Last modified Jan. 26, 1996.
This page written and maintained by Joe Touch touch@isi.edu
Course time: Tuesday & Thursday, 10:30-11:45am, location TBA.
Instructor: Joe Touch
E-mail/URL: touch@isi.edu http://www.isi.edu/~touch/
Office: SAL 232 / (213) 740-???? during office hours [e-mail anytime]
Office hours: Tues. and Thurs. 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Appointments are required (or see me immediately after class).
Description: This course will address the issues of distributed computer systems. The first part of the course covers general techniques for communication, synchronization, resource sharing, resource location, security, fault tolerance, etc., such as arise when a conventional computer system is distributed. The second part of the course focuses on case studies as examples of and exceptions to these issues.
Prerequisites: Adequate performance on the diagnostic exam, to be given the FIRST day of class, Thursday, January 11, location to be announced, is the prerequisite to this class. The exam ensures a basic understanding of undergraduate-level operating systems. It will not count toward your grade, though you must show adequate understanding to be allowed to enroll. The material is based on an undergraduate OS class such as CSci 402. You may review Chapters 1-6 of: Tanenbaum, Andrew S., Modern Operating Systems (the text for CSci 402, not CSci 555).
TA: Lars Eggert
E-mail/URL: leggert@lipari.usc.edu http://www-pal.usc.edu/~leggert/
Office: SAL 209 (office hours in SAL 107)
Office hours: Mon/Fri 2-3pm
Text: Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design (2nd Edition), G. Coulouris, ACM Press, 1993.
The reading packet (~$50 cash) is available through the ITV Main Office (NOT the Copy Center).
ALL STUDENTS MUST ATTEND THE PRELIM, MIDTERM, AND FINAL EXAMS ON CAMPUS.
Homework: Reading assignments (approximately 3 papers per class).
** you are expected provide an oral or written critique of any paper covered on demand **
HINT: keep a log with a few key phrases and ideas of each paper you read.
Homework (short essay discussion format, approximately 4, approximately 2-3 typed pages each).
Research paper (approximately 10 pages, double-spaced)
Grading: Midterm ~20%
Final ~20%
Research paper~ 30%, due at the beginning of the last regular class, on Thursday, April 25.
Homework ~20%
In-class participation ~10% (part general, part on-demand paper critique)
Attendance: Absence does not change the due date of an assignment. Missed exams will receive a failing grade without an official university accepted and verified excuse (e.g., medical). There will be no make-up exams. In the case of a lengthy illness, contact the instructor as soon as possible.
Other policy: Save all returned exams and papers until the final course grade has been received. Report grading errors to the instructor. There will be no regrading after 10 days.
Also, incompletes will not be granted for this course, except in demonstrable cases of hardship, such as documented extended illness.
Free advice: Most of what you will learn in this class will come from reading the papers, participating in class, and discussing the unclear or controversial points with your classmates. It is very important that you read the appropriate papers prior to coming to class.
Last modified Jan. 26, 1996.
This page written and maintained by Joe Touch touch@isi.edu