CSCI 4171
NETWORKS AND COMMUNICATIONS
CASE STUDY AND TERM PAPER
The objective of this study is to help you build the skills necessary to do an in-depth study and analysis of a
industry-driven networking topic. A list of case study topics and a short summary are given below. For some
case studies, a link to a reference is also given.
Here’s what you need to do:
• Select a topic from the list. All the topics are on the latest areas in networking. In order to ensure that
there is a good random distribution among topics, you will select the topic based on the last digit in your
Banner ID.
• Conduct a study on the topic by reading online resources. You will find good online resources from
company white papers and also by visiting the Dalhousie University Library website and surfing through
IEEE and ACM databases.
• Summarize and write a report based on your understanding of the topic, the latest research trends, and
the challenges.
• Submit the report on Brightspace in PDF form by December 20th, 2020, 11.59 PM
Length of the report: 1500 words. (this will be approximately 3-4 pages single line spacing)
Place figures/diagrams on additional sheets at the end of the report.
Include citations in proper format at the end of the report.
Figures and citations are not included in the length of the report.
CHOOSING YOUR CASE STUDY TOPIC
If your Banner ID ends in Choose this topic
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Flexibility in choosing the topic: There is some flexibility in choosing the topic. For instance, if you feel
strongly motivated to work in a specific area and/or this is an area in which you are considering your
next work term/placement, please make a case for it by sending me an email and I will let you choose
the alternate topic.
CASE STUDY TOPICS
1. BUILDING AN NTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) APPLICATION
This case study entails an understanding of the basic components and building blocks of IoT and designing one
application. A good starting point to come up with some nifty ideas for simple applications with IoT is
https://www.ubuntupit.com/best-internet-of-things-projects-iot-projects-that-you-can-make-right-now/
Take a look at the projects in the above website and suggest one application that interests you. Using a strategy
similar to the design examples given on the website, design your application. The case study submission will just
be a “design on paper” (that is, you will not actually implement it).
2. SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKS
Your task is to study the emerging topic of SDNs (Software Defined Networks). What are SDNs? How do they
differ from the traditional networking paradigm? What are the opportunities? What are the limitations? If a
company that has a traditional non-SDN environment approaches you for changing over to SDNs, suggest a
design architecture for the change-over.
Some interesting SDN projects can be found at: https://opennetworking.org/onf-sdn-projects/
3. NET NEUTRALITY
Net Neutrality, or Internet Neutrality, touts the principle of an open Internet in that any regulatory body on
Internet traffic must treat all data as equal and must not discriminate based on user, content, platform, method
of communication, etc. Your task is to collect literature, data and statistics on Net Neutrality, and provide some
examples of where net neutrality has been violated. What are the pros and cons? Debate the issue by taking
your stance on net neutrality and its societal, business and governmental impact.
4. CLOUD COMPUTING
Your task is to study the emerging topic of cloud computing. What is cloud computing? Why is it attracting a lot
of attention in recent years? How are IT companies gearing up to deploy cloud computing? Who are the
customers? What are the challenges? As an example, you would do a review and assessment of Amazon’s cloud
computing platforms. Cloud computing is also transforming into Fog computing and Edge computing. Study and
report on these topics.
Lots of references and white papers are available online. Visit Amazon’s website to study their platform
5. GREEN NETWORKING
Driven by environmental concerns and unnecessary power wastage and bandwidth consumption, green
networking has become a hot research topic in the networking community. In this case study, your task is to do
an in-depth study of green networking, understand the issues, and study the energy consumption of a small
network and suggest ways both in the local domain and in the larger wide area network domain to reduce power
consumption.
A good starting survey paper on green networking in cellular networks is the following:
P. Gandotra, R. K. Jha and S. Jain, “Green Communication in Next Generation Cellular Networks: A Survey,” in
IEEE Access, vol. 5, pp. 11727-11758, 2017, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2711784.
6. Blockchain
Blockchain is a cryptographically secure, distributed digital ledger system in which every transaction has a record
with a publicly verifiable digital signature. While Blockchain was originally used for creating a secure ledger of
transactions for cryptocurrency, its characteristic functionality for creating immutable and verifiable
transactions has attracted enormous attention and is being tapped in numerous application areas, such as
healthcare, gaming, Internet of Things, 5G networks, cloud computing, smart cities, and so on. A few papers on
Blockchain are given below:
T. Min, H. Wang, Y. Guo and W. Cai, “Blockchain Games: A Survey,” 2019 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG),
London, United Kingdom, 2019, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/CIG.2019.8848111.
M. A. Ferrag, M. Derdour, M. Mukherjee, A. Derhab, L. Maglaras and H. Janicke, “Blockchain Technologies for
the Internet of Things: Research Issues and Challenges,” in IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 2188-
2204, April 2019, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2018.2882794.
K. Gai, J. Guo, L. Zhu and S. Yu, “Blockchain Meets Cloud Computing: A Survey,” in IEEE Communications Surveys
& Tutorials, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 2009-2030, thirdquarter 2020, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2020.2989392.
Z. Liu et al., “A Survey on Blockchain: A Game Theoretical Perspective,” in IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 47615-47643,
2019, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2909924.
J. Xie et al., “A Survey of Blockchain Technology Applied to Smart Cities: Research Issues and Challenges,” in IEEE
Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 2794-2830, thirdquarter 2019, doi:
10.1109/COMST.2019.2899617.
Pick one interesting area of application in Blockchain and develop your case study around that topic.
7. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
The design and development of autonomous vehicles have made tremendous progress in the last few years. The
objective of this case study is to do a survey of the networking and communication technologies involved in
autonomous vehicles. A good starting paper is given below:
J. Wang, J. Liu and N. Kato, “Networking and Communications in Autonomous Driving: A Survey,” in
IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 1243-1274, Second quarter 2019, doi:
10.1109/COMST.2018.2888904.
8. 6G Networks
5G is here, and industries have already set their eyes on the next generation of cellular networks –
6G. In this case study, you will survey the challenges, opportunities, design aspects and the
deployment of 6G networks. Here are some good articles:
A. Dogra, R. K. Jha and S. Jain, “A Survey on beyond 5G network with the advent of 6G: Architecture
and Emerging Technologies,” in IEEE Access, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3031234.
Dang, S., Amin, O., Shihada, B. et al. What should 6G be?. Nat Electron 3, 20–29 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-019-0355-6
9. Machine Learning for Networking
Machine learning and deep learning are technologies that have impacted many areas, including
networking. In this case study, you will conduct a survey of the applications of machine learning/deep
learning in one area within networks, such as IoT or wireless networks or network security. A few
good papers are given below:
Y. Sun, M. Peng, Y. Zhou, Y. Huang and S. Mao, “Application of Machine Learning in Wireless
Networks: Key Techniques and Open Issues,” in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 21, no.
4, pp. 3072-3108, Fourthquarter 2019, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2019.2924243.
M. Usama et al., “Unsupervised Machine Learning for Networking: Techniques, Applications and
Research Challenges,” in IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 65579-65615, 2019, doi:
10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2916648.
F. Musumeci et al., “An Overview on Application of Machine Learning Techniques in Optical
Networks,” in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 1383-1408, Secondquarter
2019, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2018.2880039.
C. Zhang, P. Patras and H. Haddadi, “Deep Learning in Mobile and Wireless Networking: A Survey,” in
IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 2224-2287, thirdquarter 2019, doi:
10.1109/COMST.2019.2904897.
10 Wi-Fi 6 or IEEE 802.11ax
The latest WiFi standard, namely, IEEE 802.11ax, also known as WiFi 6, is the successor to the IEEE 802.11ac
standard. It promises high throughputs, almost four times that offered by IEEE 802.11ac.
In this case study, you will do an in-depth study, analysis and assessment of IEEE 802.11 ax and compare it with
the previous standards, namely, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac.
A couple of references to get you started:
https://www.arubanetworks.com/products/networking/802-
11ax/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoLKp8YDP3gIVxIqzCh32JwWvEAAYASAAEgIx9_D_BwE
https://www.radio-electronics.com/info/wireless/wi-fi/ieee-802-11ax.php
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