Virginia Tech
Department of Computer
Science
CS6204
Advanced Topics in Distributed Systems
Spring 2008
Lectures: Monday
and Wednesday 3– 4:15 PM (
Office: College of Computing and Information Technology, AAST, Room 411
Office phone:
E-mail: hamid at cs dot vt dot edu
Course home page: http://www.cs.vt.edu/~hamid/cs6204/
Office hours: by appointment
The course is a seminar style course concerning advanced topics in distributed systems. Various research problems in designing, implementing, and evaluating distributed systems will be tackled through research papers coverage. A course project component will attempt to provide hands-on experience in performing research in distributed systems.
A background in distributed systems is required.
Required
Text
No textbook is required. We shall cover material from the research literature, in addition to the instructor’s lecture notes.
Reference
Texts
1.
and Distributed Systems:
Principles and Paradigms, 2/E, Prentice Hall, 2007
Topics
Tentatively, the topics that will be covered include:
· Introduction to distributed systems
· communication
· naming
· synchronization
· consistency and replication
· fault tolerance
· security
· distributed file systems
· distributed web-based systems
· performance and scalability
· P2P
· Grid computing
Grading
|
Homework, Assignments, paper reviews |
30% |
|
Class discussions |
10% |
|
Course Project and technical paper |
60% |
The
instructor reserves the right to change the grading scheme or add
assignments/projects/exams.
Assessment Techniques
Homework: Homework assignments will consist of problems provided by the instructor. Problem sets will be graded on overall effort and correctness of selected problems.
Paper reviews: Paper reviews of assigned research papers (as part of the reading list) will be required.
Course Project and technical paper: The instructor will suggest various topics for course project ideas. In addition, a technical paper will be required covering the project’s topic(s). Students are encouraged to suggest their own project idea(s) pending approval of the instructor.
Academic Honesty
The Virginia Tech honor code applies to all homework/assignments and examinations. The instructor's academic honesty policy is very strict; instances of academic dishonesty will be severely penalized. All work submitted must be the student's own work! In working on problem sets, discussion and cooperative learning are allowed and, in fact, encouraged. However, copying or otherwise using another person's detailed solutions to assigned problems is an honor code violation. Projects are to be the work of the individual student. You may discuss general concepts, such as system calls, software libraries, Internet resources, or class and text topics, with others. However, discussion of project solutions, specific code, or detailed report content is an honor code violation. All source material used in project code and reports must be properly cited. Please discuss any questions that you may have about what is or is not permitted with the instructor.
Special Needs or Circumstances
Any students with special needs or circumstances should feel free to meet with or otherwise contact the instructor.