Computer Science Department, Bucknell University

Course Description
CSCI 355 Distributed Computing
Spring 2007

Instructor: Professor Dan Hyde
Office: 338 Dana
Phone: 577-1281
Office Hours:Usually in office 9-5.
Email Address: hyde at bucknell.edu (Email is a good way to contact me!)

Web Page for CSCI 355: http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~cs355/

Texts:

Course Description:
With the unprecedented interest and importance of the Web and other Internet-based applications and services, e.g., Ebay, YouTube, and IM, the design of distributed systems has grown in importance.

This course covers the principles and practices underlying the design of distributed systems, both Internet-based and otherwise.

A distributed system is a collection of autonomous computers linked by a network, with software designed to produce an integrated computing facility. This course characterizes distributed systems, their design issues, explores their services and implementations.

Assignments:
There will be weekly written assignments during the semester for a total of 10% of your grade. There will be frequent programming projects. There is also a weekly lab associated with the course, which totals 10% of your grade. Your written assignments are to be prepared on 8.5"x11" paper. Multiple page assignments as well as lab assignments are to be stapled together.

Term Project:
In the last half of the course, you (as individuals) will investigate an aspect of distributed systems of interest to you. You will write a report and give a presentation to the class on your findings.

Reading:
Students are expected to have completed the reading assignments by the date indicated on the syllabus. Students should be prepared to discuss and raise questions during class concerning the reading material.

Late Assignment Policy:
Homework assignments must be handed in by class time the day they are due unless you have prior approval of the instructor. Laboratory assignments are due a week later at the beginning of the next lab session at 3:00 PM on Tuesdays.

You are to work alone on all homework assignments and labs. You are encouraged to consult with other students about homework assignments and labs, however, any submitted work must be yours alone.

Unsolicited reading or copying of other student or faculty files is as wrong as looking at or removing papers from a student or faculty member's desk. Such academic dishonesty has been and will be referrred to the University Student Conduct Committee for appropriate punitive action (See Bucknell Student Handbook).

Attendance:
Attendance is required for all classes and all laboratories.

Quizzes:
Every Friday we will have a 3-5 minute quiz on material from the lectures and the text. The quiz will be on the material (lectures and reading) of the week. The quizzes (total 10% of course grade) will consists of questions on material you should have learned in the past week.

To be excused from a quiz, you must contact the instructor with a good reason before the Friday class.

Exams:
There will be a Midterm exam and a Final exam.

Grades:
The course grade will be distributed as follows:

   Homeworks       10%
   Projects        20%
   Term Project    10%
   Laboratories    10%
   Quizzes          10%
   Midterm Exam    20%
   Final Exam      20%

Page maintained by Dan Hyde, hyde at bucknell.edu Last update January 15, 2007

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