CS176A - HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1
Due: April 17 (By 11:59pm)

Objectives

One of the more important aspects of the Internet is its organization, its architecture. The first objective of this assignment is to go beyond the short topology overview given in class and really try to understand the Internet's national and international organization.

A second objective of this assignment is to improve your writing skills, in particular, your paper structure and presentation style, use of figures, and use of the Internet to search for content and related literature. (You may not agree now, but some day you will recognize that your communication skills are as important as any other skill you have learned at UCSB.)

Assignment Details

Write a 1500-2000 word essay describing the Internet's network architecture. Besides using the textbook, you very likely will make use of various online resources and articles. Feel free to add in charts, pictures, or graphs that you find relevant to your essay. Proper citations are mandatory(see below).

In writing this essay, you will want to cover the major architecture components. For example, maybe think about ISPs, ASes, XYZs, routers, NAPs, PoPs, etc. (this list is neither inclusive nor exhaustive). However, you should also do what you can to make the essay your own. After covering the few basic high-level points you should focus on a particular aspect of Internet architecture. For example, you may want to focus on international exchange points, international networks, the organization in a particular region, organization of a particular company's broadband network, how wireless fits into the Internet, how cellular networks tie in, etc.

In general, there are almost no restrictions on the content. Start with a basic overview, and then investigate in a direction that you were always curious about.

Resources/Help

Grading Guidelines

The following guidelines will help you better understand how your essay will be graded.

Assignment Turnin

The assignment should be submitted using the course web site. The file format must be either Micosoft Word (DOC) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF). Your essay should be only one file (no zipping or taring files).

Cheating Policy

This assignment is to be done individually. Cheating will not be tolerated. Please read the UCSB Academic Code of Conduct to find out more about Student Conduct and Discipline. Of particular relevance to this assignment is the need to properly cite material you have used. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.