CIS456 Open Systems Networking
Course Description

This senior-level undergraduate NJIT course is a follow-up to material taught in CIS451 Data Communications and Networking. The main focus is on Internetworking in an open environment and the technologies required to make those interconnections work.


The networks and physical devices which make up the known Internet, are an example of an open network. TCP/IP protocols along with the developmental control of the Internet Activity Board (IAB), have provided the software standards which make large-scale interconnection possible.


This course closely examines all of the "key" protocols in the TCP/IP protocol suite and relates them to everyday functionality of the Internet. Internet services and related issues will also be introduced.

Major focuses of CIS456 include:

• Architecture of Interconnected Networks
• Addressing and Naming in distributed environments.
• IP protocol datagrams and error control at the Internet Layer.
• Transport service and the UDP & TCP protocols.
• BSD UNIX Socket abstraction.
• The Client/Server (C/S) Model and Programming of Client/Server Applications.
• Gateway Routing and Design.
• Internet Services: ( FTP, Telnet, E-mail, World Wide Web)
• Standards Organizations
• Network Management (SNMP) and Security Issues.
• Broadband Services (Frame Relay, B-ISDN, SONET/SDH).
• Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
• The future of Internet protocols and services (IPv6, IPng)

Special Information:

This course can be conducted both in classroom and electronic venues.
When in the latter, the following is useful information:

• 28 lessons of 60 minutes in length featuring Daniel Z. Tabor Jr.
In either version, all materials will be available on the World Wide Web (CIS456-HTML).