Abstract: Introduction to Client-Server Computing. Strategic Applications in Distributed Computing. Data Network Architectures. Building the Client-Server Architecture. Development of Client-Server Applications. Network Technology for Distributed Computing. Middleware and the Application Programming Interface. Industry-Supported Environments. Open Networking Standards (TCP/IP and OSI). Distributed Systems Management. Groupware -- Integrating People with Distributed Systems. Future Directions in Distributed Computing.

Abstract: Much of the design and development for new computing systems in the 1990's is being done in a networked computing environment with distributed goals So why do so many 4-year college computer science departments still not teach "Distributed computing systems" in their undergraduate curriculum? The reasons are varied, but one main one is the belief that such a course requires expensive hardware and the very latest software development tools This article demonstrates how a course for undergraduates in distributed computing can be successful at giving the students the concepts and principles, while enabling them to create such an application to experience the distributed environment, and do it all on a limited budget The principles are highlighted along with a practical design and development component, which can give seniors a way to tie together many of the principles and applications of previous courses

Abstract: We propose and study the following pursuit-evation problem in distributed environments: Members of a team of guards (e.g. antivirus programs) traverse the links of a network represented by a graph G, in pursuit of a fugitive (e.g. a worm) which moves along the links of the graph without any other knowledge about the lccations of the quards than whatever it can collect as it moves (e.g. the worm is oblivious to dynamic network behaviour). The fugitive’s purpose is just to read local information at each node and to stay in the net as long as possible. When a guard meets the fugitive, the fugitive is destroyed. We combinatorially characterize and compare such problems, and we present network protocols that allow an eficient (in terms of number of guards and messages) elimination of the fugitive. Note that the problem we study is fundamentally different from distributed graph searching, since the fugitive does not know the locations of the guards. Security of networks has triggered a number of fundamental studies in recent years. [Franklin et al. 93] considered the problem of maintaining privacy in a network that is threatened by mobile eavesdroppers, i.e. by an adversary that can move its bugging equipment within the system. Mobile adversaries in the context of secure computation were introduced by Ostrovsky and Yung ([Ostrovsky, Yung 91]). We also adopt here the notion of a mobile” eavesdropper” which moves in the network without having available to it an instantaneous description of the whole network state. Unlike previous studies, however, our goal here is to describe network protocols which result in the elimination of the mobile adversary. Our assumption is that the network links can be also traversed by mobile guards (e.g. anti-virus software), any of which

Abstract: Distributed computing systems are composed of various types and sizes of resources. Providing a reliable and efficient distributed computing environment largely depends on the effective management of these resources. ISO has begun work on a proposed standard for Open Distributed Processing (ODP). The ODP framework includes a mechanism called the Trader which provides a framework for exchanging services in an open distributed computing environment. This paper presents a design of Trader-Based Resource Management System (TBRMS) which employs and extends the ODP Trader concept to the management of general resources in distributed computing systems. We describe its architecture, information model, and user interface. We also present an implementation effort of its prototype which uses the X.500 Directory Service as its resource information repository.

Abstract: For companies faced with the need to deliver new applications more quickly and at lower costs than before, client/server computing is becoming a reality. End-user computing, although not directly involved in creating the new applications, is affected by the shift in computing architecture.

Abstract: For the application of high-performance, distributed computing systems in solving complex computational problems with high real-time demands and in order to meet the real-time requirements on the underlying communication system the paper deals with application fundamentals of distributed, high-performance computing and networking systems. Evaluation of hard-bounded, worst-case, real-time computing and networking performances and latency and bandwidth evaluation of distributed, high-performance systems shows that such systems have forced us to deal with the propagation delay within the system due to the finite speed of light. The user must pay attention to his file sizes and how latency will affect his applications. At the application level, it is important to use parallelism.

Abstract: This paper hints at models and mechanisms which are part of current distributed systems research, and which may be of interest in the area of distributed, parallel computing as well. In this context, an experimental toolkit which allows for object-oriented programming of distributed, failure-resilient applications is presented. The toolkit, called Electra, supports novel features like object-oriented communication, object-groups, and reliable multicast. We will compare the performance of a compute intensive application implemented on Electra, on PVM, on a transputer, and on two different Linda systems.

Abstract: A network of supercomputers and high-performance workstations appears to be the only reasonable way to provide adequate computing resources for the Grand Challenge problems of the next century. Such a collection of computers and supporting software environments is called a virtual computing environment (VCE). The paper describes the motivation and goals of the VCE project, followed by a description of the system. The paper concentrates on the runtime aspects of the VCE, and concludes with a discussion of a small prototype system that has been built using the Isis distributed toolkit.<>

Abstract: Systems with both mobile and stationary computers are of increasing importance. Mobile users can access information anywhere and anytime. Basic components needed for mobile computing are smart portable computers and wireless communication networks. Major problems due to mobility and the specific characteristics of portable computers and wireless communications are dynamic configuration, moving resources, reachability, data and function consistency. A complete system architecture to enable mobile computing, called MOBI-DICK, is presented. This system can be used as a programming platform to hide the specifics of mobile computing from the application programmer.

Abstract: In a rst part this paper reviews the architecture principles of some visu alization systems from the family of so called application builders focusing on their ability to be run in distributed environments In a second part some points concerning the e ciency of distributed execution and strategies for executing on parallel systems are discussed Finally the main lines of a ba sic layer for handling data sharing and processes synchronisation presently developed at ONERA are presented

Abstract: The emerging generation of complex software systems presents significant challenges that must be addressed with new development technologies. Such systems are highly distributed and employ many heterogeneous processors, some of which may be parallel processors. Additionally, there are many non-functional requirements (related to timing, reliability, security and fault tolerance).

Abstract: We have presented a global data management strategy for a logic storage space based on storage devices that. are attached to computing systems that may be locally or remotely interconnected via a network. We discussed the functional chwacteristics and capabilities of the strategy vis a vis the current techniques. The processes for the creation, configuration, making file systems, accessing data, extension, and reduction of an Allocatzon Space Area Devzce (ASAD) are described.

Abstract: A framework for developing a computing environment for researchers in the biological sciences which utilizes HPCC resources is described. This framework addresses the need to provide an organized network resource discovery and access capability for the genome researcher on a national scale. In particular, this framework addresses the issues of integrating autonomous computing tools, authenticating both users and the tools being accessed, dynamic and transparent tool location determination, application and network fault tolerance, and scalability. This framework is based, in part, on open-systems concepts and a distributed computing paradigm. on the network, providing support for highly reliable, fault tolerant service, and being scalable in large networking environments. As part of the US. Government’s High Performance Computing and Communication initiative (HPCC), a computing environment that addresses these issues on a national scale is being developed at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU). As part of the development effort, a prototype system has been implemented which utilizes resources and services at the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center (PSC), the National Library of Medicine (NLM), MU and elsewhere. The prototype system provides researchers in the biological sciences with a powerful capability to integrate a diverse set of resources that facilitate their research efforts.

Abstract: Steve Burdick, Multimedia Coordinator for Information Technology Division (ITD) User Services-Communications, will be presenting an on-line information system developed at the University of Michigan. The talk will include a demonstration of the kiosk system. WHAT IS IT? The “Guide to Computing on Campus” is an interactive version of a printed booklet which is distributed to new users on campus. Both guides contain information regarding computing resources and facilities. WHY DO IT? As the University of Michigan made the switch to a distributed computing environment, the Communications Team within User Services was charged with the task of providing information to new as well as migrating users on campus. Due to the expected volatility of the information, it was clear that a number of channels would be required to keep users up-to-date. Printed materials generally require an extended production phase and do not allow for latebreaking information. An electronic kiosk could be developed in tandem with a printed guide and then deployed much later with updated information as needed. Revisions could also be easily and economically incorporated. THE PROCESS After a series of meetings with representatives fi-om the orientation and the Future Computing Environment (FCE) roll out teams, the content and basic format was selected. It was decided that early users would need answers to some or all of the six topics shown in Figure 1. Once the basic format was established, a story board was created and each module was mapped out for structure and content. Within six weeks, the structure was complete and the content was plugged in as each section was written and approved. The most difficult task was assembling accurate information as it emerged from several overlapping sources. PHASE ONE: ORIENTATION Deployment was done in two phases. The first phase took place during summer orientation. For two months starting in June, 160 students per day were processed through the orientation rituals. As they stood in line for Ii) cards, they were given an opportunity to review the interactive guide at three kiosk stations. Another set of stations in a separate building for parent orientation was also in place. The kiosks were driven by Apple Macintosh CIS and Quadras. These were left on and available around the clock. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this tnaterial is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title of the publication and its data appea~ and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machine~, to copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee andor specific permission. 01994 ACM 0-89791-656-5/94/459940 $3.50 I Meet the Shadowy Future 1 The Macintoshes were secured to the kiosks and the files were protected using Apple’s ‘AtEase’ finder utility. PHASE TWO: FALL FCE ROLL OUT The second phase was planned for the fall roll out of the FCE. Kiosks were deployed at strategic locations including four major campus computing sites as well as the FCE demo area. The content in this version of the guide drilled deeper than the orientation guide—primarily because of the audience, and also because it was expected users would have more time to explore. EVALUATION User feedback was considered vital to the success of this Guide. In planning for the Orientation version, specific objectives were defined. After reviewing the kiosk presentation, the goal was to give the user a sense of the range of computing resources on campus and that there was help available to them from a number of sources. We also wanted users to feel comfortable about using computers on campus. Users and test subjects were asked to fill out a short survey which measured their reaction in those three areas. To gauge the effectiveness of the user interface, users were observed from a short distance and notes were made about which sections were accessed within the guide. When overheard, comments were also noted. Some interviews were also conducted. All of this feedback was taken into consideration during development of subsequent versions of the Guide. Figure 2: ‘