FIT4001 Parallel and distributed systems - Semester 2, 2009

Clayton

Dr Asad Khan - Parallel architectures component

Dr Sita Ramakrishnan and Mr Quazi Mamun - Distributed Systems component

Prerequisites

Prohibitions

Relationships

FIT4001 is a core unit in the Bachelor of Software Engineering Degree and is an elective unit for BCS and Postgraduate courses in the Faculty of IT.

FIT4001 provides students with a comprehensive set of study guides and references to facilitate your learning. The lectures will build on these teaching resources rather than reproduce them, and are an opportunity for you to raise questions.

Lectures: You are advised to read through the study guide prior to the lecture, as two hours is far too short to cover all the important concepts. Emphasis in lectures will be given to providing examples of the concepts and discussing some of the questions that these ideas may provoke.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend the lectures and participate in the discussions.

Some of the assignment work in the Distributed systems component will be team based and peer assessed for some aspects.

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.cc.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Reading material including research papers, programming manuals and system specifications, will be distributed electronically or in hardcopy.

Reference Material:

G.R. Andrews: Foundations of Multithreaded, Parallel and Distributed Programming, Addison-Wesley, 2000.

J. Magee and J. Kramer: Concurrency:  State models & Java Programming; John-Wiley & Sons, 2006.

I.T. Foster: Designing and Building Parallel Programs, Addison-Wesley, 1995.

M. Maekawa, A.E. Oldehoeft, R.R. Oldehoeft: Operating Systems Advanced Concepts, Benjamin/Cummings, 1987.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Reading material including research papers, programming manuals and system specifications, will be distributed electronically or in hardcopy.

Reference Material:

G.R. Andrews: Foundations of Multithreaded, Parallel and Distributed Programming, Addison-Wesley, 2000.

J. Magee and J. Kramer: Concurrency:  State models & Java Programming; John-Wiley & Sons, 2006.

I.T. Foster: Designing and Building Parallel Programs, Addison-Wesley, 1995.

M. Maekawa, A.E. Oldehoeft, R.R. Oldehoeft: Operating Systems Advanced Concepts, Benjamin/Cummings, 1987.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

• Weekly detailed lecture notes outlining the learning objectives, discussion of the content, required readings and  exercises;
• Weekly exercises - refer to relevant chapters in Andrews & Magee's Text for Distributed Systems' component ;
• Assignment specifications;
• Discussion groups;
• This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
• The unit web site on MUSO, where resources outlined above will be made available.

Overview

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

• 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
• 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
• an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 44% then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

The unit is made up of 2 components, distributed and parallel computing, and parallel architectures.

Each component is assessed with two assignments. In addition, the parallel architectures lectures will include a quiz in week 12.

To pass the unit you must:

• attempt both assignments in each of the 2 components (Parallel architectures & Distributed Systems)
• achieve no less that 40% of the possible marks in each component
• achieve no less than 50% of possible marks.

Marks breakdown:

Distributed systems (Quazi Mamun) - assignment 1 - 25% + assignment 2 - 25%

 Parallel architectures (Asad Khan) -  assignment 3 - 20%  + assignment 4 - 20%  + assignment 5 Week 12 Quiz 10%

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

• Assignment task 1

  Title:

  Distributed Systems - Assignment 1

  Description:

  Assignment spec on Blackboard site for the unit.

  Weighting:

  25%

  Due date:

  Distributed systems assignment 1 due Week 5 - Monday Aug 17th 5pm

• Assignment task 2

  Title:

  Distributed Systems - Programming Assignment 2

  Description:

  Write parallel programs using message passing. Assignment spec on Blackboard site for the unit.

  Weighting:

  25%

  Due date:

  Distributed systems assignment 2 due - Monday September 14th 5pm

• Assignment task 3

  Title:

  Parallel architectures - Assignment 3

  Description:

  In this assignment you are asked to write a research paper on how high performance machines are applied to a range of different application areas. You should read sufficient material to give you some understanding of the outcomes for the area, and the underlying computational methods (for example, the numerical methods involved, or the computer science algorithms employed) and how it is solved using a high performance computer.

  Weighting:

  20%

  Due date:

  Week 10 - 25/Sep, 12PM

• Assignment task 4

  Title:

  Parallel architectures - Assignment 4

  Description:

  In this assignment you are to write a research paper on various multi-core architectures and discuss the design choices and alternatives available in the current commercial products.

  Weighting:

  20%

  Due date:

  Week 13 - 23/Oct, 12PM

• Assignment task 5

  Title:

  Week 12 Quiz

  Description:

  Students will be given a 30 minutes quiz on materials presented in the lectures from week 7 to week 11 during week 12's lecture.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Due date:

  Week 12 lecture slot

Due dates and extensions

Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.