
Familiarity with computer networks and protocols would be helpful.

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online self-paced course
Video lectures with quizzes and assignments

Similar Courses

Introduction to Computer Networking
Networking and Security Architecture with VMware NSX
Computer Networks and Communication

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Andrew Ng
Tim Berners-Lee

Related Books

Description

What makes WiFi faster at home than at a coffee shop? How does Google order its search results from the trillions of webpages on the Internet? Why does Verizon charge $15 for every GB of data we use? Is it really true that we are connected in six social steps or less?

These are just a few of the many intriguing questions we can ask about the social and technical networks that form integral parts of our daily lives. This course is about exploring the answers, using a language that anyone can understand. We will focus on fundamental principles like “sharing is hard”, “crowds are wise”, and “network of networks” that have guided the design and sustainability of today’s networks, and summarize the theories behind everything from the social connections we make on platforms like Facebook to the technology upon which these websites run. Unlike other networking courses, the mathematics included here are no more complicated than adding and multiplying numbers. While mathematical details are necessary to fully specify the algorithms and systems we investigate, they are not required to understand the main ideas. We use illustrations, analogies, and anecdotes about networks as pedagogical tools in lieu of detailed equations. All the features of this course are available for free. It does not offer a certificate upon completion.

Outline

Introduction
Networking Principles Without "Calculus"
Sharing Is Hard & Ranking is Hard
Crowds Are Wise & Crowds Are Not So Wise
Network Is Expensive & Divide and Conquer
End to End & Bigger And Bigger
About Us
Suggested Readings and Links
Keep in Touch

Power Control in Cellular Networks
Mobile Penetration
Multiple Access
FDMA
0G
Attenuation
Cells & 1G
2G
TDMA
CDMA
Cocktail Party Analogy
Near-far Problem
SIR
DPC
DPC Computation: Part A
Negative Feedback
DPC Computation: Part B
Convergence
Distributed Computation
Handoffs
CDMA & 3G
Summary
Power of Networks
Problem Set #1

Random Access in Wifi Networks
Unlicensed Spectrum
Traffic Analogy
WiFi Standards
WiFi Deployment
Accessing WiFi
Interference
Controlled vs. Random Access
Random Access Protocols & ALOHA
ALOHA Successful Transmission
ALOHA Throughput
ALOHA Inscalability
CSMA Carrier Sensing
CSMA Backoff
CSMA vs. ALOHA
Summary

PageRank by Google
New Word in the Dictionary
Search Engines
Webgraphs
In-degree
The "Random Surfer"
Importance Equations
PageRank Example Calculation
PageRank Example Summary
Dangling Nodes & Disconnected Graph
Robust Ranking
Summary
Problem Set #2

Product Rating on Amazon
Amazon & eCommerce
Average Ratings
The Wisdom of Crowds
Rating Aggregation Challenges
Naive Averaging
Bayesian Ranking: Part I
Bayesian Ranking: Part II
Bayesian Ranking in Practice
What does Amazon do? Part I
What does Amazon do? Part II
Summary

Movie Recommendation on Netflix
Netflix Timeline
Video Streaming
Recommendation is Everywhere
Netflix Recommendation System
Netflix Prize: Logistics
Netflix Prize: The Competition
Our Example
Raw Average
User-movie Interactions
Baseline Predictor
Similarity
Cosine Similarity
Similarity Values
Leveraging Similarity
Neighborhood Predictor
Performance of Different Methods
Summary
Copy of Cosine Similarity
Problem Set #3

Midterm
Midterm

Viral Videos on YouTube
YouTube timeline
Viral style and video recommendation
Defining "viral"
Popularity
Information cascade & sequential decision making
Number-Guessing Thought-Experiment
First, second, and third "guessers"
Analyzing cascades: Part I
Analyzing Cascades: Part II
Emperor's New Clothes
Considerations
Summary

Influencing People in Social Networks
Facebook & Twitter
Who is "important?"
Social graph
Degree centrality
Closeness centrality: Part I
Closeness centrality: Part II
Betweenness centrality: Part I
Betweenness centrality: Part II
Contagion: Part I
Contagion: Part II
Cluster density
Marketing strategies
Summary
Problem Set #4

Pricing Data
Our mobile data plans
Demand for data
Jobs' Inequality of Capacity
Usage-based plans
Comparing pricing schemes
Utility
Demand
Demand curve & net utility
The Tragedy of the Commons
Flat rate creates waste & favors heavy users
Summary

Routing Traffic through the Internet
Sharing revisited
ARPANET
NSFNET
The "Internet"
Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching
Statistical Multiplexing & Resource Pooling
Packet vs. Circuit Switching Summary
Distributed Hierarchy
Routing Traffic
IP Address
Prefix & Host Identifier
DHCP & NAT
Routing Protocols
Forwarding
Shortest Path Problem
Bellman-Ford Example
Cost Updates
Example: Two Hops
Example: Three Hops
Example: Summary
RIP and Message Passing
Summary
Problem Set #5

Controlling Congestion in the Internet
Divide And Conquer
Layered Protocol Stack
Transport & Network Layers
Headers
Processing Layers
Controlling Congestion
Traffic Jam & Bucket Analogy
End Hosts
Sliding Window
Cautious Growth of Window Size
Inferring Congestion
Congestion Control Versions
Loss-Based Congestion Inference
Delay-Based Congestion Inference: Part I
Delay-Based Congestion Inference: Part II
Delay-Based Congestion Inference: Part III
Distributed Congestion Control
Summary

It's a Small World
Introduction
Milgram's Experiment
"Small world" in Culture
Structural vs. Algorithmic Small Worlds
Triad Closures and Homophily
Average Shortest Path
Random Graphs
Clustering Coefficient: Part A
Clustering Coefficient: Part B
Regular Graph: Part A
Regular Graph: Part B
Watts-Strogatz Model: Part A
Watts-Strogatz Model: Part B
Discovering Short Paths
Watts-Dodds-Newman Model: Part A
Watts-Dodds-Newman Model: Part B
Summary
Problem Set #6

Final Exam
Final

Summary of User Reviews

Discover the world of computer networks with Networks Illustrated course on Coursera. Users praise the course for its engaging content and clear explanations.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

engaging content

Pros from User Reviews

Clear and concise explanations
Engaging content keeps users interested
Well-structured course with practical examples
Great course for beginners and professionals alike

Cons from User Reviews

Some users find the material too basic
Not enough depth in certain areas
Some technical issues with the platform
Course requires a lot of time and effort to complete
No certification or accreditation offered

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