Network coding is a new area that emerged in 2000, based on the seminal work of Ahlswede, Cai, Li and Yeung. The communication systems today, operating such as phone networks, the public Internet, peer-to-peer networks, and ad-hoc wireless networks, treat information like fluid through pipes. Routing, data storage, error control, and generally all the network functions operate on this assumption. The main observation of Ahlswede, Cai Li and Yeung is that if intermediate nodes in a network appropriately combine the incoming information flows, we can get significant benefits in terms of throughput, complexity, battery life in wireless, etc. This shift in paradigm promises to revolutionize the way we manage, operate and understand information flow in networks, and foretells a deep influence in diverse areas that include reliable delivery, resource sharing, efficient flow control, network monitoring and security. This tutorial will cover the main theoretical parts of network coding as well as the most important application areas.
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