Engineering in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

General Objectives. The course aims to provide students with an overview of network programmability, introducing the main architectures and enabling technologies. Through frontal teaching and practical exercises, students will be able to configure network devices, design and implement network management automation applications, develop control applications, and define new packet processing logics. Specific Objectives. Knowledge and understanding: Understanding of the main architectures supporting programmable networks, including the functions performed by different logical blocks. Application of knowledge and understanding: Ability to design and develop network control applications, network automation, and packet processing pipelines. Critical and judgmental abilities: Ability to critically analyze the cost/benefit relationship regarding the use of centralized control architectures, reactive or proactive approaches, physical or virtualized network functions. Communicative skills: Through group activities carried out in the classroom and the completion of the exam project, students will acquire the ability to illustrate the logic of operation of the various developed network functions, as well as explain how these can integrate with various architectural elements. Learning abilities: The course provides students with a structured and systematic vision of the various points of programmability in a network infrastructure, as well as commonly used architectures. This knowledge will enable students to easily understand the role of network programmability even in application scenarios not covered in the course.