Advanced Topics in
Communication Networks Fall 2025

Networked Systems Group

This course covers advanced topics and technologies in computer networks, both theoretically and practically.

The goal for this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of existing and upcoming Internet routing and forwarding technologies used in large-scale computer networks such as Internet Service Providers (e.g., Swisscom or Deutsche Telekom), Content Delivery Networks (e.g., Netflix) and Data Centers (e.g., Google).

Besides covering the fundamentals, the course will be “hands-on” and will enable students to play with the technologies in emulated network environments, and even implement some of them on their own during labs.

News

Oct 8 Switching gear with the start of the sustainability block today! Lecture slides are online.
Oct 1 Materials for the third lecture are now online.
Sep 24 Materials for the second lecture are now online.
Sep 18 The recording of the first lecture is now online.
Sep 17 Materials for the first lecture are now online.
Sept 1 The website for the Fall 2025 edition goes live with a tentative schedule.

Contact

Professor Laurent Vanbever

Coordinator Romain Jacob
Mail

Assistants

Research group Networked Systems

Live sessions

Lectures
Wednesdays, 2:15 pm–4 pm
ETZ E 8

Exercises
Tuesdays, 4:15 pm–6 pm
ML E 12

Recordings

ETH Video Portal

Content

The course will cover advanced topics in Internet routing and forwarding such as:

  • Scalable routing
  • Fast Convergence
  • Network programmability
  • Network verification
  • Transport protocols
  • Sustainable networking
  • Networking for ML
  • ML for networking

Prerequisites

  • Communication Networks (227-0120-00L), Computer Networks (252-0064-00L) or equivalents.
  • Good programming skills (in any language) are expected as some exercises involve coding.

Performance assessment

  • 6 ECTS credits
  • Closed-book, written exam
Week 1
 Lecture    Introduction, Course organization. Building scalable networks (Part 1)
Exercise   None this week. Exercises start in week 2.
Week 2
 Lecture    Building scalable networks (Part 2)
Exercise   Refresher
Week 3
 Lecture    Fast convergence
Exercise   Building scalable networks
Week 4
 Lecture    Sustainable networking - Part 1
Exercise   DRAGON & LFAs
Week 5
 Lecture    Sustainable networking - Part 2
Exercise   Case study: Google Gemini impact assessment
TODO Read  Measuring the environmental impact of delivering AI at Google Scale (8 pages)
Week 6-7
 Lecture    Programmable data planes
Exercise
Week 8-9
 Lecture    Network verification
Exercise
Week 10-11
 Lecture    Transport protocols and congestion control
Exercise
Week 12
 Lecture    Networking for ML
Exercise
Week 13
 Lecture    ML for networking
Exercise
Week 14
 Lecture    Wrap up and exam preparation
Exercise
Exams

    Disclaimer!
    Please be mindful that topics change on a yearly basis and therefore are not covered in previous years' exams. Also, topics in common (e.g. p4) were not necessarily covered at the same technical depth.

  • 2021
  • 2022 (Feb)
  • 2022 (Aug)
  • 2023
  • 2024
  • 2025