San Diego State University

Department of Computer Science

 

 CS 666 Advanced Distributed Systems Spring 2018

 

 

Class Web Page:        

The class web page is located at http://taoxie.sdsu.edu/cs666/index.html. This page contains course announcements, syllabus, and other information.

 

Class Location and Time:        

Class location: EBA - 443; Class Schedule: MW 16:00 - 17:15

 

Instructor:           

Tao Xie, Ph.D.

Office hours:         MW 11 am - noon or by appointment

Office:                    GMCS 535, Office Phone 619-594-2014

URL:                       http://taoxie.sdsu.edu

 

Grader:           

Prashant Joshi

Email: prashantjoshi93@gmail.com

Office hours: Monday&Wednesday 11 am to noon at GMCS 557

 

Course Description:        

A distributed system is one in which components located at networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions only by passing messages. A major motivation for developing distributed systems is to share resources, which may be managed by servers and accessed by clients. The design and implementations of distributed systems are challenging, because (1) components in a distributed system are in most cases heterogeneous, (2) components may be dynamically added or replaced, and (3) the systems must work well when the number of users increases. In this course, we will address the issues of design of distributed systems. In particular, we will investigate successful approaches in the form of abstract models, algorithms, and cases studies of real-world systems. We presume that students who will take this class have a basic knowledge of operating systems, computer architecture, and object oriented programming. The course will be research intensive, aiming at deriving practical and achievable ground rules for distributed systems design. Each student is expected to do a project including a written report and an in-class presentation on a topic to be arranged with the instructor. You will be expected to collaborate with other students toward the completion of the research project related to distributed systems.

 

Topics Covered:        

Characterization of distributed systems, Distributed system models, Distributed algorithms, Distributed objects and RMI, Transactions and concurrency control, Distributed transactions, Replication, Distributed file systems, Peer-to-Peer systems, Mobile and ubiquitous computing.

 

Textbook:             

G. Coulouris, J. Dollimore and T. Kindberg, "Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design" fifth edition, by Addison Wesley, 2011, ISBN: 0-13-214301-1.

 

Lecture Slides:             

Class Schedule             

Introduction of Distributed Systems             

System Models             

Interprocess communication             

How to conduct research projects in CS (1)?             

How to conduct research projects in CS (2)?             

How to conduct research projects in CS (3)?             

Distributed Objects and Remote Invocation             

Events and Distributed File Systems (1)             

Distributed File Systems (2)             

A Sample CS Research Project             

Peer-to-Peer Systems             

Time and Global State (1)             

Time and Global State (2)             

Coordination and Agreement (1)             

Coordination and Agreement (2)             

Coordination and Agreement (3)             

Coordination and Agreement (4)             

Transactions and Concurrency Control (1)             

Transactions and Concurrency Control (2)             

Transactions and Concurrency Control (3)             

Midterm Exam Preview             

Distributed Transactions (1)             

Distributed Transactions (2)             

 

Course Objectives:

1.  To understand the characterization of distributed systems.

2.  To understand the well-established topics of data replication, distributed file systems, and the like.

3.  To familiarize yourselves with new topics, including web services, the Grid, peer-to-peer and ubiquitous systems.

4.  To design a scalable and heterogeneous distributed systems.

5.  To improve technical writing and oral presentation skills.

 

Prerequisites:

1.  CS 570 - Operating Systems.

 

Assignments, Lab Assignment, Midterm Exam, and Research Project:

Research Project

1.  Assignment 1 (Chapters 1,2,4,5; individual assignment)

Assignment#1

2.  Assignment 2 (Chapters 10,12, 14, 15; individual assignment)

Assignment#2

3.  Assignment 3 (Chapters 16,17; individual assignment)

Assignment#3

 

Class Guidelines:

 

• Prerequisite: The prerequisite for this course is CS570. This prerequisite will be strictly enforced. All registered students are required to bring me the proof of having passed CS570 in SDSU or an equivelant course in other colleges. Those who fail to provide this proof will be given a grade of “F” in the class.
• There will be NO make-up tests without a verified excuse.
• I will not sign late drop slips!
• Failure to appear for the Exam at the indicated date and time will result in a grade of “F” in the course, unless you make prior arrangements with me for an Incomplete (see the requirements for receiving and Incomplete below). If you cannot attend the final exam for any reason (conflict with another course, work schedule, etc.), you should drop this class now. No make-up exam will be given.
• Incompletes: To receive a grade of Incomplete (“I”) in this class, you must meet all of the following criteria: a. You must have extenuating circumstances beyond your control for not completing the course, and I will be the sole judge as to whether the circumstances warrant withdrawal from the class. Official verification is required to corroborate your circumstances. b. You must have completed the Exam. c. You must have a grade of “C” or better in the Exam.
• There will be NO extra credit in any assignments, tests, and final exam.
• All submissions are due at the start of class on the indicated due day. If you can not make it to the class, please ask your friend to bring it at the start of class. No late submission will be accepted.
• The exam is close-book, close-notes.
• Any questions about grading must be brought to the attention of the grader or the instructor within one week after the item in question is returned. No argument on grading after this one week period.
• No cell phones, No Pagers, No speaking in class.
• The instructor reserve the right to revise the Class Guidelines when he thinks that it is necessary to do so.
• Cheating: Any one caught cheating/collaborating on an exam or any assignment will receive an F in the course. The incident will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for disciplinary proceedings. Note: If, for instance, you allow your assignment be copied by a classmate, you are considered as guilty as the copier.

 

 

Grading Policy:

          100       90        86        82        78         74        70        66        62          58         54         50        0

     |     A    |   A-    |    B+   |    B    |     B-    |   C+   |    C     |    C-   |    D+    |     D    |    D-    |    F    |