Introduction to the Course
Distributed Systems L-A
Sistemi Distribuiti L-A
Andrea Omicini
[email protected]
Ingegneria Due
Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna a Cesena
Academic Year 2009/2010
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 1 / 18
Outline
1 Motivations
Toward Distributed Computational Systems
2 The Course
Goal & Structure
What to Do
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 2 / 18
Motivations Toward Distributed Computational Systems
Computational Systems
What is a computational system?
any system with computational capabilities
how many computational systems today in this room?
how many a few years ago?
Interactivity & Interoperability
Almost any computational system of today comes equipped with ICT
technologies for interacting with other computational systems
We live immersed in a sort of computational cloud, where an
incredible (and always increasing) number of computations are
performed at every instant
distributed, concurrent computations
either controlled / triggered, or autonomous computations
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 4 / 18
Motivations Toward Distributed Computational Systems
Pervasiveness of Computational Systems
Nowadays, computational systems. . .
. . . have become pervasive
. . . are at the core of most artificial systems
The physical nature of artificial systems. . .
. . . adds complexity to computational components / systems
in terms of physical distribution
in terms of temporal distribution
in terms of unpredictability of the scenarios
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 5 / 18
Motivations Toward Distributed Computational Systems
On the Notion of Distribution
What is distributed?
computational units, communication channels. . .
data, information, knowledge
as well as their representations
sensors, actuators, . . .
the boundaries between the systems and the surrounding environment
are topologically sparse
Spatio-temporal unity of systems is lost
there is no longer a notion of system time, nor a system location
system components, at different level of abstraction, are only partially
related
temporally & topologically
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 6 / 18
Motivations Toward Distributed Computational Systems
What has Changed?
A number of assumptions over systems no longer hold
system events no longer constitute a totally-ordered set
generally speaking, partial ordering is the only feature
admissible interactions among system components no longer depend
on compresence
in space / time
within a physical / virtual topology
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 7 / 18
The Course Goal & Structure
Goals of the Course
Students of this course should
Learn the basics of distributed systems
Take a look at some of the hottest new trends
Experiment with coordination-based technologies
as a general-purpose approach to advanced technologies for distributed
computational systems
Possibly, experiment with web-based technologies
as a relevant case of today widespread distributed computational
systems
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 9 / 18
The Course Goal & Structure
Structure of the Course: Main Topics
Generality on distributed systems
Basic problems and definitions
Software architectures
Issues of distributed systems
Communication
Naming
Synchronisation
Consistency & replication
Fault tolerance
Main sorts of distributed systems
Distributed object-based systems
Distributed web-based systems
Distributed coordination-based systems
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 10 / 18
The Course Goal & Structure
Material of the Course: Main Book
[Tanenbaum and van Steen, 2007a]
Tanenbaum, A. S. and van Steen, M. (2007)
Distributed Systems. Principles and Paradigms
Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA, 2nd edition.
[Tanenbaum and van Steen, 2007b]
Tanenbaum, A. S. and van Steen, M. (2007)
Sistemi Distribuiti
Pearson Education Italia, Torino, Italia, 2a edizione.
This book represents the main guide throughout the first two parts of the
course—Basics & Issues
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 11 / 18
The Course Goal & Structure
Material of the Course: Slides
http://apice.unibo.it/xwiki/bin/view/Courses/SdLa0910
Slides will be available from the course’s web site
Along with any additional information—e.g., related literature
The last part of the course – on the three main sorts of distributed
systems – will contain several references to the Tanenbaum & van Steen
book chapters, but will mainly evolve according to a different perspective,
reported on the course’s slide.
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 12 / 18
The Course What to Do
Attitude toward the Course
Attending lessons is important
The topic is rich of subtleties
A lot of “implicit knowledge” is transferred orally
Material should suffice, anyway
For those who have problems attending lessons
Or, for those who just hate the Professor’s voice / face / slides /
attitude / whatever
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 14 / 18
The Course What to Do
Registering to the Course
Professors-students lists. . .
are provided for free by the Alma Mater Studiorum
they mostly work
we will use them here
Please register soon. . .
to the list ANDREA.OMICINI.SD-LA-0910
using password 0910SDLA
like, say, today.
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 15 / 18
The Course What to Do
The Exam
Oral Examination
Typically, three questions
possibly with some code to be read, understood, or written
Projects are not excluded a priori
but should be carefully selected, motivated, and supported
in case, the discussion of the project replaces the three questions
however, if the project is not completed on time, the exam switches
back to oral examination
Registering to AlmaEsami lists is required. . .
. . . in order to be examined
. . . for the first session after the course
After that, just contact the Professor via mail. . .
. . . using your Alma Mater mail account
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 16 / 18
The Course What to Do
Bibliography
Tanenbaum, A. S. and van Steen, M. (2007a).
Distributed Systems. Principles and Paradigms.
Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA, 2nd edition.
Tanenbaum, A. S. and van Steen, M. (2007b).
Sistemi Distribuiti.
Pearson Education Italia, Torino, Italia, 2a edition.
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 17 / 18
The Course What to Do
Introduction to the Course
Distributed Systems L-A
Sistemi Distribuiti L-A
Andrea Omicini
[email protected]
Ingegneria Due
Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna a Cesena
Academic Year 2009/2010
Andrea Omicini (Università di Bologna) 0 – Introduction to the Course A.Y. 2009/2010 18 / 18
