Course Outline for CS 436, Winter 2013

University of Waterloo

Term and Year of Offering: Winter 2013

Course Number and Title: CS 436, Distributed Computer Systems

Comp Sec	Camp Loc	Time Days/Date	Bldg Room	Instructor
LEC 001	UW U	8:30-10:50TTh	MC2038	Noura Limam

Instructor	Office Location	Contact	Office Hours
Noura Limam	DC 1315	n2limamuwaterloo.ca	Friday 11-1pm
TA's Name	Office Location	Contact	Office Hours
Muhammad Shafiq	DC 3517	m5shafiquwaterloo.ca	T 1-2pm, Th 10-11am
Ankit Talwar	DC 2505	atalwaruwaterloo.ca	ThF 3-5pm

Course Description

An introduction to computer networks, protocols, and distributed systems architecture.

Course Objectives

The course provides a systems-oriented view of communication technology focusing on essential functionality and performance. Students learn to understand basic networking and distributed systems mechanisms. After this course, students should be able to assess technology alternatives and understand their impact on IT infrastructure and applications.

Communication

The primary means for announcements is LEARN.

Please direct all questions to the Discussion Forum. If there is a good reason not to use the Discussion Forum (e.g., personal matters) contact the instructor directly via email.

Textbooks

James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 5th edition, Addison-Wesley, 2010, ISBN-10: 0136079679, ISBN-13: 9780136079675
http://vig.pearsoned.ca/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0136079679,00.html
Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten Van Steen. Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms. 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, 2007, ISBN-10: 0132392275, ISBN-13: 9780132392273
http://vig.pearsoned.ca/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0132392275,00.html

Evaluation (tentative)

	Dates	Marks
Assignment 1	Due: Feb 22, 2013	10
Assignment 2	Due: Mar 8, 2013	10
Assignment 3	Due: Mar 29, 2013	10
Midterm Exam	Feb 14, in class, closed book	30
Final Exam	N/A, closed book	40
Total		100

IMPORTANT: A passing mark in the weighted average of the exams must be achieved to pass the course.

Late Policy

Assignments are due on the due-date at the time specified on the top of the assignment. A 10% penalty of the assignment mark will apply for each 24 hours late submission up to a maximum of 72 hours of assignment deadline.

Rules for Group Work

Unless otherwise stated, assignments are to be done individually.

Policies

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm. When in doubt please be certain to contact the School's administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/] to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about 'rules' for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals) www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.

Note for Students with Disabilities: The Office for persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.