CSCI 420 - Parallel and Distributed Systems

3 Credits
This course will provide an overview of networked computing, the systems and applications supporting and surrounding them. The autonomous nature of distributed computing, as well as design and implementation issues, is examined. Topics include complexity management, concurrency, protocols, security, performance, networking, reliability, fault-tolerance, and middleware. Distributed systems studied will include client-server computing, distributed objects, peer-to-peer, distributed file systems, multicast communication, distributed shared memory, web services and the WWW architecture.

Prerequisite(s): CISP 247
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Discuss the protocols and methods for resource allocation specific to distributed systems.
2. Discuss how environmental variables, including security and communication, affect the cooperative processes within systems.
3. Discuss the paradigm differences between disparate distributed systems.
4. Discuss the paradigm challenges of emerging distributed systems, including P2P computing, mobile IP, and web services.
5. Discuss viable applications of distributed systems and the importance of middleware.
6. Discuss future trends in the areas of distributed systems.