- University: Tishk International University
- Department: Department of Computer Engineering
- My Status: Assistant Lecturer
- Level: BSc
- Year: 2019
Course Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to distributed systems, covering fundamental design principles, communication mechanisms, and implementation challenges. Students will learn how to design and implement distributed applications that can operate across multiple networked computers while maintaining reliability, performance, and consistency.
The curriculum covers essential distributed systems concepts including communication protocols, synchronization mechanisms, fault tolerance, and distributed algorithms. Students will gain hands-on experience with Java programming for distributed applications, including multithreading, network programming, and Remote Method Invocation (RMI).
Through practical projects and case studies, students will develop the skills necessary to design, implement, and troubleshoot distributed systems, preparing them for careers in cloud computing, distributed software development, and system architecture.
Prerequisites
- Programming Fundamentals (Java preferred)
- Data Structures and Algorithms
- Computer Networks fundamentals
- Operating Systems concepts
- Concurrent programming basics (recommended)
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand fundamental design principles and challenges in distributed systems.
- Implement communication mechanisms between distributed system components.
- Design and develop multithreaded distributed applications using Java.
- Implement database replication and consistency mechanisms.
- Identify and address security vulnerabilities in distributed systems.
- Optimize distributed system performance and eliminate bottlenecks.
- Design resource naming and discovery mechanisms for distributed environments.
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Distributed Systems
- Distributed systems fundamentals and characteristics
- Types of distributed systems and applications
- Design challenges and trade-offs
- Distributed system architectures
- Historical development and current trends
Module 2: Communication in Distributed Systems
- Inter-process communication mechanisms
- Network protocols and communication models
- Message passing and remote procedure calls
- Communication middleware and APIs
- Communication reliability and fault tolerance
Module 3: Multithreading and Concurrency
- Thread fundamentals and lifecycle
- Thread synchronization and coordination
- Concurrent programming patterns
- Thread safety and race conditions
- Multithreading in distributed applications
Module 4: Network Programming Fundamentals
- Socket programming and network APIs
- Client-server communication patterns
- Network protocols and data serialization
- Network security and encryption
- Performance optimization in network applications
Module 5: Remote Method Invocation (RMI)
- RMI architecture and components
- Remote object creation and management
- Parameter passing and serialization
- RMI security and access control
- RMI performance and optimization
Module 6: Naming and Resource Discovery
- Naming schemes and hierarchies
- Distributed naming services
- Resource location and discovery
- Directory services and naming protocols
- Service discovery mechanisms
Module 7: Time and Coordination
- Clock synchronization algorithms
- Logical time and causality
- Distributed coordination protocols
- Consensus algorithms and agreement
- Time-based ordering and sequencing
- Performance measurement and analysis
- Scalability challenges and solutions
- Load balancing and distribution
- Bottleneck identification and elimination
- Performance optimization techniques
Module 9: Dependability and Fault Tolerance
- Fault models and failure types
- Fault detection and diagnosis
- Fault tolerance mechanisms
- Redundancy and replication strategies
- Recovery and checkpointing techniques
Module 10: Consistency and Replication
- Data consistency models
- Replication strategies and protocols
- Consistency algorithms and mechanisms
- Conflict resolution and reconciliation
- Eventual consistency and CAP theorem
Module 11: Distributed File Systems
- File system architecture and design
- File sharing and access control
- Caching and performance optimization
- Fault tolerance in file systems
- Distributed file system examples
Module 12: Security in Distributed Systems
- Security threats and vulnerabilities
- Authentication and authorization
- Cryptography and secure communication
- Access control and security policies
- Security auditing and monitoring
Module 13: Distributed Algorithms
- Distributed algorithm design principles
- Election algorithms and leader selection
- Mutual exclusion and synchronization
- Distributed consensus and agreement
- Algorithm complexity and analysis
Module 14: Modern Distributed Systems
- Cloud computing and virtualization
- Microservices architecture
- Containerization and orchestration
- Edge computing and IoT systems
- Future trends in distributed systems
Textbooks
- [Recommended] “Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design” by George Coulouris, Jean Dollimore, Tim Kindberg, and Gordon Blair
- [Optional] “Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms” by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten van Steen
Assessment
- Midterm Exam (20%)
- Activities and Projects (30%)
- Programming Projects (15%)
- Distributed System Design Assignments (10%)
- Case Study Analysis (5%)
- Final Exam (50%)