Practical Implementations of Network Coding
Main Lecturer:
Head of the Chair
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Frank H. P. Fitzek
frank.fitzek@tu-dresden.de +49 351 463-33945Co-Lecture:
Postdoctoral Researcher, Lecturer
Dr.-Ing. Juan A. Cabrera Guerrero
juan.cabrera@tu-dresden.de +49 351 463-40863
Overview
This course introduces the students to the challenges and approaches of the state-of-the-art implementations of network coding. The course is taught not just through lectures but also with hands-on exercises using the Kodo software library. Kodo is available as a C++ and Python library and web tool. Therefore, students with different programming preferences will be able to approach it.
The initial lectures refresh the knowledge of the students of the theoretical background of network coding, e.g., the min-cut max-flow of a network, inter-flow network coding, and intra-flow Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC). The student is then introduced to the state-of-the-art software library Kodo and the advanced implementations of network coding such as systematic, sparse, tunable sparse, sliding window, etc. The course also covers the benefits of network coding in distributed storage applications. By the end of the course, the student will be introduced to advanced applications of network coding, e.g., Coded TCP, MORE, FULCRUM.
The exercises will teach the students how to use sockets in python as well as the python bindings of the Kodo software library for implementing unicast and broadcast communication applications.
Language of the course and exam: English
Optional course, 8th semester
Exam
Oral exam.
Examination schedule for the SS 2023:
Date: 04.08.2023 at 9:30
Time: 120 Min.
Room: Bar-I15
Meeting rooms
The lectures will be presential when possible at BAR/I86C/U. Please check the website often because in the table below, we will announce if one particular meeting or exercise will be online.
The online links will be announced, if needed, on the fly via this website and OPAL.
Material for exercises with software
PyErasure
You can apply for a research license here. Specify that you are a student from the network coding course at the TUD. You will need a Github account where the source code is hosted.
Jupyter Notebook
Module Number
Time Schedule
Wednesday 6DS (16:40 – 18:10)
Thursday (Every other week) 5DS (14:50 – 16:20)
Please, check from time to time the schedule below since it may be updated during the semester.
Lecture Videos
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Lectures and exercises:
| Date | Type | Room | Video | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05.Apr.2023 | L1 | BAR/I86C/U | Digital Inter Flow Network Coding: Motivation for network coding and use cases (5G, IoT, Wireless Mesh); Butterfly example; min cut max flow. Inter Flow network coding. Index Coding. Zick Zack Coding. CATWOMAN. Alice, Relay and Bob scenario under IEEE802.11 networks and asymmetric traffic | |
| 12.Apr.2023 | L2 | BAR/I86C/U | Digital Inter Flow Network Coding (continuation) | |
| 13.Apr.2023 | L3 | BAR/I86C/U | Analog Inter Flow Network Coding: Introduction to Physical-layer Network Coding (PNC) and Analog Network Copding (ANC); Basic concepts; Implementation on Software Defined Radios; Potential gains | |
| 19.Apr.2023 | L4 | BAR/I86C/U | Digital Intra-flow Network Coding: Introduction to Random Linear Network Coding; Performance parameters field size and generation size; impact on resilience and latency; decodability for different field sizes; code variants: full RLNC/sliding window/sparse/seed/systematic/perpetual; overhead considerations for different field sizes and sparsity levels; heterogeneous packet sizes. | |
| 26.Apr.2023 | L5 | BAR/I86C/U | Introduction to the KODO library and examples | |
| 27.Apr.2023 | L6 | BAR/I86C/U | Digital Intra-flow Network Coding (continuation) | |
| 03.May.2023 | L7 | BAR/I86C/U | Digital Intra-flow Network Coding (continuation) | |
| 17.May.2023 | E1 | BAR/I86C/U | Kodo Python and our Jupyter hub. Getting Started | |
| 24.May.2023 | E2 | BAR/I86C/U | E1 continuation. Basic UDP transmissions over WIFI and an implementation of Alice, Relay and Bob scenario with digital inter-flow network coding (both with Python) | |
| 25.May.2023 | L8 | BAR/I86C/U | Analog Inter Flow Network Coding - Continuation | |
| 31.May.2023 | E3 | BAR/I86C/U | Introduction to Finite field operations | |
| 07.Jun.2023 | E4 | BAR/I86C/U | Analysis to decoding probability of RLNC | |
| 08.Jun.2023 | L9 | BAR/I86C/U | Fulcrum Network codes - Continuation | |
| 14.Jun.2023 | E5 | BAR/I86C/U | Excercise in Person | |
| 21.Jun.2023 | L10 | BAR/I86C/U | Introduction to PRAC; dealing with bit errors rather than packet ereasure | |
| 22.Jun.2023 | E6 | BAR/I86C/U | Analysis of cross topologies with and without overhearing | |
| 28.Jun.2023 | E7 | BAR/I86C/U | Network coding in multihop scenarios | |
| 06.Jul.2023 | E8 | BAR/I86C/U | Q&A | |
| E10 | Q&A | |||
| E12 | TBD | |||
| 01.Jul.2020 | L13 | Online | ||
| 08.Jul.2020 | L14 | Online | ||
| 15.Jul.2020 | L15 | Online | ||
| - | FAL07/08 | No lecture/Holiday. | ||
| Cancelled | FAL07/08 | No lecture/Cancelled | ||
| Cancelled | FAL07/08 | No lecture/ Business trip | ||
| - | FAL07/08 | No lecture/Holiday. | ||
| Q&A | BAR/I15 |
Further Material
- Everything you ever wanted to know about UDP sockets but were afraid to ask
- Codebreakers – Auf der Jagd nach Hitlers Geheimcode
- The Enigma Code (Enigma Machine) – Numberphile
- Flaw in the Enigma Code – Numberphile
- How Internet Communication Works: Network Coding – Art of the Problem
- QUIC is a transport protocol originally designed, implemented and deployed by Google that is being standardized at the IETF, and it is used nowadays by many servers in the world and supported by several web browsers. Its first stable specification will bring the same functionality as TCP+TLS+HTTP/2. In this article, the authors add Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes to the protocol and show their results.
- Médard, Muriel, et al. “Network coding mythbusting why it is not about butterflies anymore.” IEEE Communications Magazine 52.7 (2014): 177-183.
- Ahlswede, Rudolf, et al. “Network information flow.” Information Theory, IEEE Transactions on 46.4 (2000): 1204-1216.
- Koetter, Ralf, and Muriel Médard. “An algebraic approach to network coding.”IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (TON) 11.5 (2003): 782-795.
Slides
Please check the OPAL link for the latest version.