In this course, we will study some of the most important concepts in the design of distributed systems. Throughout the course, we will try to relate the material covered to the support of large-scale computing on the Internet. We will tentatively discuss the following issues. Things may change as we go along, so please check back later frequently!

Introduction   Characterization of Distributed Systems  Network OSs vs. distributed OSs  Research and design issues  Interprocess Communication   Issues in message passing  Client-server communication  Remote Procedure Call   Design issues for RPCs  Case study: Sun RPC  Distributed Object-Oriented Technology   Communication between distributed objects  Case study: Java RMI  Case study: CORBA  Distributed Naming Services   Names, addresses, routes, capabilities  Naming facilities, name distribution, name resolution  Migration  Synchronization   Event ordering / synchronization  Centralized vs. distributed schemes

Group Communication   Ordered, reliable, and casual multicast  Group membership  Atomic group multicast  Virtual synchrony  Case study: ISIS  Service Replication / Reliable Services   Distributed Shared Memory   Shared memory Consistency models Design issues Case studies: Ivy/Munin/Treadmarks Distributed File Services   Model  Case study: NFS  Case study: AFS  Case study: CODA  Modern Systems: OceanStore  Supporting Internet Applications of the Future Issues Active networks, Liquid software, ... Peer-to-Peer, ... Other Cool Stuff...

As you see, most of the material served in the lectures is pretty basic. The idea is to provide a solid basis. We will complement this with a very strong hands-on component.

• " Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design; 3rd Ed"
  by G. Coulouris, J. Dollimore, T. Kindberg, Addison Wesley (ISBN 0-201-61918-0)

Assessment Method

The course will consist of a considerable number of challenging programming projects and three exams.

Ideally, grades will be assigned along the following lines:

• A: (90 - 100) Understanding of the material presented in class and in the literature. Excellent completion of the projects. Indication of ability to independently develop new ideas based on material learned in class.
• B: (80 - 89) Good understanding of material presented in class and in required reading. Good completion of the projects.
• C: (70 - 79) Some understanding of material presented in class and required reading. Completion of the projects at unsatisfactory level.
• D: (60 - 69) ....

Prerequisites

CS4441, Ask Cathy Forman about this.

Projects

In this course we will not limit ourselves to talking about distributed computing systems, but will get our hands quite dirty.

The projects will be very demanding. More information about projects will be posted soon.

The projects will be done in groups of two students each. This means that it is a good idea to start looking for a partner soon.

Things may change, so please check back later!

Late-Submission Policy

• Lateness will penalize one third of the earned points of the item per class day.

Academic Integrity

It goes without saying that the highest level of academic integrity is expected for students in this class. While discussions among students on the analysis of problems and on the development of general solution approaches is welcome (encouraged, in fact,) the realization has to be of the individual student or of the individual project team. Spelled out, this means:

• For the projects: Do not make design documents or code available to other teams. Do not use other teams' design documents or code.
• For homeworks: Do not make your solutions available to other students. Do not copy from other students' solutions.