Welcome to the Internet Architecture and Protocols Lab!

On this page, I’m going to answer some basic questions about how this course will run.

Lab materials

Where will the lab materials be shared?

The lab section of the course has its own Brightspace site (it is separate from the lecture section), so first, make sure you are in the lab section’s site! Then, find the “Content” menu item and click on it. On the left side of the Content screen, you will see a list of modules, and you can click on them one at a time to see the materials for that module. There will be a new module each week, and it will become visible in Brightspace after the lecture for that week.

Within the module for each lab, you will find:

A message on the module’s “home” page, including some context for the week’s assignment and any important details you’ll need that are not included in the materials
A lab manual, with step-by-step instructions for completing the lab assignment
A video playlist that you can watch to see the instructor doing each step of the lab assignment
A link to a survey that you can fill out to give us feedback about the lab assignment. Please fill this out, it’s really helpful to us!
For some lab assignments (starting with Lab 2), you’ll also get a problem set for practicing the lab concepts and skills. (This problem set is not graded, and doesn’t count towards your lab grade.)

Lab sessions

Will I need to attend any lab sessions in person?

No, the lab will run 100% online.

Do I need to attend online sessions at a certain time, or can I complete the lab assignment at a time that is convenient for me?

Use the material in the Content module for that week to complete the lab assignment at whatever time is convenient for you. Just make sure that you leave plenty of time to finish the lab before the deadline, even if you run into some unexpected problems!

How can I get help or ask questions about the lab material?

There are two ways to get help:

Post a question on the Q&A forum for this course.
Attend a Zoom office hours session with the lab instructor.

How long should I expect to spend on each lab assignment?

To understand the time commitment associated with this lab, it may help to have some historical background! The Internet Architecture and Protocols course used to require an in-person lab in addition to the in-person lecture. The lab session was scheduled as a weekly 3 hour 40 minute time slot, and students worked in teams to execute the lab experiment during that time. (The 3 hour and 40 minute time slot did not necessarily include time to prepare for the lab experiment by reading the instructions, which students were expected to do in advance, or the time to analyze the results and write the lab report after completing the experiment.)

In the online lab, you’ll run exactly the same experiments that students used to do in those 3 hour 40 minute in-person sessions. However, it may take more or less time than 3 hours and 40 minutes -

the average student should probably expect to spend 3-4 hours each week working on the lab experiment.
if you have previous experience with network protocols and the Linux networking utilities, you will probably not need the full 3-4 hours each week.
if you are not as comfortable with network protocols and the Linux networking utilities, or if you attempt the lab before you have fully internalized the relevant lecture content, you may need more than the 3-4 hours usually allotted to complete the experiment.

Also note that this does not necessarily include time to prepare for the lab (by reviewing the instructions and the relevant book chapter in advance) and the time to analyze results and answer the questions in Gradescope.

If you find that you are spending much more than 3-4 hours per week on the lab, please reach out to the lab instructor to ask for help (via Zoom office hours or the Q&A site)! We can discuss the situation to find out what is taking so long, and help you make any necessary adjustments. (Don’t wait until the end of the semester - ask for help as soon as you notice the problem, so we can help you as quickly as possible.)

Collaboration/academic integrity

Can I ask for help with the lab assignment or with the answers to the lab report questions on Gradescope?

You can ask for help on our course Q&A site or during Zoom office hours. When you ask questions on the Q&A site, other students who have a similar problem will also benefit from the answer!

It’s OK for your questions to include screenshots or data from your own lab experiment, even though it will be visible to other students - you don’t have to worry about “giving away an answer” to other students by including it in your question. (You are not allowed to send screenshots or data from the lab directly to another student, or share it on another forum - but you are allowed to include it in a question on the Q&A site.)

You are not allowed to ask for help on Chegg, CourseHero, private messages or group messages with other students, or in other online forums.

Your answers to the lab report questions on Gradescope should be in your own words. You are not allowed to use ChatGPT, other AI tools, or human assistance to help you write answers. You are allowed to use Google Translate or other machine translation tools to write your answers in another language and then translate them to English.

Can I work on the lab assignment together with another student?

You can work on the lab assignment at the same time as another student, and discuss your results verbally as you work. But,

You must set up your own resources on the testbed and run the lab exercise yourself - you are not allowed to use another student’s account or resources in another student’s testbed “slice”. Also, you aren’t allowed to type commands into another student’s terminal.
You must submit data and screenshots from your own execution of the lab - you are not allowed to submit another student’s data. Also, you must annotate screenshots etc. yourself - you are not allowed to ask another student to do it for you. You are not allowed to send your data or screenshots to another student.
You must answer the questions in Gradescope yourself. You are not allowed to share the answers with another student.

Only after the “late due date” for the assignment! Before the late due date, you can discuss your work and your results verbally, but you are not allowed to share your screenshots, data, or answers.

Can I use outside resources, such as reference materials or lab reports from previous semesters?

It may be helpful to use reference materials, such as the textbook, lab manual, or online resource, when you answer questions in the lab report. (Especially for questions that ask you to “explain” some phenomenon!) However, if you use outside resources without disclosing their use, it is considered plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism when using reference materials:

If you write the answer in your own words, but used the reference material to help you arrive at the answer, you should cite the reference material (e.g. give the URL, of the name and page of the textbook).
If you use the exact words of the reference material, you should put the words in quotes (to show that you are using the exact words) and also cite the reference material (e.g. give the URL, of the name and page of the textbook).
If you use an outside reference to answer a question, make sure you answer the specific question that is asked, and only that! Students often earn a poor grade when quoting an outside reference (even with citation!) because they copied a lot of material that doesn’t directly answer the question. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the question and its answer. Make sure you write a clear and concise answer that directly answers the question.
AI assistants such as ChatGPT are not considered reference materials. You should not use these tools, even if you attribute the source.

You may have seen lab reports from previous semesters (either from friends, or online). You are not permitted to use these. We make updates and corrections to the lab procedure and questions every semester, so you shouldn’t use previous lab reports even just to see what the answers should look like (for example - to see what parts of a screenshot to annotate), since these details often change from one semester to the next.

Can I use AI assistance, like ChatGPT or similar tools, to help answer lab questions?

Except for computer translation from English to another language (which is allowed), AI assistance is not permitted in this course. The sequence of assignments in this course is calibrated for human learners, to gradually learn the content by progressively building on what they have already mastered. If you use AI on unproctored assessments, like lab assignments, you will likely find yourself unprepared for the proctored exams where you are not allowed to use AI.

Instead of using an AI “tutor” (which often makes subtle mistakes, and won’t emphasize the things that your instructor wants you to pay attention to), please use the human assistance that is provided for you in this course:

When you answer a question on PrairieLearn, scroll down to the “Correct Answer” panel and carefully read the explanation that is written by your instructor.
If you don’t understand something in the lecture, lab, or homework, post a question on Ed to get an explanation from your instructor or a course assistant.
Or, visit an office hour on Zoom for a “live” Q&A with humans.

If I violate the collaboration or academic integrity policies, what will happen?

The specific penalty depends on the type of violation and whether or not it is the first violation. For a first instance of an academic integrity policy, the consequence is a zero grade on the assignment. Please refer to the Student Code of Conduct for more information.

Note that in order to deter violations, the consequence for submitting work that is in violation of these policies is designed to be much worse than submitting nothing! For example: a student who submits a friend’s screenshot for one question on a lab assignment will get a zero grade for the entire assignment, not only for that question. (The friend who shared the screenshot will also get a zero grade, since sharing screenshots or data is a violation of the collaboration policy.)

Submitting lab work

What do I need to submit after each lab exercise? Do I need to write a report?

As your work on each lab exercise, you’ll answer some short questions by filling in your answers in an online form in Gradescope.

Some of the questions will ask you to upload a screenshot of parts of the lab exercise. Many questions will ask you to annotate your screenshots to indicate certain relevant parts, to show that you understand how to use and interpret the data you collect in the lab. Other questions will ask you to explain or comment on your screenshots or data.

You will not have to write a traditional “lab report” explaining lab procedure etc. You only have to answer the specific questions that are asked in Gradescope.

Where will I submit my lab work?

You will submit all your work on Gradescope. To open Gradescope from Brightspace, click on Content, then Course Tools, then Gradescope.

How do I join this course on Gradescope?

In Brightspace, click on Content, then Course Tools, then Gradescope setup instructions. Follow the instructions there to join the course on Gradescope.

How do I write answers in Gradescope?

Here’s a brief tutorial to show you how Gradescope works:

What kind of questions will I have to answer in Gradescope?

The types of questions include:

Multiple choice and multiple select options
Short answer (e.g. a word or phrase, or a number). These are graded automatically, so if the instructions specify what type of answer you should give (e.g. number of seconds as an integer value), please follow those instructions carefully and don’t add any extra text!
Written explanation. Make sure to answer the specific question that is asked. Often, the prompt will include multiple specific questions and you should make sure to address each of them in your answer for full credit. Also, do not include information that is not directly relevant to answering the question.
File upload or annotated file upload. You will often have to submit a screenshot showing part of your lab configuration, or the output of a command, for example. As you work on the lab, review the questions in Gradescope and make sure you capture everything that you’ll need to submit. It’s also important that if your screenshot shows an entire window with a lot of content on it, you should crop your screenshot to only show the part(s) that answer the question before you submit it.

What types of files should I upload for file upload questions?

Although Gradescope will allow you to upload many different types of files, the grader may not be able to read some of them. For file upload questions, please use one of the following formats only:

PNG image (preferred)
JPG image
PDF

After uploading a file and saving your submission in Gradescope, make sure it is visible and that any text or annotations in the image are readable within Gradescope.

Do not upload:

PCAP files
DOC or DOCX files
Other image formats

Submission deadlines

Why are there two due dates for each assignment in Gradescope?

Each assignment has two due dates in Gradescope - a regular due date and a “late” due date.

Your work is due by the regular due date.
If you submit work or update your submission between the regular due date and the late due date, it counts as “LATE”. Please refer to the next question for more information on “LATE” penalties.
Once the late due date passes, Gradescope will close submissions and you will not be able to submit your work for that assignment. No new submissions or changes are accepted after the “late” due date.

Can I make corrections or resubmit my work after I submit a lab report in Gradescope?

Yes, you can make corrections and resubmit as many times as you want until the regular due date.

If you make changes after the regular due date (but before the late due date) then the submission will be considered “late”. (See “What are the penalties for late submission?”)

What are the penalties for late submission?

At the end of the semester, I will download your “Total Lateness” from Gradescope - this is the sum of all “late” time used across all lab assignments.

To accommodate exceptional and unanticipated circumstances that prevent you from submitting your work before the regular due date - for example, if you are sick - you have up to 48 total hours of “free” lateness. For example, if:

your Lab 3 submission is 12 hours late, because your home Internet access broke just before the deadline, and you had to submit your work the next morning, on campus,
your Lab 8 submission is 35 hours late, because you finished most of the assignment early, but then had a migraine headache before you could finish the rest,
and the rest of your work is submitted on time,

then there is no penalty, because the “Total Lateness” across all assignments is only 47 hours, and hasn’t exceeded the “free” amount (48 hours). (You don’t have to ask permission, and you don’t have to let me know why your submission was late.)

There is a penalty off your overall lab grade of 0.5 point/hour after 48 hours. For example, if you earn a perfect score on every lab assignment but each assignment was submitted 10 hours late, you would have 77 hours of “Total Lateness” across the entire semester, and your lab score will be 100-(1/2)62 = 69.

(In case of excessive lateness, a lab assignment score computed as described above could become negative. For example: if you would have earned 5/10 points on an assignment but it assignment was submitted 20 hours late and you have already used all of your “free” late hours. If an assignment score becomes negative due to lateness, it will be set to zero instead.)

Do you have any tips for avoiding late submissions?

Each lab assignment is available to work on for a full week or more (including two full Sundays), and the schedule of lab due dates is published on the first day of the semester, so you can plan your schedule.

The best way to avoid late submission is to start working on the lab as soon as it is available, rather than waiting until a day or two before the deadline. This way, if the lab takes longer than you expected, or you have an exam for another course on the day the lab is due, or if your computer breaks - you still have plenty of time to finish before the deadline.

This is especially important if you have already used some of your “free” late hours, since you have less slack left to accommodate unexpected situations. (In general, I advise you to save your “free” late hours to the extent possible, and not use them up early in the course - if you use them up early, then you won’t have any left if unexpected circumstances arise later in the semester.)

If you experience technical problems while working on a lab, make sure to ask for help (on the Q&A site) right away, so that you can get help and submit your work on time! Don’t wait to ask for help.

What should I do if I need extra time on a lab assignment because of a disability?

If you need extra time on an assignment because of a disability (for example: you need to take frequent breaks from a computer screen because of a vision problem, or you have an executive function disorder), you will need to work with the Moses Center to request accommodations beyond the “48 free late hours”. Please refer to the “Moses Center Statement of Disability” section.

(Note that disability accommodations are not retroactive, so you should begin this process at the beginning of the semester if you think you may need it, rather than waiting until you are already struggling.)

The Moses Center will reach out to your professors directly if your accommodations are approved, so you do not need to share any details of your disability with me.

What should I do if I need extra time on a lab assignments because of illness, religious practice, or a death in the immediate family?

If you need extra time on an assignment (beyond the “48 free late hours”) because of illness (including COVID-19), religious practice, or a death in the immediate family, please contact the student advocate. Refer to the “Illness or other exceptional situation” section for details.

The student advocate will reach out to your professors directly to recommend excused absences or extended deadlines, so you do not need to share any details of your personal circumstance with me.

Grading and regrading

How are the lab assignments scored?

Each lab assignment is graded out of 10 points.

A team of graders reviews all of the lab assignments, under the supervision of the lab instructor. For each question, a detailed rubric specifies how many points should be deducted for different types of errors. The grader reviews the submission and indicates which of the deductions or comments listed in the rubric apply.

After the grades are released, you’ll be able to see exactly which rubric items the graders applied to your submission, so you can understand and learn from any mistakes.

How will I review my work, once it is graded?

You can review your graded work in Gradescope and see exactly why you lost points. Here’s a video that shows how it works:

What should I do if I think that my work was not graded correctly?

Use the Regrade Request feature in Gradescope, which will automatically send a message to the TA or instructor that graded that specific question. Here’s a video that shows how it works:

A regrade request should be submitted within 3 days of the grade release.

How is the overall lab grade computed? Are any lab grades dropped?

There are a total of 11 lab assignments, each worth 10 points. Your overall lab grade will be computed out of 100 points as follows:

Sum of 9 highest lab grades + (1/2) 2nd-lowest lab grade + (1/2) lowest lab grade - (1/2) excess lateness hours (beyond 48 “free” hours)

Other important policies

Inclusion

The NYU Tandon School values an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students. I hope to foster a sense of community in this class and consider it a place where individuals of all backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious and political affiliations, and abilities will be treated with respect. It is my intent that all students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. If this standard is not being upheld, please feel free to speak with me.

Moses Center Statement of Disability

If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 3rd floor.

Illness or other exceptional situation

If you are experiencing an illness or any other situation that might affect your academic performance in a class, please contact the student advocate, who can reach out to your instructors on your behalf when warranted. For an excused absence (including extended deadlines on an assignment during your absence), please complete the form on the student advocate’s website.