Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems / Texts in Computer Science (PDF)

This Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems describes the key concepts, principles and implementation options for creating high-assurance cloud computing solutions. In combination with the Isis² software platform, the text offers a practical path to success in this vital emerging area. Opening with a broad technical overview, the guide then delves into the core challenges of how reliability and fault-tolerance can be abstracted, how the resulting questions can be solved, and how the solutions can be leveraged to create a wide range of practical cloud applications. Readily understandable without any special background, the guide offers concrete examples drawn from real-world settings to illustrate key insights.

Topics and features:

• Examines cloud computing reliability from the perspectives of the client and of the network, and describes the significant components of cloud data centers
• Presents a practical focus aimed at building "mission-critical" networked applications that keep working even when things go wrong
• Covers CORBA, Web Services, group communication, transactions, peer-to-peer systems, time-critical protocols, scalability and security
• Discusses fundamental mechanisms in detail, with an emphasis on the idea of "consistent behavior" in systems that replicate critical components for availability
• Reviews a wide array of major cloud computing components, including BitTorrent, Dynamo, Chubby, BigTable, Zookeeper, and others
• Includes more than 80 problems ranging from simple tests to challenging topics suitable for semester-long projects

With its well-focused approach and clarity of presentation, the guide represents a unique resource in the contemporary cloud-computing arena. Anyone seeking a solid background in distributed computing, cloud computing, or the modern Internet will find the book an essential and practical learning tool.