Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ian Joyner
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
COMP347
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit covers both fundamental issues and recent trends in distributed computing. We examine the complexities of distributed communications systems such as partial failures, shared memory, scheduling problems and multiple clocks. Networking protocols and other industry standards are discussed. Lectures will mostly be expository and conceptual and aim to provide a solid understanding of distributed systems and related enduring issues.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Weekly problems | 10% | Weekly |
Assignment 1 | 20% | Week 7 |
Assignment 2 | 20% | Week 12 |
Examination | 50% | After final lecture |
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
After each lecture a set of tutorial questions will be posted on iLearn. Students need to research and answer these questions which will be marked on a weekly basis.
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 20%
Assignment 1 assesses progress and understanding of lecture material. It will set a moderate design task to be completed.
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%
Assignment 2 will be researching a couple of topics we have covered and writing a report on those topics.
Due: After final lecture
Weighting: 50%
The final examination will consist of questions based on the lecture material, tutorial problems and assignments. The examination will be closed book, three hours long and held in the end of session examination period.
All learning outcomes will be assessed in the final examination, which will cover the entirety of the lecture material.
Classes
Each week you should attend the class which is three to four hours. For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage.
This course has no extra classes for tutorials or practicals.
Please note it is to your benefit to attend most of the classes, prepared to participate in discussions, ask and answer questions, and provide perspectives from your own background and workplaces.
Resources to assist your learning
Digital recordings of lectures are available as Echo360 through iLearn login. These are provided for review material and in case of missing lectures.
iLearn is used for out-of-class communication as well as forums where active discussion of issues is encouraged. iLearn can be found at can be found at http://learn.mq.edu.au. You are encouraged to review iLearn weekly and to do background reading before each class.
Textbook
The textbook for ITEC801 is:
Coulouris, Dollimore, Kindberg, and Blair - Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design 5th Edition, 2012
References
Tannenbaum, A. S., Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, Prentice-Hall, 2nd Edition 2006
Ince, D., Developing Distributed and E-commerce Applications, Second Edition, Addison Wesley, 2003.
Liu, M.L., Distributed Computing, Principles and Applications, Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2004.
Week | Topic |
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Week 1 | Introduction, Challenges, and Goals (Coulouris Chapter 1) |
Week 2 |
Distributed Systems Architectures, Paradigms, and Patterns, Networks (Coulouris Chapter 2 and 3) |
Week 3
Client-Server, Peer-to-peer, Communication in Distributed Systems (Coulouris Chapter 4, 5, 6)
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Week 4 | Naming - location transparency (Coulouris Chapter 13) |
Week 5 |
Open Distributed Processing (Online reading) |
Week 6 | Synchronization (Coulouris Chapter 14 and 15) |
Week 7 | RPC, RMI, message passing and failure in distributed systems communication (Coulouris Chapter 4, 5, 5) |
Week 8 | REST - Concepts (Fielding's Thesis) and Application (Coulouris Chapter 9, Online reading) |
Week 9 | Middleware and Distributed Data - Fragmentation and Replication (Coulouris Chapter 8) |
Week 10 | Consistency, transactions and replication (Coulouris Chapter 18) |
Week 11 | Cloud Computing (Coulouris Chapter 8) |
Week 12 | Mobile and ubiquitous computing (Coulouris Chapter 19) |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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