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ix
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to CBDT3103 Introduction to Distributed System. This course is a onesemester, three-credit, under-graduate-level course for OUM students seeking a
Bachelor Degree in Information Technology with Network Computing.
Assignment and test in this module will help you master the topics for a period of
one semester.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
COURSE GUIDE
MODULE STRUCTURES
There are FIVE major topics in this modules. A brief summary of the five major
topics are given below.
Topic 1: Introduction to the Network and Distributed System
Topic 1 is organised into a number of sections. The first section comprises of the
unit overview, the objectives and the introduction. The next section introduces
the concepts of a network and briefly describes what you should know about
them before you start topic 2. The third section defines distributed systems. You
are shown the relationships between networks and distributed systems, and then
learn about their differences. The characteristics of distributed systems and the
architectural models of distributed systems are discussed near the end of this
third section, and three fundamental models are described. At the end of this unit
is a summary, followed by the suggested solutions to the self-test questions. The
self-tests have been placed at appropriate points throughout the topic so that you
can test your understanding of the material. You are advised to complete these
tests before checking the answers.
Topic 2: Networking and Internetworking
You are introduced to network hardware very briefly at the beginning of this
topic. Then, you concentrate on software protocol in the remainder of topic 2 The
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COURSE GUIDE
xi
software protocols you study include network services, quality of services (QoS),
networking requirements for distributed systems, LAN (Local Area Network),
and the devices used in internetworking (repeater, bridge and router).
LAN: LAN (Local Area Network) is described in this topic, with two case
studies of common configurations Ethernet and Token Ring. Quite a large
portion of this unit is devoted to studying LANs, since LANs support most
distributed systems (that are then connected to a WAN.
PDU of the TCP layer) header, services, and multiplexing function. TCP is
followed by a brief discussion of UDP (User Datagram Protocol). Some simple
Internet applications, such as DNS (Domain Name System), email, Telnet and
FTP (File Transfer Protocol), are introduced briefly.
At the end of this unit is a summary followed by the solutions to the self-test
questions. The self-tests are spread throughout the topic at appropriate points so
that you can test your understanding of the material. You are advised to complete
the self-tests before checking the answers.
Topic 4: Interprocess Communication (IPC) and Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)
In broad sense, inter-process communication (IPC) is the exchange of data
between one process and another. The two processes can be either within the
same computer or over a network. IPC implies a protocol that guarantees a
response to a request. This unit is mainly concerned with the characteristics of
protocols for IPC in a distributed system. It discusses protocols for the
representation of data items in messages of IPC. It also discusses the construction
of protocols to support the client-server communication the communication
pattern that is most commonly used in distributed programs. Remote procedure
call (RPC) is dealt with as a case study of IPC methods. Note that this unit does
not cover low-level IPC methods such as message queues, shared memory, and
semaphores. The client-server communication model is one of the
communication patterns that use IPC. This client-server model is the most
commonly cited architecture when distributed systems are discussed. The
following figure shows a simple structure in which client processes interact with
server processes in separated machines. Client A communicates with Server 1 to
get a service from Server 1. Client B requests a service from Server 2, but Server 2
cannot handle the request by itself. Thus it communicates with Server 3 to
complete the service.
Server 1
Client A
Server 2
Client B
Server 3
Topic 4 first introduces the concept of IPC and then deals with the related
concepts of marshalling and unmarshalling. A discussion of synchronization
follows, and two kinds of communication mode are introduced: synchronous and
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2.
3.
Totals Hours
5
60
15
12
Work on assignment
15
Revision
18
Total
120
Topics
Assessment
Activities
10
Self-test 1.1
Self-test 1.2
Self-test 1.3
Self-test 1.4
Self-test 1.5
13
Self-test 2.1
Self-test 2.2
Self-test 2.3
Self-test 2.4
Self-test 2.5
Self-test 2.6
13
Self-test 3.1
Self-test 3.2
Self-test 3.3
Self-test 3.4
Self-test 3.5
12
Self-test 4.1
Self-test 4.2
Self-test 4.3
Self-test 4.4
12
Self-test 5.1
Self-test 5.2
COURSE GUIDE xv
Text book and supplementary reading text as suggested in the module. You
are advised to read the text.
Non-Print materials.
Text Book
George Coulouris, Jean Dollimore and Tim Kindberg (2005) Distributed Systems:
Concepts and Design, 4th edition, Reading, MA: Addison Wesley Longman.
Non-Print Media
OUM will also provide you with e-materials to support you in your learning.
This e-materials are available in OUM portal, in particular in OUM Virtual
Learning Environment, known as myINSPIRE. You are required to access this
Learning Management System. Faculty website is also contain in the portal.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Formal assessment is of two components:
2.
5%
45%
Assignment
For this course you are required to do one or two assignments. The objective
of the assignment is:
To provide a mechanism for you to check your progress and make sure
that you have met certain learning objective
COURSE EXAMINATION
Course examination will contribute 50% of the final mark. The examination is
divided into two parts: part one which will be conducted in the mid-term and
part two which will be conducted at end of the course. Each part contributes 25%
of the total mark of 50%. Part one will examine the first few topics and part two
will examine the last few topics of the module.
TUTORIALS
The course includes 5 tutorial meetings of two hours each. The tutorials are
conducted to provide an opportunity for you to meet your tutors and discussed
important points or difficult points or concepts in the module. In addition, you
have an opportunity to discuss self-test with your tutors or share your study
experiences and difficulties in your peer-to-peer group discussions. Although the
tutorials are not compulsory, you are encouraged to attend the tutorial meetings
as far as possible. It is strongly recommended that you attend all tutorials, as they
will provide considerable assistance in your study of this course. Moreover, you
will have the chance to meet with other distance learners who are taking the same
course.
GROUP PROJECT
Please do group project if it is specified in the course. The group project provides
you with the opportunity to show your ability to work in group, namely to do
group problem solving, sharing and communicate your ideas to group members.
You are required to use myINSPIRE in this group project, i.e. to communicate
and share your ideas with the group members.