CS 141ab. Distributed Computation Laboratory

Winter/Spring 2003 (Course Schedule)

Tuesday 1:15 - 2:40 PM and (for 141a only) Thursday 1:00 - 2:25 PM, Jorgensen 287

Instructors

Professor K. Mani Chandy, mani@cs.caltech.edu, 260 Jorgensen, x6559. Office hours TBA.
Dr. Daniel M. Zimmerman, dmz@cs.caltech.edu, 62 Jorgensen, x4840. Office Hours Tuesday/Thursday, End of Class - 5:00.

CS 141 is a course on distributed systems. We will cover basic principles of concurrent systems (including systematic reasoning about their behavior), communication mechanisms for concurrent systems, patterns of interaction in concurrent and distributed systems, and software engineering of distributed systems. We will also discuss current technologies such as XML, SOAP (and Web Services in general), and others. Coursework includes theory, design, and Java programming.

CS 141b is a projects course, where the grade is based on projects and presentations thereof; information about grading and homeworks on this page is applicable to CS 141a only.

CS 20abc is a prerequisite for CS 141a, and CS 138ab would be useful. CS 141a is a prerequisite for CS 141b.

Grading

• Homeworks, 60%
• Two 3-Hour Quizzes, 20% each

Homeworks

Homework assignments are given approximately once a week. Unless otherwise noted, all homework assignments are weighted equally. Homework assignments, as well as lecture slides, are available from the course schedule page.

There are three types of homework assignment:

• Theory: A theory homework involves reasoning about concepts and systems, and may include writing small amounts of code to illustrate concepts. Theory homeworks must be carried out alone; it is OK to discuss general concepts and issues with other students, but all submitted work must be your own.
• Design: A design homework involves the design of a system to meet some specification, but never includes implementation. Design homeworks are meant to be carried out in groups of up to 3 students (it is OK to do them alone, but we recommend collaboration). Any work that is done by a group must bear the names of all group members, and all group members should submit identical group work. If the group only does part of the design, and the rest is completed individually, this should be indicated in the submission.
• Implementation: An implementation homework involves the implementation of a system to meet some specification, and typically follows a design homework with the same specification (so that there is already an existing design to implement). Implementation homeworks must be carried out alone; it is OK to discuss design issues with other students, but all implementation must be your own work.

Homework assignments should be submitted on time. If a homework is submitted late, it will be handled in one of two ways:

1. If the delay is due to sickness or emergency, you will not be penalized. It is strongly recommended that, whenever possible, you ask in advance for an extension in such circumstances.
2. If the delay is for any other reason, the number of days your submission is late will be counted against you (with qualifications; see the late policy).

All homeworks must be submitted using the automated submission system, and must conform to any specific instructions on the homework assignment (with regard to filenames, interfaces, output, and such). Homework submissions that do not conform to the requirements of the assignment will not be graded (and will therefore receive zero points).

Quizzes

In each term, there are two quizzes. These are meant to test your knowledge of the concepts we cover in the course, and must be carried out alone. Quizzes are closed-book and closed-notes, including lecture slides. Discussion of the quizzes with anybody except the instructors and TAs is not allowed. Late quizzes will not be accepted except in cases of sickness or emergency.

Late Policy

Each student in CS 141 starts each term with six 24-hour extensions. These can be used in any way you wish, subject to the following restrictions:

• You may use at most 3 extensions for any single assignment.
• Extensions cannot be used for quizzes.

The automated submission system allows you to manage your own extensions. You can earn extra extensions by submitting assignments early: for every two days an assignment is submitted early, you earn one extra extension. This is calculated from the latest time you submit each assignment.

Late penalties start on the day after the assignment was due, including extensions. For instance, if an assignment is due on January 15 at 23:59:59, and you submit it on January 17 at 23:00, you can use two extensions to receive no penalty, or one extension to receive the one-day penalty.

• Up to 1 day late: 20% penalty
• Up to 2 days late: 40% penalty
• Up to 3 days late: 60% penalty
• Up to 4 days late: 80% penalty
• Up to 5 days late: 100% penalty

No credit will be given to assignments that are submitted more than 4 days late, or to assignments that are submitted after the last quiz of the term is due.

For more information on extension management, see the automated submission system instructions.

References

Textbook

• Doug Lea, Concurrent Programming in Java: Design Principles and Paradigms, Second Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1999. ISBN 0201310090.

Other Books

• Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten van Steen, Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, Prentice-Hall, 2002. ISBN 0130888931.
• W. Richard Stevens, UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1: Networking APIs - Sockets and XTI, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. ISBN 013490012X.
• W. Richard Stevens, UNIX Network Programming, Volume 2: Interprocess Communication, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall PTR, 1999. ISBN 0130810819.
• Elliotte Rusty Harold, Java Network Programming, Second Edition, O'Reilly and Associates, 2000. ISBN 1565928709.

Online

• The Infospheres Java Coding Standard
• Java 2 SDK Documentation (Version 1.3.1) (at www.infospheres.caltech.edu)
• Java RMI (overview at java.sun.com)

Last modified by Daniel M. Zimmerman on 1 April 2003