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Unit outline_

COMP4349: Cloud Computing

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit covers topics of active and cutting-edge research within IT in the area of 'Cloud Computing'. Cloud Computing is an emerging paradigm of utilising large-scale computing services over the Internet that will affect individual and organization's computing needs from small to large. Over the last decade, many cloud computing platforms have been set up by companies like Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Ebay and Facebook. Some of the platforms are open to public via various pricing models. They operate at different levels and enable business to harness different computing power from the cloud. In this course, we will describe the important enabling technologies of cloud computing, explore the state-of-the art platforms and the existing services, and examine the challenges and opportunities of adopting cloud computing. The unit will be organized as a series of presentations and discussions of seminal and timely research papers and articles. Students are expected to read all papers, to lead discussions on some of the papers and to complete a hands-on cloud-programming project.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Computer Science
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
INFO1110 or INFO1910 or ENGG1810 or DATA1002
Corequisites
? 
Enrolment in a thesis unit. INFO4001 or INFO4911 or INFO4991 or INFO4992 or AMME4111 or BMET4111 or CHNG4811 or CIVL4022 or ELEC4712 or COMP4103 or SOFT4103 or DATA4103 or ISYS4103
Prohibitions
? 
COMP5349 OR OCMP5349
Assumed knowledge
? 

Knowledge of OS concepts as covered in INFO1112

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Ying Zhou, ying.zhou@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 2 April 2024
Type Description Weight Due Length
Supervised exam
? 
hurdle task
Written examination
Written examination
50% Formal exam period 2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment AWS CloudFormation Exercise
Practical assignment
10% Week 07
Due date: 12 Apr 2024 at 23:59
10 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO3
Assignment AWS Project
Practical Assignment
20% Week 12
Due date: 17 May 2024 at 23:59
20 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO5 LO7
Small continuous assessment AWS Lab Practice
Weekly AWS Lab Practice
20% Weekly 12 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO3
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

  • AWS lab practice:  AWS Challenge lab practices are worth 4 points each and the highest-scoring 5 will contribute to the final lab practice mark. There is no strict weekly deadline for submissions, but it is recommended to submit the labs in the corresponding week. The final lab practice mark will be determined on week 13 May 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM and any labs submitted after that time will not be considered.
  • AWS CloudFormation Exercise: Develope a CloudFormation template to create and manage a couple of AWS services.  
  • AWS project:  Develope template for automating the infrastructure of a distributed application on AWS. 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard. It is a policy of the School of Computer Science that in order to pass this unit, a student must achieve at least 40% in the written examination. For subjects without a final exam, the 40% minimum requirement applies to the corresponding major assessment component specified by the lecturer. A student must also achieve an overall final mark of 50 or more. Any student not meeting these requirements may be given a maximum final mark of no more than 45 regardless of their average

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Cloud computing overview Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Introduction to AWS Academy Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3
Week 02 Cloud compute service Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Intro to Amazon EC2&S3 Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3
Week 03 AWS Compute Service Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO5
Amazon EC2 Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 04 Cloud Storage Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO4
Amazon S3 Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 05 Cloud Database Lecture (2 hr) LO4
Amazon RDS Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 06 Cloud Networking Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO5
Amazon VPC Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO5
Week 07 Cloud Security Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Amazon IAM Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO5
Week 08 Cloud monitoring Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3
Amazon autoscaling Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO7
Week 09 Cloud automation Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO7
Automating Infrastructure Deployment Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3
Week 10 Caching Content Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3
Streaming Dynamic Content Using Amazon CloudFront Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3
Week 11 Microservices architecture:container Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO6
Docker and Amazon ECS Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO7
Week 12 Microservices architecture: Serverless architecture Lecture (2 hr) LO6 LO7
AWS Lambda Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO3 LO7
Week 13 Unit of study review Computer laboratory (2 hr) LO1

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. develop a comprehensive understanding of cloud computing concepts, architecture, and design principles.
  • LO2. explain cloud-enabling technologies, including virtualisation and containerisation
  • LO3. gain proficiency in using cloud-based tools and technologies, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • LO4. acquire expertise in different cloud storage and databases
  • LO5. gain expertise in securing cloud-based solutions, including data protection and network security
  • LO6. acquire an understanding of emerging cloud technologies and trends, such as microservices architecture and serverless computing.
  • LO7. create a solution architecture for transitioning to the cloud

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Paxos content is removed. CloudFormation will be introduced early in the semester and also as additional lab practice.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.