ACS-49543 credit hours

Introduction to Distributed Systems

Applied Computer Science · 3 hrs Lecture

ACS-4954 prerequisites

15 courses appear in this chain, up to 5 levels deep. Every route through it involves a choice, so nothing is forced.

Part of this course's requisite text couldn't be parsed into structure, so the chain below may be incomplete. The full wording is under “Requisite courses”.

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all of

any one of

ACS-2906Computer Architecture and System Software

any one of

ACS-1904Programming Fundamentals II
ACS-1903Programming Fundamentals Imin C

any one of

Pre-Calculus Math 40S

Applied Math 40S

ACS-1805Introduction to Programmingmin C
ACS-1905Programming Fundamentalsmin C

all of

any one of

Computer Science 40S

equivalent

any one of

ACS-1805Introduction to Programmingmin C

Its prerequisites are shown above.

Pre-Calculus Math 40S

Applied Math 40S

ACS-3911Computer Networks

all of

ACS-2909Internet Programming

any one of

ACS-1903Programming Fundamentals I

Its prerequisites are shown above.

ACS-1905Programming Fundamentalsmin C

Its prerequisites are shown above.

any one of

ACS-2913Software Requirements Analysis and Design

any one of

ACS-1903Programming Fundamentals I

Its prerequisites are shown above.

ACS-1905Programming Fundamentalsmin C

Its prerequisites are shown above.

the former ACS-2911

ACS-2912 with a minimum grade of C

ACS-3931Principles of Operating Systems

all of

ACS-2906Computer Architecture and System Software

Its prerequisites are shown above.

ACS-2947Data Structures and Algorithmsmin C

any one of

ACS-1904Programming Fundamentals II

Its prerequisites are shown above.

ACS-1905Programming Fundamentalsmin C

Its prerequisites are shown above.

any one of

the Math courses MATH-1101

MATH-1103Introduction to Calculus I

any one of

Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S

MATH-0042Mathematics Access IImin C

any one of

A minimum grade of 65% in Pre-Calculus 30S

a minimum grade of C+ in MATH-0041

permission of the Department Chair

the former MATH-0040

MATH-1104Introduction to Calculus II

Minimum grade of C in MATH-1103

MATH-1201Linear Algebra I

any one of

Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S

Applied Mathematics 40S

MATH-0042Mathematics Access II

Its prerequisites are shown above.

MATH-1401Discrete Mathematicsmin C

any one of

Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S

a grade of 65%

higher in Applied Mathematics 40S

MATH-0042Mathematics Access II

Its prerequisites are shown above.

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Where ACS-4954 counts

Counts toward 2 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:

  • ACS 4-YEAR BSc IN APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE
  • ACS BSc (HONOURS) IN

Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 71 of 141 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.

Description

This course is an introduction to the broad field of distributed systems. It focuses on introducing students to the benefits, challenges, methods, and implementations of distributed systems. Reasons for deploying distributed systems, such as fault tolerance and agglomeration of computational resources are discussed. Other topics include implementation challenges such as synchronization and replication in the presence of faults. Common system architectures that address some of these challenges are also introduced. Students are expected to implement some of these architectures to reinforce the lecture material.

Requisite courses

ACS-2906, ACS-3911 or ACS-3931 and one of the Math courses MATH-1101, MATH-1103, MATH-1104, MATH-1201, MATH-1401 with a minimum grade of C [prerequisite(s)].

Lecture

From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.