Nova Southeastern University

School of Computer and Information Sciences

Course Syllabus

MMIS 626, Client/Server and Distributed Computing, 3 Credits

Spring 2004, March 29, 2004 - June 18, 2004, On-line

 

Instructor

Name: David Metcalf, Ph.D.

Address:
School of Computer and Information Sciences
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

E-mail: metcalf@nova.edu

Text:
Title: Client/Server Survival Guide, Third Edition
by Robert Orfali, Dan Harkey and Jeri Edwards
ISBN: 0471316156
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons  1999

Text:
Title: Enterprise Application Integration
Author: David S. Linthicum
ISBN: 0201615835
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Text:
Title: IT Architectures and Middleware: Strategies for Building Large, Integrated Systems
Author: Chris Britton
ISBN: 0201709074
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Course Requirements:
Students are required to be familiar with programming concepts. Good written communication skills and online skills are required.

Course Description:
Included in this course are a wide range of issues, methods, techniques, and case examples for developing and managing client/server and distributed systems. These include client/server development using RAD methodologies, transaction process monitors, types of aboveware and middleware, middleware standards (DCE, RPC, and CORBA), managing client/server environments, software installation and distribution, electronic mail architectures in C/S systems, evaluation of vendor strategies, issues in selecting C/ S products, legacy system migration issues, interoperability, scalability, network and security concerns, the emerging desktop standards, the role of network computers and thin clients, and the emergence of the WWW as an extension of the client/server environment.

The emphasis of the material for this class will be in the analysis, design, and management of the collective components that make up client/server and distributed systems. The theory behind each component will be presented while exploring the impact i t has on the business of managing information.

(Adopted from the Nova Southeastern University Graduate Program 2001-2002 Catalog.)

Objective:
Master the concepts of client/server and distributed systems as applied to information systems.

Course Content Overview:

General Course Information:
This course will consist of four major assignments.

Course interaction will consist of class web page, e-mail, forums, and online class meetings (to be announced).

Specific details for each assignment will be given in online classes and posted on the class web page.

 

Grading:

Select one of the assignments below for details about each task.

Assignments will be submitted through the WebCT system. Acceptable formats include ASCII text files and Microsoft Word (95 and current .doc) file formats.

If you are unfamiliar with this system or other online tools commonly used at Nova University, please consult the following URL: http://scis.nova.edu/main_web_tools.html.

Grading Scale:


A


A-


B+


B


B-


C+


C


C-


F


95%-
100%


90%-
94.9%


86.7%-
89.9%


83.4%-
86.6%


80%-
83.3%


76.7%-
79.9%


73.4%-
76.6%


70%-
73.3%


Below

70%

 

Incomplete Policy:
The student must arrange with the instructor for an Incomplete prior to the end of the semester.
If an incomplete is granted, the student must fill out an incomplete form (which serves as a contract between the student and professor outlining the work to be completed) to be registered with the SCIS program office. The student will have 30 days from t he end of the semester to complete the stated work.

Course Rules:

One day -10%

Two days -20%

Three days -30%

After four days no credit will be given for the work

This is the policy which will be strictly enforced, unless the student receives written permission beyond the stated rules.

·  Other policies and procedures for the entire MMIS program can be found at: http://www.scis.nova.edu/Masters/Academic_Programs/Academic_Programs_MMIS.html

Please note the following highlights:

Policy Paragraphs:

 

1. Academic Integrity and Student Original Work (See Catalog for  additional policies, especially Policy on Acceptable Use of Computing Resources, and Policy on the Use of Material in Web Pages.)

 

Each student is responsible for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in his or her academic work. It is the policy of the school that each student be academically honest, which means that each student must:

 

Submit his or her own work, not that of another person

 

Not falsify data

 

·        Not engage in cheating (giving or receiving help during examinations, acquiring and/or transmitting test questions prior to an in-class examination, or falsifying any records, including admissions material)

 

·        Not receive nor give aid on assigned work that requires independent effort

 

·        Properly credit the words or ideas of others according to accepted standards for professional publications (See, for example, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.)

 

·        Not use term paper writing services or consult such services for the purpose of obtaining assistance in the preparation of materials to be submitted in courses

 

·        Not engage in plagiarism. Webster’s defines plagiarism as “stealing or passing off ideas or words of another as one’s own” and “the use of a created production without crediting the source.” Extreme caution must be exercised by students involved in collaborative work to avoid questions of plagiarism.

 

2. Writing Skills:   Each student must demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English

language in all work submitted for this course. Grammatical errors, spelling errors, and writing that does not express ideas clearly will affect your grade. The professor will not provide remedial help concerning writing problems that you might have. Students who are unable to write correctly and clearly are urged to contact their program office for sources of remedial help.

 

3. The Grade of Incomplete (I):   The grade of Incomplete (I) will be granted only in cases of extreme hardship. In such cases, a student requiring an incomplete must submit a written appeal with full rationale to the instructor at least three weeks prior to the end of the term. The student does not have a right to an incomplete, which may be granted only when there is clear evidence of just cause. Should the instructor agree, an incomplete contract will be prepared by the student and signed by both student and instructor. The incomplete contract must contain a description of the work to be completed and a completion date. The completion period should be the shortest time possible. In no case may the completion date extend beyond 30 days from the scheduled course completion date for master’s courses nor beyond 60 days from the scheduled course/project completion date for doctoral courses.

 

4. Withdrawal:   Withdrawal requests must be submitted to the student’s program office and must be made in writing by the student. Requests for withdrawal received after the last day of the term will not be accepted. Failure to attend classes or participate in course activities will not automatically drop or withdraw a student from the class or the university. Students who have not withdrawn by the last day of the term will receive letter grades that reflect their performance in the course. When a withdrawal request is approved, the transcript will show a grade of W for the course. Depending on the date of withdrawal, the student may be eligible for a partial refund.

 

Bibliography:

Comer, D. E., and Stevens, D. L. [1991], Internetworking with TCP/IP, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Core, G. (1995). Express analysis. Open Computing, 12 (12), 68-69.

Cortese, A. (1995). The software revolution. Businessweek, 3453, 78-90.

Crowley, A. (1995). The testing loop. PC Week, 12 (46), 17-18.

Custer, H. (1993). Inside Windows NT, Microsoft Press, Redmond, Washington

Fluckinger, F. (1995). Understanding networked multimedia: Applications and technology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Jain, R. (1991). The art of computer systems performance analysis: Techniques for experimental design, measurement, simulation, and modeling. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Kant,K. (1992). Introduction to computer system performance evaluation. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lu, G. (1996). Communication and computing for distributed multimedia systems. Norwood, MA: Artech House.

Pfleeger,S.L. (1998). Software Engineering theory and practice. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Pressman, R.S. (1997). Software engineering: A practitioner's approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Schatt, S. (1993). Understanding network management strategies and solutions. New York: Windcrest/McGraw-Hill.

Schnaidt, P. (1992). Enterprise-wide networking. Carmel, IN: Sam's Publishing.

Sprague, R.H., & McNurlin, B.C. (1997). Information systems management in practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Stallings, W. (1999), Data and Computer Communications, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.

Vaskevitch, M. W. (1995) Client server strategies. New York: IDG Books.

Whitten, J.L., Bentley, L.D. & Barlow, V.M. (1999). System analysis & design methods. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin.

David Metcalf, Ph.D.
E-mail: metcalf@nova.edu

Last Modified: March 27, 2004