Short Programs

Introduction to Network Coding [6.33s]

This course is currently only offered as a custom program. The below description should be taken as an example of content and can be tailored to meet company needs. If you have been thinking about a customized course for your group of 25 or more, please review additional information on the Custom Programs page.

Course Summary  |  Learning Objectives  |  Course Goals  |  Target Audience  | 
Participants' Comments  |  About the Lecturers  |  Updates

Course Summary

Network coding is a new area of networking, in which data is manipulated inside the network to increase throughput, reduce delay, and improve robustness. This field has recently found commercial applications in content distribution, peer-to-peer design, and enabling high-throughput wireless networks. The goal of this class is to provide participants with the theoretical and practical tools necessary not only to understand the field of network coding, but also to conduct independent, innovative work in the area. The curriculum reflects this mixture of theoretical foundations and practical approaches.

Learning Objectives

1. Examine the algebraic principles underlying network coding.
2. Discuss practical ways in which network coding improves throughput and reliability.
3. Describe the connections between distributed random network coding and distributed compression.
4. Analyze the use of network coding in data verification.
5. Examine the current research trends and applications to wireless, security, and video over IP.

Course Goals

The goal of this class is to provide participants with the theoretical and practical tools necessary not only to understand the field of network coding, but also to conduct independent, innovative work in the area. The curriculum reflects this mixture of theoretical foundations and practical approaches. The first part of the course focuses on the algebraic principles underlying network coding. These principles do not require prior knowledge of advanced algebra or optimization.

The second part of the course discusses the role of network coding in improving throughput and reliability. It introduces distributed random network coding and discusses its applications. We formalize the problem of minimizing transmission cost and solve it in a distributed manner for both wireline and wireless systems. We explain the connection between this approach and traditional routing and ARQ. We also discuss example applications including data dissemination in peer-to-peer systems, high throughput wireless networks, and reliability and coverage in wireless networks.

The third part of the class discusses the use of network coding for compression. We explain the theoretical and practical connections between distributed random network coding and distributed compression. We also present a practical application of network coding for compressing correlated sensor data as they are transmitted toward the collection point.

The fourth part of the course discusses the security aspect of network coding. We discuss the use of network coding for detecting and correcting data corruption in wireless systems. We also present network-coding-based data verification in peer-to-peer systems. Finally, we provide a broad overview of different areas of research and innovation in network coding and its applications.

Target Audience

This course is of interest to networking and communication professionals in the areas of wireless networks, wireless communications, peer-to-peer systems, streaming media, sensor networks, satellite systems and other related fields. The course does not assume prior knowledge of advanced algebra or optimization.

Participants' Comments

Network Engineer, Progressive Insurance
"The most beneficial aspect of the course was gaining the understanding of the principles behind how network coding works and how it can increase the reliability of networks."

Senior Engineer, mZeal Communications
"I value the combination of theory and practice. The theory lets me know what's possible and the practice helps me understand what can actually be accomplished today, as well as what I might be able to achieve in the near future."

Section Leader, Network Security at BAE Systems
"Prof. Medard and Prof. Katabi are exceptional lecturers that bring their unique perspectives to the delivered content. Their mastery of the subject matter is unparalleled."

About The Lecturers

Muriel Médard is a Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at MIT. She was previously Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and a member of the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. From 1995 to 1998 she was a Staff Member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Optical Communications and the Advanced Networking Groups. Professor Médard received a B.S. degree in EECS and one in Mathematics in 1989, a B.S. degree in Humanities in 1990, an M.S. degree in EE in 1991, and an Sc.D. degree in EE in 1995, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. She serves or has served as an Associate Editor or Guest Editor for the Optical Communications and Networking Series of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, the IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, and the Optical Society of America's Journal of Optical Networking. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career award. She was awarded the IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Prize Paper Award and the Best Paper Award at the International Workshop on the Design of Reliable Communication Networks, 2003. She was co-winner of the 2004 Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award, established in 1982 to honor junior faculty members "for distinction in research, teaching and service to the MIT community." She was named a 2007 Gilbreth Lecturer by the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the IEEE. Professor Médard's research interests are in the areas of reliable communications, particularly for optical and wireless networks, and in network coding to networks.

Dina Katabi is an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at MIT. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT, in 1998 and 2003. She is a leader in the area of computer networks and distributed systems. Her work focuses on wireless networks, network security, routing, and distributed resource management. She has award winning papers in ACM SIGCOMM and Usenix NSDI. She has been awarded the class of 1947 Career Development Chair in 2007, a Sloan Fellowship award in 2006, the NBX Career Development chair in 2006, and an NSF CAREER award in 2005. Her doctoral dissertation won an ACM Honorable Mention award and a Sprowls award for academic excellence.

Updates

• Click here to read an article about how network coding could protect users’ privacy and providers’ content while making communications networks more efficient. Published by the MIT News Office April 1, 2011.
• Click here to read a February 9, 2010 article, "The power of 'random'," published by the MIT News Office.