Abstraction in Computer Networks LiveLessons considers abstraction in theory and practice across many of the places it is used in building network devices, network software, and networks. Tradeoffs and common problems are considered, and the relationship between abstraction and complexity is discussed.
Viewers learn how to think about what abstraction hides, and why it is important to hide each of these things. They also learn how to look in unexpected places for abstraction, how to think about leaky abstractions, and how Keith's Law and the first corollary to Keith's Law impact abstraction, including unintended consequences. Abstraction also relates to the State/Optimization/Surface tradeoff triad, so a section of this LiveLesson considers that tradeoff and how abstraction controls the speed and amount of state, impacts the depth and breadth of interaction surfaces, and reduces optimization.