Internet and Web Technologies
This module is an option on the MSc and MRes programmes
offered by the Department
of Computer Science and Information Systems
at Birkbeck, University of London.
It is presented in the second term on Tuesdays (18:00-21:00).
Aims
To provide students with an understanding of how network protocols work,
particularly those used on the Internet, and the ability to present and manipulate information
on the World Wide Web, with an emphasis on XML.
Assessment
By two-hour written examination and by two pieces of practical
coursework.
The written examination will have a weighting of 80% and the
coursework a weighting of 20% of the final mark.
Pre-requisites and co-requisites
The ability to program is essential. This need not be in an object-oriented language,
although that ability would be helpful. Some basic knowledge of HTML and databases
is assumed; if this is lacking, however,
it can be obtained through self-study of on-line resources.
Syllabus
- Introduction to the Internet and its applications
- Web languages (e.g., HTML, XHTML, XML, JSON)
- Languages for defining Web document types (e.g. DTDs)
- Web query and transformation languages (e.g. XPath, XSLT)
- Client-side processing (e.g. using Javascript, jQuery)
- Server-side processing (e.g. using PHP)
- Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX)
- The transport layer (e.g., TCP, UDP)
- The network layer (e.g., IP, DHCP, ICMP)
- The link layer (e.g., Ethernet, ARP)
Reading
- S. Jacobs, Beginning XML with DOM and AJAX. Apress, 2006, ISBN 1-59059-676-5.
- A. Moller and M. Schwartzbach, An Introduction to XML and Web Technologies. Addison Wesley, 2006, ISBN 0-321-26966-7.
- J. F. Kurose and K. W. Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th edition),
Pearson, 2016, ISBN 1-292-15359-8.
- K. R. Fall and W. R. Stevens, TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1, Second Edition,
Addison-Wesley, 2012, ISBN 0-321-33631-3.