Written Exercise #2
This assignment is meant to help you review materials that we learned
after the midterm exam. You don't have to turn in this assignment and
we will not post the solutions either.
End-of-Chapter Problems
This assignment includes a number of end-of-chapter problems in the
textbook by Kurose and Ross (fourth or third edition). Note that we
are talking about end-of-chapter 'P' Problems,
not the 'R' Review Questions, nor the 'D' Discussion Questions!
For the fourth edition:
- Chapter 2: Problems 1, 7, 8, 20, 22
- Chapter 3: Problems 36, 40
- Chapter 6: Problems 6, 13
- Chapter 7: Problems 3, 12, 20
- Chapter 8: Problems 3, 6
For the third edition:
- Chapter 2: Problems 1, 6, 7, 16, 19
- Chapter 3: Problems 30, 33
- Chapter 6: Problems 5, 9
- Chapter 7: Problems 4, 11, 18
- Chapter 8: Problems 3, 6
Preparation for "Essay" question
The final exam will also include a set of inter-related
questions that in total will require you to write a specification
for a set of networked devices.
Suppose that you are a designer
of a networked device product line, you have already written the functional specification,
now you need an implementation specification that you will hand to
to a software engineering firm that is writing the actual code. Are you
certain that the specification is clear enough that the devices will (a) actually work?
and (b) implement the complete set of features in the functional specification?
The final exam problem will select one of the specifications below,
and will specify additional features beyond what is described below.
Then you will be asked specific questions about what the network implementation must include.
For now, consider (in advance) the various network layers, what protocols would be required at each,
and what protocol features would or could be relevant.
- FitLinxx functional specification, see article:
- System consists of a database server and multiple networked touch-panels, each attached to a fitness machine.
- User session is initiated via a separate touch-panel that for purposes of this problem you can assume is directly connected to the database server.
- Each touch-panel has a small persistent local flash memory for storing configuration parameters.
- User enters a 5-digit ID upon reaching each station.
- User is given a display showing persistent values for machine settings (weight settings, seat settings), from database, and previous results (number of repetitions done).
- After exercise, results are stored back in database.
- After exercise, display shows suggestion for next machine to use, but skips machines already used during the current user session.
- Other features will be defined for the final examination.
- Picture Frame functional specification:
- System consists of an LCD display, internal flash memory, network interface
- Each picture frame can be configured to automatically pull new images from a list of remote web sites.
- Each picture frame can be configured to accept images pushed from specific other picture frames.
- Other features will be defined for the final examination.
- Interactive Advertising functional specification:
- A hardware vendor is supplying a very-short-range physical and link layer with auto-detect features.
- You are building an interactive advertising kiosk to pop up custom-selected holograms based on the identify of the nearest customer, obtained from a device embedded in their cell phone. It's like the movie Minority Report except without retinal scanners.
- Users' preferences advertising are stored in their phones, which communicate those preferences to the kiosk.
- Other features will be defined for the final examination.