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Distributed Software Engineering Case Study Questions

The document discusses various aspects of distributed software engineering through case study questions, focusing on middleware, security threats, architectural models, fault tolerance, peer-to-peer architecture, SaaS challenges, scalability techniques, and transparency. It highlights how middleware facilitates communication via RPC, identifies security threats in distributed systems, recommends multi-tier architecture for financial analytics, and suggests solutions for fault tolerance in healthcare systems. Additionally, it examines the pros and cons of P2P architecture, challenges in SaaS implementation, scalability techniques for video streaming platforms, and the importance of transparency in enhancing user experience.

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Kamau Gabriel
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61 views5 pages

Distributed Software Engineering Case Study Questions

The document discusses various aspects of distributed software engineering through case study questions, focusing on middleware, security threats, architectural models, fault tolerance, peer-to-peer architecture, SaaS challenges, scalability techniques, and transparency. It highlights how middleware facilitates communication via RPC, identifies security threats in distributed systems, recommends multi-tier architecture for financial analytics, and suggests solutions for fault tolerance in healthcare systems. Additionally, it examines the pros and cons of P2P architecture, challenges in SaaS implementation, scalability techniques for video streaming platforms, and the importance of transparency in enhancing user experience.

Uploaded by

Kamau Gabriel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Distributed Software Engineering Case study Questions

Middleware and Remote Procedure Calls

Scenario:
A company is developing a distributed e-commerce platform where users can browse products,
make purchases, and track deliveries. The platform involves multiple components running on
different servers:

 A product catalog service


 A payment service
 A delivery tracking service

Question:
Explain how middleware facilitates communication between these services using remote
procedure calls (RPC). What challenges might arise from this approach?

Answer:
Middleware acts as an intermediary that manages the interaction between the components in a
distributed system. In the case of RPC:

1. The e-commerce platform calls a method on the middleware, simulating a local


procedure call.
2. The middleware identifies the remote service (e.g., payment or delivery tracking) and
forwards the call.
3. Middleware converts the parameters into a standard format, sends them to the target
service, and retrieves the result.
4. It translates the result back into a format understandable by the calling component.

Challenges:

 Synchronous communication: Both the caller and callee must be available


simultaneously.
 Latency issues: Network delays can degrade performance.
 Error handling: Failures in one service can propagate and disrupt other services.

Question 2: Evaluating Security in Distributed Systems

Scenario:
An online education platform is designed as a distributed system with features like video
streaming, real-time quizzes, and user account management.
Question:
Identify three types of security threats that this distributed system might face and propose
solutions for each.

Answer:
Threats and Solutions:

1. Interception (Loss of confidentiality): Attackers intercept video streams or user


credentials.
o Solution: Use end-to-end encryption (e.g., TLS) for all communications.
2. Denial of Service (DoS): Attackers flood the servers with requests, disrupting services.
o Solution: Implement rate-limiting and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
protection mechanisms.
3. Fabrication (Fake data creation): Attackers create fake quiz results or user accounts.
o Solution: Enforce authentication mechanisms (e.g., two-factor authentication) and
validate input data rigorously.

Question 3: Architectural Model Recommendation

Scenario:
A startup is developing a financial analytics platform that requires real-time updates from
multiple sources, high scalability, and intensive data processing.

Question:
Recommend a suitable client-server architecture and justify your choice.

Answer:
Recommendation: Multi-tier client-server architecture.
Justification:

 Real-time updates: Separate layers for data management and application processing
allow better handling of real-time data.
 Scalability: Multi-tier models can scale horizontally by adding servers to handle
increased client demand.
 Intensive data processing: The architecture supports distributed processing across
layers, optimizing performance

Question 4: Fault Tolerance in Distributed Systems

Scenario:
A distributed healthcare system manages patient records across multiple hospitals. Each hospital
must continue functioning independently in case of a network failure.
Question:
Describe how the system can be designed to handle failures while ensuring data consistency
across all hospitals.

Answer:
Design Approach:

1. Replication: Use data replication to store copies of patient records at each hospital.
2. Consensus Algorithms: Implement algorithms like Paxos or Raft to ensure data
consistency during updates.
3. Eventual Consistency: Adopt an eventual consistency model to reconcile records when
the network is restored.
4. Failure Detection: Include heartbeat mechanisms to detect and manage network
partitions or node failures.
5. Local Processing: Allow hospitals to operate on local copies of the data during outages,
synchronizing changes afterward.

Question 5: Peer-to-Peer Architecture in Business Use

Scenario:
A music streaming company wants to leverage peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture to reduce server
costs while ensuring users can share music with each other seamlessly.

Question:
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using a decentralized P2P architecture for this
application.

Answer:
Advantages:

1. Reduced Server Load: Offloading file sharing to user devices reduces central server
dependency.
2. Scalability: Performance improves as more peers join the network.

Disadvantages:

1. Quality Control: Ensuring high-quality music files is harder due to decentralized


sharing.
2. Security Risks: Peers may introduce malicious content or compromise data privacy.

Question 6: SaaS Implementation Challenges


Scenario:
A small business adopts a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for its inventory management
system. The SaaS solution is hosted on a remote server accessed via a web browser.

Question:
What are three challenges the business might face in using SaaS, and how can they be mitigated?

Answer:
Challenges and Mitigations:

1. Data Security: Sensitive inventory data is stored offsite.


o Mitigation: Choose a SaaS provider with strong encryption and compliance with
standards like ISO 27001.
2. Downtime Risks: Service availability depends on the SaaS provider.
o Mitigation: Ensure the provider offers a robust SLA with uptime guarantees.
3. Limited Customization: SaaS solutions may not fully meet specific business needs.
o Mitigation: Work with the provider to customize features or explore configurable
options.

Question 7: Scalability in Distributed Systems

Scenario:
A video streaming platform needs to support millions of users simultaneously while maintaining
consistent video quality.

Question:
What scalability techniques can be applied to meet this requirement?

Answer:
Techniques:

1. Load Balancing: Distribute user requests across multiple servers to prevent overload.
2. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Cache video content closer to users for faster
delivery.
3. Horizontal Scaling: Add more servers to handle increasing traffic.
4. Microservices Architecture: Design the platform as independent services for modular
scaling.

Question 8: Transparency in Distributed Systems


Scenario:
A global travel booking system uses a distributed architecture to provide flight, hotel, and car
rental options.

Question:
Explain how transparency can enhance user experience and identify challenges in achieving it.

Answer:
Transparency Enhancements:

1. Location Transparency: Users should not need to know where the data (e.g., flight
availability) is stored.
2. Access Transparency: Users should seamlessly access services without manual
configuration.

Challenges:

1. Network Latency: Variations in response times might make the system seem
inconsistent.
2. Data Synchronization: Ensuring real-time consistency across distributed components

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