CSC 435 Distributed Systems I
Summary
This course covers the general principles and the fundamental concepts behind distributed systems.
The focus is on issues and concepts that are critical to the application of distributed systems and
computer networks, such as: the definition and organization of distributed systems, distributed
processing, inter-process communication, process coordination, distributed data consistency
and replication, and fault tolerance; and on the practical aspects of distributed programming:
multithreaded programming, socket programming, RPC/RMI and MPI. The course will be mostly
devoted to basic concepts and techniques but will also include assorted topics in advanced
distributed systems and in distributed programming. CSC 435 is a good foundational course for
many other courses, such as: CSC 464 Virtualization and Cloud Computing, CSC5 36 Distributed
Systems II and CSC 551 Distributed Database Systems.
Texts
Marteen van Steen and Andrew Tanenbaum, “Distributed Systems” 4th Edition.
Grading
Programming Assignments (5 + 1) 50% + 10% extra credit
Quizzes (8 + 1) 20% + 2.5%
Exam (1) 30%
Prerequisites
CSC 403 Data Structures II and CSC 407 Systems II.
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.
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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