Distributed and Parallel

System 11
Today’s Menu: Distributed System Model &
Architecture
• Client-Server
• Peer-to-peer
• Three-tier
• Microservice
Client-Server
• The client-server architecture is a distributed computing model where
client devices or applications request services or resources from
centralized servers.
• Client: Devices or applications that initiate requests for services or
data from servers.
• Server: Centralized systems that provide requested services or
resources to clients.
• Example: Your PUIS!!
Client-Server Characteristics & Drawbacks
Characteristics
• Centralized Control: Servers control
access to resources and handle client
requests.
• Scalability: Allows for scalable
deployment by adding or upgrading
servers to handle increasing client
demand.
• Reliability: Provides a centralized
point for managing data and ensuring
consistent service availability.
Drawbacks
• Single Point of Failure: Dependency
on centralized servers can lead to
system-wide outages if servers fail.
• Performance Bottlenecks: Heavy
reliance on servers can create
performance bottlenecks and latency
issues.
• Scalability Challenges: Scaling servers
may require significant investment in
hardware and infrastructure.
Peer-to-Peer
• The peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture is a distributed computing model
where peers (nodes or devices) communicate and collaborate directly
with each other without centralized control.
• Due to lack of central servers, nobody has any authority over anyone
• True democracy in computing!
Characteristics & Drawbacks:
Characteristics
• Decentralization: Peers operate
autonomously and have equal status
in the network.
• Resource Sharing: Peers share
resources (such as files or computing
power) directly with each other.
• Scalability: P2P networks can scale
horizontally by adding more peers,
distributing the workload across the
network.
Drawbacks
• Security Concerns: Lack of centralized
control makes P2P networks
susceptible to security threats and
malicious activities.
• Resource Availability: Dependence on
peers for resources may result in
variability in availability and reliability.
• Network Overhead: Increased network
overhead due to peer discovery,
routing, and data synchronization.
Examples:
• File-sharing networks like BitTorrent
• Yes, your beloved sources of exclusive digital contents are decent example of
distributed system
• YARRRanaika
• Also, if you play Steam games, they also use that approach to “conscript” all
available Steam devices to share their game program during updates on any
client
• Blockchain networks like Bitcoin
• Ethereum is also here, we already talked about it last week-ish
Three-tier
• The three-tier architecture is a distributed computing model
consisting of three distinct layers: presentation, application (logic),
and data.
Layers (or Tiers):
• Presentation Tier: Handles user interface interactions and
presentation logic.
• Application Tier: Implements business logic and application
functionality.
• Data Tier: Manages data storage and access to databases or other
data sources.
• Basically, kinda like MVC
Benefits & Drawbacks
Benefits
• Modular Design: Separation of
concerns improves
maintainability and flexibility.
• Scalability: Allows for
independent scaling of each tier
based on demand.
• Interoperability: Enables
integration with diverse
technologies and platforms.
Drawbacks
• Complexity: Three-tier architectures
can introduce complexity in design,
development, and management.
• Communication Overhead: Increased
communication overhead between
layers may impact performance and
latency.
• Resource Utilization: Over-provisioning
or under-utilization of resources in
certain tiers may occur, leading to
inefficiencies.
Microservices
• The microservices architecture is an
architectural style where an application is
composed of small, independently
deployable services that communicate via
lightweight protocols.
• This scheme is best used when your
application is a clobbered-together app
from other API
• Service Modularity: Applications are
decomposed into small, loosely coupled
services that focus on specific business
capabilities.
• Independent Deployment: Services are
deployed and scaled independently, enabling
rapid development and deployment.
• Polyglot Persistence: Each service can use its
own data storage technology based on its
requirements.
Pros and Cons
Pros
• Agility: Enables rapid
development, deployment, and
scaling of individual services.
• Scalability: Allows for fine-
grained scaling of services based
on demand.
• Resilience: Fault isolation and
graceful degradation improve
system resilience.
Cons
• Complexity: Distributed nature of
microservices introduces complexity in
communication, deployment, and
monitoring.
• Operational Overhead: Managing a
large number of microservices can
require significant operational overhead
in terms of monitoring, debugging, and
coordination.
• Consistency Challenges: Ensuring
consistency and coherence across
distributed services may be challenging,
especially in data-intensive applications.
Hands-on:
• Now, given that you had deployed your Engine-X, let’s scale it up and
learn a little about clean-up
• Engine-X is the pronunciation of nginx
• You know, by scaling here means you create several instances of your
app (like that Engine-X)
• Next slide is the thing
Peanut Sauce for the day:
• https://www.slideshare.net/tyrantbrian/microservice-architecture-65
505794
(Wijesuriya, Viraj Brian (2016-08-29) Microservice Architecture,
Lecture Notes - University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri
Lanka)
• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/three-tier-client-server-architecture-i
n-distributed-system/
• https://www.resilio.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-peer-to-
peer-and-client-server
• As always, CheatGPT saves my ass
• This time, with the Kubernetes exercise
Your Practical Midterm Report
• Simply put: mention what you make and how you make it
• Include some screenshot indicating whether it works
• Performance comparison between non-parallel and parallel (if you have it!)
• Indicate also where did you parallelize it and why there
• Due next week-ish