Course Information
Table of contents
Course Overview
Welcome to Advanced Topics in Serverless and Edge Computing! This is going to be a challenging but fun class with a special focus on research projects.
We are currently transitioning to the next phase of distributed computing. More focus will be placed on computing closer to users “at the edge,” and less focus on large, centralized datacenters and clouds. The pressures creating this trend include an increasing demand for immersive, real-time applications (including AI and augmented reality) and the need to design more efficient and disaggregated data centers. A parallel transition is taking place in how we program distributed systems, where stateless, dynamically provisioned, “serverless” computation is becoming the norm. In this course we will explore ongoing research in these areas, both in academia and in industry, and understand some of the history that got us here.
This is an advanced seminar course that will expose you to cutting-edge research at the intersection of several areas within computer systems, including operating systems, cloud computing, distributed systems, computer architecture, programming languages, and networking. You will apply what you learn to pursue an open-ended research project related to serverless and edge computing, that will culminate in a publication that could be submitted to a top-tier OS conference. Many of the projects will be centered on two focus areas related to work being done here at IIT: Coalescent Computing and Virtines.
Audience
This course is aimed at advanced CS undergraduates and graduate students. The emphasis is on research. Please contact me if you would like to take this course but are not sure if you have the required background.
Prerequisites
You should have taken CS 450 or the equivalent for this course. I expect that you have some experience with computer organization and computer networking as well.
Research Project
You wil work in teams of no more than two on an open-ended research project in serverless and edge computing. I will hand out a list of potential projects at the beginning of the semester, though I am open to your ideas as well. Once you have formed groups and selected a project, I will expect weekly status reports from you until the end of the semester, at which point you will be submitting a final report and presenting a final presentation that includes a demo of your work. At the end of the semester we will have a workshop where you will present your work!
Readings
A significant portion of your time will also be spent on reading papers, and this is pretty typical of the life of a researcher. Every week we will focus on two research papers, and each class one of you will present the paper. You will be submitting paper reviews as well. The schedule can be found here, and you will be expected to attend in person.
What You Will Learn
- How to read and critique research papers in systems
- How to present research work (yours and others’) in an academic setting
- Historical and contemporary perspctives on cloud, distributed, serverless, and edge computing
- Navigating, understanding, and building on research codebases
Books
There are no required textbooks for this course. However, you may find the following list of books useful if you are a graduate student:
- Feibelman, Peter J. A PhD Is Not Enough!: A Guide to Survival in Science, Revised Ed., 2011.
- Zobel, Justin. Writing for Computer Science, 3rd Ed., 2014.
- Turabian, Kate L. et al. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8the Ed., 2013.
Grading
The following components will constitute your grade in this course:
- Project: 50%
- Project paper and presentation: 20%
- Paper presentations: 15%
- Paper reviews: 10%
- In-class discussion/participation: 5%
Communication
We will be using Discord for course communication.
Academic Integrity
You are allowed to discuss your work with others in the class, but ultimately what you submit must be solely yours. Cheating, plagiarism, copying from other students, or any other sort of academic dishonesty may result in you getting a zero on the assignment, may impact your grade negatively, and may result in refurral to the Dean.
Please see IIT’s code of Academic Honesty here.
Disability Accommodations
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities. In order to receive accommodations, students must obtain a letter of accommodation from the Center for Disability Resources. The Center for Disability Resources (CDR) is located in Life Sciences Room 218, telephone (312) 567-5744 or disabilities@iit.edu.
Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Information
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Illinois Tech encourages anyone experiencing sexual harassment or sexual misconduct to speak with the Office of Title IX Compliance for information on support options and the resolution process.
You can report sexual harassment electronically here, which may be completed anonymously. You may additionally report by contacting the Title IX Coordinator, Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator at eespeland@iit.edu.
For confidential support, you may reach Illinois Tech’s Confidential Advisor at (773) 907-1062. You can also contact a licensed practitioner in Illinois Tech’s Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu or (312)567-7550
For a comprehensive list of resources regarding counseling services, medical assistance, legal assistance and visa and immigration services, you can visit the Office of Title IX Compliance website.