Communications and Networking

Qualifying Exam Syllabus

Area I: Probability, Random Variables & Random Processes

Probability fundamentals, one and multiple random variables, expectations, characteristic functions, independence/uncorrelatedness. Laws of large numbers. Markov Chains, Stationary Distributions, Limit Theorems for MCs

Basic Concepts in Poission and Renewal Process (First Renewal Theorem); Familiarity with Gaussian Process

Classification of random processes - 2nd order characterization (correlation, power spectral density), ergodicity; Filtering by LTI systems

Suggested Reference: (level of competency expected): current EE505 and EE508 texts

Area II: Communication Systems

Coherent/diff-coherent/noncoherent modulation in Gaussian noise.

Basic concepts of equalization and Multiple-access schemes (FDMA/TDMA/CDMA).

Suggested Reference (level of competency expected): current EE506 text

Area III: Communication Networks

Link-level ARQ schemes (Stop-and-wait, go-back-N, selective repeat).

Elementary queueing models for networks (M/M/1, M/G/1, M/M/K/K, etc.). Queueing networks. Random Multiaccess schemes and their performance (e.g. Aloha, CSMA, splitting algorithms).

Basic understanding of the protocols used for routing and congestion control in the Internet.

Suggested Reference (level of competency expected): current EE565 text