CSCI E-45A: The Cyber
World: Hardware, Software, Networks, Security, and Management
Course Overview
Semester and Year: Fall
2021
Format: on-line
Instructors Contact
Information
Name: Scott Bradner & Ben Gaucherin
Email: sob@sobco.com
Course Description and
Learning Objectives
Today
we all live and work in a participatory cyberspace. Computers, the data
networks that interconnect them, and the services available over the networks
make up this cyberspace. As cyberspace invades almost all areas of modern day
living, playing, and working, it is becoming more important that people
understand its technical and political underpinnings and operations, as well as
its capabilities, threats, and weaknesses. This is a companion course to CSCI E-45b. The
goal of this pair of courses is to give students the tools they need to
understand, use, and manage the technologies involved, as well as the ability
to appreciate the legal, social, and political dynamics of this ever-expanding
universe and the interplay between the cyber and physical worlds. The pair of
courses covers the essential elements of computing and the history, structure,
operation, and governance of the internet. This course focuses on the
fundamental workings of the digital world. From individual computing devices to
the broader internet, students learn how each piece in this gigantic puzzle
comes together to create the digital infrastructure that is the cyberspace of
today and tomorrow. In addition, we explore the fundamental concepts,
technologies, and issues associated with managing and securing cyberspace.
Course
Materials
All reading materials are on-line and
free. reading list
These are the handouts we used for our
Harvard Extension School class in the fall of 2021. They are available for anyone to use as long as proper
credit is given.
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Week # |
Coursework |
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Week 1 |
Module 01:
Introduction to the Cyber World instructor intros, course logistics, exams, what is in the
course, cyberworld actors & realities, optional review of e45b |
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Week 2 |
Module 02:
Digital Technology and Computing Devices itŐs all bits, processors, computer evolution, generic
computing device, important concepts |
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Week 3 |
Module 03:
Internet History & Concepts history of the telephone, visions of
the future, Internet history, end to end principle, Internet
hourglass, Internet architecture |
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Week 4 |
Module 04:
Internet Protocols Internet addressing, Internet Protocol (IPv4 & IPv6),
fragmentation, layers, ICMP, flow & congestion control, UDP, TCP, QUIC |
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Week 5 |
Module 05:
Software - Simple Software running software, making simple software, programming
languages, craft of making software, unintended ways to use software, AT,
ethics |
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Week 6 |
Module 06:
Network Technology layers, telephone technology, enterprise l2 & l3
networks, cellular networks (3G-5G), ISPs, MPLS |
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Week 7 |
Module 07:
Software - Distributed Systems key terms and concepts, basic mechanics, architecture
evolution, sample website |
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Week 8 |
Module 08:
Middleware NATs, firewalls, proxies, load balancers, content switch,
TCP accelerators, DHCP, DNS, service discovery, authentication servers,
authorization servers, CDNs |
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Week 9 |
Module 09:
Designing and Building the Infrastructure residential infrastructure, enterprise infrastructure, the
data center, ISPs Module 10: The
Cloud key terms and concepts, SaaS, LaaS |
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Week 10 |
Module 11:
Routing routing approaches, concepts & basics, routers,
enterprise routing, ISP routing |
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Week 11 |
Module 12:
Security Fundamentals what is information security?, understanding risk, attack
trees, threat mitigation, secure networks, residual data, enterprise security
policies Module 12b:
Security Tools (Optional) blocking tools, detection tools, probing tools, offensive
tools |
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Week 12 |
Module 13: Encryption encryption history, symmetric & asymmetric encryption,
encryption keys, hashes, digital signatures, certificates, PKI, encryption
and the law |
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Week 13 |
Module 14:
Managing the Infrastructure what is management?, management frameworks, ITIL,
management tools, SNMP, NETCONF, BCDR |
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Week 14 |
Module 15:
Internet Governance history of telecom regulation & governance, history of
Internet regulation & governance Module 16:
Standards Development Organizations standards development organizations, ITU, IETF Module 17:
Course wrap-up |