CS 368: Distributed Computing

Course Description:

This course provides an overview of distributed computing; that is, programs that operate on multiple computers that are connected by a network. The course will be programming intensive, and will include (but not be limited to) course topics such as: the basic client / server programming model, the sockets programming API, client and server development in C and Java, remote procedure calls (RPC), remote method Invocation (Java), connectionless vs. connection-oriented clients and servers, and multi-threaded servers. Prerequisite: CS 321 and CS 365. 3:0:3.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Explain and apply basic distributed computing concepts including (but not limited to):
   • Client-server paradigm
   • IP addresses, ports, and sockets
   • Connection oriented versus connectionless communications
   • Multi-threaded servers and/or clients
2. Explain and apply several common distributed computing applications in depth. For example, explain one or more of these applications in depth:
   • Telnet
   • FTP
   • NFS
   • HTTP web server
3. Explain and apply to distributed computing these protocol concepts:
   • UDP / TCP protocols
   • IP protocol
   • Reliable data transfer
   • Flow control
   • Congestion control
4. Explain and apply one or more of these alternative distributed computing approaches:
   • Remote Procedure Calls
   • Remote Method Invocation (Java)
   • Java Database Connectivity

Assessment Measures:

Assessment Tool	Linkage to Learning Outcome #:
Homework Assignments:
Assign a sufficient amount of homework such that all of the above objectives are covered.	All
For each homework assignment, include short answer questions that require the student to apply the above objectives.
For certain homework assignments, the student will be asked to solve problem(s) by applying appropriate client-server networking techniques.
Optional Projects (The teacher may include these projects at his/her discretion): Write a client and server application using Java's or C's socket classes. The student must demonstrate proper functionality in his/her program.
Implement a program that uses some of the following: remote procedure calls, Java's remote method invocation, and Java's database connectivity.
Exams:
Include one or more of: short answer, multiple choice, mathematical calculation problems.
Given a problem description, apply an appropriate client-server technique.