Description
The Internet stands as one of humanity's most intricate engineering achievements. Yet, as its complexity has grown, so too has the challenge for engineers to comprehend and accurately predict its behavior. This increasing opacity makes it difficult to identify potential improvements within the system, leaving designers grappling with an intangible landscape.
In response to these challenges, the field of Internet measurements has emerged as a vital discipline. This course will delve into the methodologies and significance of Internet measurements, equipping participants with the knowledge to uncover the Internet's properties and enhance its future development.
Through the analysis of seminal papers in this field, we will explore how measurements are employed to diagnose network failures, evaluate performance, and understand the Internet's natural evolution.
In this course you will gain hands-on experience in conducting network measurements and interpreting the resulting data. We will also discuss the critical role that network measurements play in informing protocol engineering, guiding network operators and content providers in improving user experience, and shaping regulatory policies for broadband.
Teaching and learning methods
Each participant covers a topic area by presenting relevant papers during the seminar. To ensure everybody has read the papers, the participants are required to hand in a review of the presented papers via the HotCRP following the provided review template.
In the realm of networking, network measurements are essential for understanding and optimizing the performance of networks. This course aims to provide participants with hands-on experience in conducting these measurements and interpreting the resulting data.
Relevant Conferences and Journals
- IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
- ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
- ACM SIGCOMM
- ACM CONEXT
- ACM Internet Measurement Conference (IMC)
- IEEE INFOCOM
Learning outcomes
The participants will learn how to critically read and discuss research papers. This will be achieved by reviewing papers individually, and actively participating in group discussions during the seminar presentations. Students will also have the opportunity to advance their soft skills through presentation in a conference-style setting with session moderation.
Presentations will involve learning to not only stay within time limits but also to appreciate the Q/A session at the end of the talk.
Course requirements (recommended)
The participants should be already prepared by an undergraduate-level course on computer networks. Familiarity with networking tools used for performance evaluation may be beneficial.
Further Reading:
- S. Keshav. "How to read a paper"
- William G. Griswold, “How to Read an Engineering Research Paper”
- Graham Cormode. 2009. “How NOT to review a paper: the tools and techniques of the adversarial reviewer.”
- J Smith. “The Task of the Referee”
Grading Scheme
- Paper reviews - 20%
- Paper Presentation - 15%
- Project Report - 50%
- Project Presentation - 15%