Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School: Computer and Security Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Principles of Distributed Systems
  • Unit Code

    CSI6111
  • Year

    2015
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online

Description

This unit is designed to provide an overview on foundations of distributed systems. Topics covered include requirements for system designing, principles for system development, and problems that emerge with the application of distributed systems. Mechanisms of communication, process, naming, synchronisation, replication, fault tolerance and security in distributed client-server systems are given particular attention.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded CSI5117

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse design considerations for distributed systems.
  2. Evaluate the organisation and functionality of some commonly used distributed systems.
  3. Identify trends in the development of distributed systems.
  4. Investigate mechanisms associated with multiple processes in distributed environments.

Unit Content

  1. Characterisation of distributed systems.
  2. Consistency protocols and distributed replication.
  3. Design considerations and architectures for distributed systems.
  4. Distributed naming services.
  5. Distributed system security.
  6. Fault handling techniques.
  7. Middleware technology.
  8. Paradigms of distributed systems (e.g. World Wide Web).
  9. Remote procedure calls and remote method invocations.
  10. Synchronisation and concurrency control.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, workshops and readings.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentStudent seminar10%
ReportTeam based student report30%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentStudent seminar10%
ReportTeam based student report30%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%

^ Mandatory to Pass

Text References

  • ^ Tanenbaum, A., & van Steen, M. (2007). Distributed systems: principles and paradigms (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall.
  • Coulouris, G., Dollimore, J., & Kindberg, T. (2011). Distributed systems: concepts and design (5th ed.). Addision-Wesley.
  • Ghezzi, A. (2011). Mobile middleware content & service delivery platforms assessment. Nova Science Publishers Inc.
  • Bessis, N. (2012). Development of distributed systems from design to application and maintenance. USA: Idea Group.
  • Roscoe, A. W. (2010). Understanding concurrent systems. Springer.
  • Sarbazi-Azad, Hamid & Sarbazi-Azad, H. (2013). Large scale network-centric distributed systems. Wiley-Blackwell.

Journal References

  • IEEE Transactions on Computers
  • IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
  • IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems

^ Mandatory reference


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

CSI6111|1|1

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School: Computer and Security Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Principles of Distributed Systems
  • Unit Code

    CSI6111
  • Year

    2015
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online

Description

This unit is designed to provide an overview on foundations of distributed systems. Topics covered include requirements for system designing, principles for system development, and problems that emerge with the application of distributed systems. Mechanisms of communication, process, naming, synchronisation, replication, fault tolerance and security in distributed client-server systems are given particular attention.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded CSI5117

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse design considerations for distributed systems.
  2. Evaluate the organisation and functionality of some commonly used distributed systems.
  3. Identify trends in the development of distributed systems.
  4. Investigate mechanisms associated with multiple processes in distributed environments.

Unit Content

  1. Characterisation of distributed systems.
  2. Consistency protocols and distributed replication.
  3. Design considerations and architectures for distributed systems.
  4. Distributed naming services.
  5. Distributed system security.
  6. Fault handling techniques.
  7. Middleware technology.
  8. Paradigms of distributed systems (e.g. World Wide Web).
  9. Remote procedure calls and remote method invocations.
  10. Synchronisation and concurrency control.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, workshops and readings.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentStudent seminar10%
ReportTeam based student report30%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentStudent seminar10%
ReportTeam based student report30%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%

^ Mandatory to Pass

Text References

  • ^ Tanenbaum, A., & van Steen, M. (2007). Distributed systems: principles and paradigms (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall.
  • Coulouris, G., Dollimore, J., & Kindberg, T. (2011). Distributed systems: concepts and design (5th ed.). Addision-Wesley.
  • Ghezzi, A. (2011). Mobile middleware content & service delivery platforms assessment. Nova Science Publishers Inc.
  • Bessis, N. (2012). Development of distributed systems from design to application and maintenance. USA: Idea Group.
  • Roscoe, A. W. (2010). Understanding concurrent systems. Springer.
  • Sarbazi-Azad, Hamid & Sarbazi-Azad, H. (2013). Large scale network-centric distributed systems. Wiley-Blackwell.

Journal References

  • IEEE Transactions on Computers
  • IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
  • IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems

^ Mandatory reference


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

CSI6111|1|2