ADVANCED NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

It is one of the educational activities of the Quantum Science and Technology curriculum of the Master's Degree Course in Engineering Physics and allows the student to acquire the knowledge and understanding of advanced concepts and applications of modern telecommunications technologies. The teaching objective is to provide knowledge related to Quality of Service (QoS), security (Information Security), modern quantum theory in telecommunications networks, as well as the study of the potential of newly designed networks. At the end of the course, the student: a) will be able to configure IP networks according to real needs, b) will acquire full mastery of the main network protocols, as well as advanced knowledge of cryptography, in the most modern sense.

Knowledge and understanding
- Know and understand the operating mechanisms of modern advanced networks (also in the IoT and QKD field)
- Understanding the importance of telecommunications network configurations
- Understand the existence of the main telematic threats and related precautions / countermeasures
- Know the methodologies for evaluating the performance of telecommunications systems

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- Apply the rules of the protocols studied in order to obtain efficient network configurations
- Apply the laws of quantum physics (in particular quantum optics) in order to understand how remote communication can be made safe
- Apply specific methodologies and tools for the design, programming, configuration, testing of telecommunications systems and programmable network devices;

Autonomy of judgment
- Knowing how to evaluate the logical consistency of the results to which the application of learned knowledge leads, both in theory and in the case of experimental data.
- Knowing how to recognize any errors through a critical analysis of the applied method

Communication skills
- Knowing how to communicate the knowledge learned and the result of their application using appropriate terminology, both in the oral and written fields
- Knowing how to interact with the teacher and with course colleagues in a respectful and constructive way, especially during group work

Learning ability
- Knowing how to take notes, selecting and collecting information according to their importance and priority
- Knowing how to be sufficiently autonomous in the collection of data and information relevant to the problem investigated

Mathematical Analysis 2, Physics 2, Computer Science 2, Fundamental of Telecommunications

Issues of the traditional Internet and evolutions. Limitations of IPv4. Private and Intranet addressing. Address translation. Autoconfiguration: DHCP. Transition from IPv4 to IPv6: innovative aspects of the IPv6 protocol. IPv6 protocol specifications;
Traffic classification and management: traffic descriptors, quality indices, single flows and aggregate flows. Service Level Bargaining: Absolute and Relative Quality, Admission Control techniques;
Quality of Service on IP networks: Integrated Services Architecture. Differentiated Services Architecture. Reservation Protocol (RSVP); QoS management in mobile environments, channel problems and fading;
Communications security. Confidentiality, authentication, and intellectual property protection. Secret key encryption. The DES algorithm and its concatenations. Notes on the AES algorithm. Public key encryption. The RSA algorithm;
Network security: Access control. Security models and trusted systems. 'Firewall' and access control lists. Intrusion detection systems. Authentication systems and protocols;
Quantum theory in information security: fundamental concepts on Quantum Key Distribution Network architecture, creation of keys, transmission on optical link, polarization, entanglement;
Application of Machine Learning techniques in specific areas of networks (eg intelligent allocation of transmission resources, support for autonomous mobility, adaptive management of quality of service: QoS / QoE);

A.S. Tanenbaum, “Computer Networks”, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall Intern.
William B. Stallings, “Cryptography and Network Security”, 4th Ed., Prentice Hall, 2006.
R. Wolf, “Quantum Key Distribution”, 1st Ed., Springer, 2021

The achievement of the teaching objectives is assessed through participation in the activities and exercises assigned during the course and a final written exam.
The final written exam consists of problems similar to those carried out in class during group work. The use of notes, books and other teaching material is not allowed during the assignment. A facsimile of the assignment will be made available.

A completely successful exam (27-30/30) will be considered as such when a solid and broad mastery of the concepts discussed during the lessons is demonstrated. An average grade (22-26/30) will be the result of a fairly complete understanding of individual themes but with limited interconnections between topics. A passing level (18-21/30) will correspond to a minimum knowledge of the individual notions.

Theory: lectures, group work (peer-teaching, problem solving)
Exercises: group work (peer-teaching, problem solving)

English

Teaching language
English

Method of examination
Final written exam (with the possibility of an oral integration)

written