TCOM 690-005
SCALABLE INTERNET ARCHITECTURES
George Mason University
Spring 2012
Instructor:
Giovanni Torres
Course Time and Location:
Time:
Location:
Email:
Office Hours:
Thursday 4:30p.m. – 7:10p.m.
ENGR 1203
gtorres1@gmu.edu
By appointment
Course Description:
The objective of this course is to provide an in-depth introduction to server class
operating systems, focusing on its use in various Internet and enterprise
deployments. The course aims to provide the concepts and the protocols associated
with load balancing and high-availability. These topics will uncover techniques used
to support an enterprise network. Additional topics will include, but are not limited
to, an introduction to networking in virtualized environments and fundamentals of
cloud computing. This course includes lab work that applies concepts learned
throughout the course.
Course Prerequisites:
TCOM 514, 515, 529 and 590 are highly recommended to be successful in this class.
Course Texts and Other Materials:
Scalable Internet Architectures
by Theo Schlossnagle
ISBN: 978-0672326998
Load Balancing Servers, Firewalls and Caches
by Chandra Kopparapu
ISBN: 978-0471415503
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Deployment Guide
http://docs.redhat.com/docs/enUS/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5/html/Deployment_Guide/index.html
IBM Data Center Networking: Planning for virtualization and cloud computing
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/pdfs/sg247928.pdf
(Optional)
The Cloud at Your Service
by Jothy Rosenberg and Arthur Mateos
ISBN: 978-1935182528
Course Grading:
Homework/Research Papers: 10%
Labs: 15%
Midterm: 35%
Final: 40%
The midterm and final will include material from lectures and class/lab discussions
in addition to the required reading.
Blackboard:
All course material, announcements and grades will be posted on the class
Blackboard page. Please check Blackboard at least once a week to make sure that
you have the latest course information.
Labs:
Location: GMU Telecom Lab
Students must be present to receive credit for labs.
Course Schedule:
Please note that the schedule may change as the semester progresses.
Week
Date
Topic
Reading
1
1/26
2
2/2
Introduction and Overview
Server Class Operating Systems
Understanding the network stack
3
2/9
Scaling, Avoiding Failures and
Mission-Critical Environments
Red Hat
Deployment Guide
Red Hat
Deployment Guide
SIA: Chps 1,2,3
IBM: Chp 1
4
2/16
5
2/23
Load balancing: basic and advanced
concepts
Load balancing: network design
LBSFC: Chps 2, 3
SIA: Chp 5
LBSFC: Chp 4
6
3/1
High Availability concepts
SIA: Chp 4
7
3/8
Spring Break: No Class
8
3/15
Midterm
9
3/22
Redundant Firewalls and Caches
LBSFC: Chps 6, 7
10
3/29
Monitoring an enterprise network
Lecture notes
11
4/5
Network virtualization
IBM: Chp 3
12
4/12
LBSFC: Chp 8
13
4/19
Applications and Content Distribution
Networks
Intro to Cloud Computing
14
4/26
A look at Amazon Web Services
Lecture notes
15
5/3
Emerging technologies and Wrap Up
16
5/10
Final
Lecture notes
You cannot make up the exams and you must take the final during the scheduled
timeslot -ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!! - Coordinate your travel accordingly.
Academic Integrity:
The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made
by each of us. GMU has an Honor Code with clear guidelines regarding academic
integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are
that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of
others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3)
if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for
clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct.
Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from
another person without giving the person credit. Writers give credit through
accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or
endnotes. Paraphrased material must also be cited, using MLA or APA format. A
simple listing of books or articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of
intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting. If you have any
doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me.
Please note that any violation of the Honor Code will be immediately reported to Dr.
Paris and the Honor Committee without exception.
GMU Links:
http://catalog.gmu.edu
http://universitypolicy.gmu.edu
Accommodations for Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations,
please see me and contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 9932474, http://ods.gmu.edu. All academic accommodations must be arranged through
the ODS.
Other Resources:
Writing Center: The GMU Writing Center is available to all students to assist in any
written assignment. Please consult the following URL for more detailed information
about the resources available to you as a student:
http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/index.php
University Libraries: The GMU University Library system is available to all students.
Please consult the following URL for more detailed information about their
resources: http://library.gmu.edu