Module 18151 (2007)
Syllabus page 2007/2008
06-18151
Distributed Systems (Extended)
Level 4/M
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus
The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page. (The University module description has not yet been checked against the School's.)
Relevant Links
For more information (such as administrivia, handouts, animations, glossary, useful URLs, etc) see Dr Bordbar's teaching web page.
Outline
Aims
The aims of this module are to:
- introduce basic terminology, architectures and models of distributed systems
- familiarise with mechanisms and protocols for inter-process communication
- convey understanding of fundamental problems (security, naming, coordination and agreement, etc) in the design and programming of distributed systems, together with appropriate techniques and methodologies for their resolution
Learning Outcomes
| On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to: | Assessed by: | |
| 1 | recognise and appreciate fundamental characteristics of distributed systems: geographical distribution, concurrency, lack of global time, delay in communication, heterogeneity and existence of failures | Examination |
| 2 | explain the main types of architectures and mechanisms of communication, such as client-server, distributed object models and communication protocols | Examination |
| 3 | appreciate the difficulties of and techniques for handling timing, coordination and agreement in a distributed setting | Examination |
| 4 | understand fundamental issues in distributed systems design, such as security, storage, naming, fault-tolerance and mobility, and suggest appropriate methodologies in each case | Examination |
| 5 | explain the design, organization and use of distributed object systems, such as CORBA | Continuous Assessment |
Restrictions, Prerequisites and Corequisites
Restrictions:
May not be taken by anyone who has taken or is taking 06-06798 (Distributed Systems).
Prerequisites:
None
Co-requisites:
None
Teaching
Teaching Methods:
2 hrs lectures per week + some problem classes.
Contact Hours:
Assessment
- Sessional: 1.5 hr examination (80%), continuous assessment (20%).
- Supplementary (where allowed): As the sessional assessment
Recommended Books
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher, Date |
| Distributed systems: concepts and Design (3rd ed.) | Coulouris, Dollimore and Kindberg | Addison Wesley, 2000 |
| Distributed Systems (2nd ed.) | S Mullender | Addison Wesley, 1999 |
| Distributed Systems for System Architects | P Verissimo and L Rodrigues | Kluwer, 2001 |
| Engineering Distributed Objects | W Emmerich | Wiley and Sons, 2000 |
| Architecting with RM-ODP | Janis R. Putman | Prentice Hall, 2001 |
| Data Communications and Networking (2nd ed.) | Behrouz A. Forouzan | McGraw-Hill, 2001 |
Detailed Syllabus
Not applicable
Last updated: 13 May 2005
Source file: /internal/modules/COMSCI/2007/xml/18151.xml
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus