227-0555-00L Distributed Systems
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2020 |
| Lecturers | R. Wattenhofer |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Enrolled students will be notified by e-mail about the lecture start. |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227-0555-00 G | Distributed Systems The lecture start will be notified by e-mail. The lecturers will communicate the exact lesson times of ONLINE courses. Lecture: Monday or Friday 10-12 h Exercises: Friday 14 - 16 h | 3 hrs |
| R. Wattenhofer | |||||||||
| 227-0555-00 A | Distributed Systems tba | 1 hrs | R. Wattenhofer |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | This course introduces the fundamentals of distributed systems. We study different protocols and algorithms that allow for fault-tolerant operation, and discuss practical systems that implement these techniques. |
| Objective | The objective of the course is for students to understand the theoretical principles and practical considerations of distributed systems. This includes the main models of fault-tolerant distributed systems (crash failures, byzantine failures, and selfishness), and the most important algorithms, protocols and impossibility results. By the end of the course, students should be able to reason about various concepts such as consistency, durability, availability, fault tolerance, and replication. |
| Content | We discuss the following concepts related to fault-tolerant distributed systems: client-server, serialization, two-phase protocols, three-phase protocols, paxos, two generals problem, crash failures, impossibility of consensus, byzantine failures, agreement, termination, validity, byzantine agreement, king algorithm, asynchronous byzantine agreement, authentication, signatures, reliable and atomic broadcast, eventual consistency, blockchain, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum, proof-of-work, proof-of-*, smart contracts, quorum systems, fault-tolerant protocols such as piChain or pbft, distributed storage, distributed hash tables, physical and logical clocks, causality, selfishness, game theoretic models, mechanism design. |
| Lecture notes | A script is available on the web page. |
| Literature | The script is self-contained, but links to additional material are available on the web page. |
| Prerequisites / Notice | This lecture takes place in roughly the second half of the semester, as the lecture is the second part of the lecture "Computer Systems" (252-0217-00). Students may attend at most one of the two lectures, NOT both. |
Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 4 credits |
| Examiners | R. Wattenhofer |
| Type | session examination |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | The performance assessment is offered every session. Repetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Mode of examination | written 90 minutes |
| Additional information on mode of examination | Completion of a learning task awards a bonus of up to 0.25 grade points on the final grade. The final exam may be computer-based. |
| Written aids | None |
| This information can be updated until the beginning of the semester; information on the examination timetable is binding. | |
Learning materials
| Main link | Course Webpage |
| Only public learning materials are listed. | |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| There are no additional restrictions for the registration. |
Offered in
| Programme | Section | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Master | Specialisation Courses | W |  |
| Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Master | Recommended Subjects | W | |