University of Waterloo

Term and Year of Offering: Winter 2012

Course Number and Title: CS454, Distributed Systems

Comp Sec Camp Loc Time Days/Date Bldg Room Instructor
LEC 001 UW U 02:30-03:50TTh MC 2017 Wong,Bernard
 

Instructor's Name Office Location Contact Office Hours
Bernard Wong DC3514 bernard@uwaterloo.ca 4:00-5:00 Mondays and Thursdays

TA's Name Office LocationContactOffice Hours
Prima Chairunnanda DC3552 pchairun@uwaterloo.ca 1:00-2:00 Tuesdays
Md. Rakibul Haque DC3549A m9haque@uwaterloo.ca TBD (Currently not on campus)

Course Description:

An introduction to distributed systems, emphasizing the multiple levels of software in such systems. Specific topics include fundamentals of data communications, network architecture and protocols, local-area networks, concurrency control in distributed systems, recovery in distributed systems, and clock synchronization.

Course Objectives:

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of distributed computer systems, assuming the availability of facilities for data transmission. The structure of distributed systems using multiple levels of software is emphasized.

Course Overview:

Fundamentals of Distributed Algorithms (10 hours)

Clock synchronization, partial order of events, election algorithms, agreement algorithms, distributed shared memory, process synchronization.

File and Directory Systems (6 hours)

Naming and name resolution; name, directory, and file servers; caching.

Distributed databases (3 hours)

Locking and concurrency control, deadlock handling, stable storage, two-phase commit.

Security and Protection (3 hours)

Encryption, public and private keys, authentication, privacy.

Distributed Services (6 hours)

File transfer, electronic mail, World-Wide Web.

Examples of Distributed Systems (8 hours)

Some of: Mach, Amoeba, OSF DCE, CORBA, DCOM.

Required text:


A.S. Tanenbaum and M. van Steen, Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2007 (2nd Edition).

Evaluation:

Assignments 30%
Midterm 30%
Final 40%

Assignments 1& 3 are 8%, 2 is 14%
Students have to pass the exams to obtain a passing grade in the course.

Late policy:

Assignments will receive a -10% grade per business day late. Missed assignments will receive a grade of 0%. No assignments will be accepted after the last day of class.

Rules for Group Work:

After a group is formed, only one break-up is allowed during the term.
After a break-up, new groups cannot be formed.
After a break-up, each individual gets a copy of the original group's project work. This includes any source code and documentation.
The one break-up that is allowed can only occur after the deadline of the current assignment
( within 1 week of the actual deadline of the assignment, without including any slip days ).
All requests for break-ups should be in written form and should occur on the request for reappraisal form.

Indication of how late submission of assignments and missed assignments will be treated

Assignments will receive a -10% grade per business day late. Missed assignments will receive a grade of 0%. No assignments will be accepted after the last day of class.

Indication of where students are to submit assignments and pick up marked assignments

Submit assignments via email directly to the TAs. Graded assignments will be returned either electronically or distributed in class.

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department's administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/] to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about 'rules' for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals) www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.

Note for Students with Disabilities: The Office for persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.