Practical Implementations of Network Coding

Overview

Due to the small number of participants, the course will be offered in the summer semester of 2025 using a self-study approach. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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

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

https://entkhub.et.tu-dresden.de/

Module Number

ET-12 10 21

Time Schedule

Wednesdays 6DS (16:40 – 18:10)
Thursdays (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

Lectures and exercises:

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.

• Inter-flow Network Coding
• Intra-flow Network Coding
• Network Coding for Storage
• Network Coding Use Cases
• Analog Inter-Flow Network Coding – Continuaiton
• Fulcrum Network Coding – Continuation