CSC 435 Distributed Systems I
Summary
2.8
CSC435 -- Elliott Syllabus
CSC435 Distributed Systems Syllabus -- Elliott
Winter 2013/2014
Logistics:
Class meets: Thursday 5:45 Loop Campus Lewis 1216
Professor: Dr. Clark Elliott
Class website: http://condor.depaul.edu/~elliott/435
email: elliott AATT cdm depaul edu. Include "435: " prefix in
subject line and MEANINGFUL mail header! (no uniformative "Reply: "
please)
Grader email: elliottgrading AATT gmail com. (Administration of submissions only)
Textbooks:
Required text: Tanenbaum, Andrew S., and van Steen, Maarten (2007),
"Distributed Systems, Principles and Paradigms, 2nd Edition" Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall. www.prenhall.com/tanenbaum.
Recommended background text: Kurose, James F., and Ross, Keith W. (2007 -- )
"Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet, [any]
Edition," Boston: Addison Wesley. (2012 is the 6th edition, but any version from 2007 on will contain the bulk
of the background material if you want to save money.)
Grading:
Exams 35%
Assignments 65%
Grading Scale:
95% A
90% A-
86,83,80 B+,B,B-
78,74,70 C+,C,C-
65,60 D+,D
I reserve the right to raise the grade of a student that has demonstrated
exceptional contributions in some particular portion of the class (newsgroup
participation, programming, research/study log, etc.).
Topics:
We will follow the chapter outline in the textbook "Distributed
Systems: Principles and Paradigms" by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten van
Steen. Some material from the book will NOT be covered. We will cover many aspects of distributed systems dealing with system
structure, models of time, client/server protocols, state maintenance,
security, distributed process coordination, and so on. These topics
are foundational in almost every contemporary area computer science.
Class structure:
This is primarily a lecture and reading class. However, there is a
significant programming component though strictly for developing deep
understanding the
concepts covered.
Newsgroup discussion participation is required.
Maintaining a written research/study log is required
Class will be challenging. Students are expected to do the reading
without prompting from the instructor. Some topics will be covered in the lectures, but because time
is short a number of topics will be covered only in the reading, and will
appear on exams.
Java or C++ programming background is required. However if you program well
in other similar languages you can probably pick up enough java to pass the
class. This is primarily a lecture course, but the programming
assignments are used to guarantee deep understanding of the material.
Programming assignments are substantial. Programming tips may be discussed,
but programming will not be taught.
Learning Goals:
At the end of class you will:
- Have a broad understanding of the central problems in distributed
systems.
- Have a good understanding of the compromises -- the choices --
that must be made when designing a distributed solution to IT problems.
- Have a good understanding of algorithmic approaches to
distributed systems solutions.
- Know how to write basic programs that address certain challenging
distributed systems problems.
- Have taken part in high-level discussions of distributed system
problems of interest.
- Demonstrated master's-level knowledge of the course materials
on exams.
Office hours for the course are available from my faculty link at
cdm.depaul.edu
All assignments, the assignment schedule, and the course materials,
are available online at either COL or the class website.
The specific readings are available at the class website.
Submission File Formats:
All text submissions must be made in Microsoft Word format, or in
plain ascii HTML, or plain ascii text. (Free programs are available to
produce each of these formats.) No other formats will be graded.
Assignments must be submitted to BOTH COL and TurnItIn.com before they will
be graded for credit. Students are responsible for downloading their
assignments after uploading, to make sure that files have not been corrupted.
Academic Integrity:
Cheating, plagiarism, and unethical conduct are
not allowed, and will be sactioned, including referral to the dean's
office, and failure in the class. Please refer to the academic handbook
by which rules you are expected to abide.
Violations include, but are not limited to: making claims on any checklist for
work that has not been done; including ANY uncited work of others in any documents you
turn in; turning in work, including any program, that has been authored by
someone other than yourself; in some cases including any work
of others, whether cited or not --- see the rules for each assignment.
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296